In an English dictionary, one of the definitions of the word “china” refers to hard white items made from clay, “瓷器” in Chinese. Legend has it that our country was given the name China because of the beautiful porcelain produced here and shipped to faraway lands. With a long history of ceramic production, the important role played by Chinese pottery in global ceramic history is undeniable. The oldest crude pottery in China dates back about 10,000 years to the Neolithic Period. Throughout China’s long history, there were the famous Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty (221-201 B.C.) and Tang Sancai of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The Song Dynasty (960-1279) saw the emergence of ceramics from the “Five Famous Kilns” – Ru Kiln (汝窑), Guan Kiln (官窑), Ge Kiln (哥窑), Jun Kiln (钧窑) and Ding Kiln (定窑). Then in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the well-known blue-and-white porcelain was born. By then, Jingdezhen had become the hub of porcelain production, earning the title it holds today as the “Porcelain Capital” of China. Ceramic technologies and styles during Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912) added more colors and glazes, and the complex patterns were seen in porcelain antiques from the period. The exporting of exquisite porcelain gave China dominance in a flourishing international trade. Many of the porcelain products became everyday objects for ordinary people. People’s lives were made more efficient and pleasurable because of porcelain’s useful qualities for everything from jars to teacups to brush washers. Culture, esthetic traditions and history are incorporated in Chinese ceramics. One feature that manifests “Chineseness” lies within the artistic patterns. Depicting flowers, animals and folk stories, they represent the good wishes of Chinese people, the beauty they pursue, and the personality traits they have. Because ceramics from each period were immersed in the culture of the time, the development stages show continuity and innovation. Let’s take a closer look at three iconic types of ceramics – Tang Sancai, celadon, and blue-and-white porcelain. The Chinese porcelain Tang Sancai is distinguished by its glaze with mainly three intermingled colors. The bright colors and design, rarely seen in later times, such as the camel, mounted warriors, Hu people playing music instruments, indicated a clear Central Asian influence, the origin of which you probably all know – the Silk Road. Tang Sancai is indeed very much a symbol of the prosperous international Tang Dynasty. To the colorful assertive Tang pottery, the blue porcelain of Northern and Southern Song dynasties was a great contrast. You may not know the word “celadon,” but I’m sure you know Qingci (青瓷). Celadon is as well-known to Western porcelain lovers as Qingci is to us Chinese. The elegant shapes seem reflective of a more sophisticated taste of the Chinese people during the Song Dynasty – longing for understated beauty with simplicity and lingering charm. A representative example is Longquan Celadon, dubbed as “the beautiful jade of Chinese porcelain.” Most of the Longquan Celadon products are rarely decorated. Their fine quality and smooth outlines are meant to display a reserved artistic aestheticism. Blue-and-white porcelain, born in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Yuan Dynasty when its incredible blue glaze set against the pure white porcelain rose to a high art. The blue and white porcelain produced during the Yuan Dynasty was considered an excellent fusion of Chinese and Central Asian civilizations. With new material from Persia and an Islamic influence on the porcelain’s shape and design, the potters at Jingdezhen cultivated a specific interpretation to create some of the most impressive, enduring products of Chinese porcelain. As a 16 special piece of history, they are still crafts sought-after today. Chinese influence on global ceramics art is profound. For centuries Chinese artists have transformed plain clay into beautiful objects that found no rivals. For Chinese people, what matters most is the spirit of creativity, learning from others and excelling oneself, long rooted in Chinese ceramics. Such spirit will keep on boosting the further development of our country. 

Words and expressions 

porcelain n. 瓷器 exquisite adj. 精美的，精致的 

esthetic adj. 美学的 incorporate v. 把（某事物）并入；包含 

manifest v. 显示，表明，表露（感情、态度等）

 immerse v. （使）深陷于，沉浸在 

iconic adj. 符号的；图标的；图符的；偶像的 

intermingled adj. 混合的 understated adj. （风格）简洁的，淡雅的 

lingering charm 余韵 dub v. 把„„称为，给„„起绰号 

aestheticism n. 唯美主义 fusion n. （特质、思想等）融合，合成 

potter n. 陶工，制陶工人 

sought-after adj. 广受欢迎的，吃香的（但罕有或难以得到）

 Proper names 

the Neolithic Period 新石器时代 Longquan Celadon 龙泉青瓷

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