Table of Contents

Preface 01

Chapter I The Beginning of Porcelain
Section 1 Country of Porcelain 002
Section 2 Jingdezhen Gets Name from the Title of an Emperor’s Reign 007
Section 3 Shadowy Blue Porcelain Lays the Foundations of Jingdezhen Porcelain 013
Section 4 Jingdezhen Thrives due to War 020
Section 5 Booming Export Trade of Song Dynasty Porcelain 023

Chapter II Legend in the History of Ceramics: Birth of Blue and White Porcelain
Section 1 Kaolin Ceramic Clay and Samarra-blue 028
Section 2 Blue and White Porcelain Changing Color Aesthetics 034
Section 3 Shufu Porcelain Loved by the Upper Class 037
Section 4 The Birth of Blue and White Porcelain Giant 042
Section 5 Mysterious Blue and White Porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty 049
Section 6 The Maritime Porcelain Road 055

Chapter III Incomparable White and Blue Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty
Section 1 Jingdezhen once again Wins the Favor of Ming Emperors 062
Section 2 Zheng He’s Westward Voyages Create Peak in the Blue and White Porcelain 069
Section 3 Other Masterpieces of Porcelain besides the Blue and White 076
Section 4 Xuande Blue and White Porcelain Ranks Top 081
Section 5 The Solely Petite and Exquisite Chenghua Porcelains 089
Section 6 Religions-Themed and Privately Fired Porcelain 097
Section 7 Rare Large Dragon Jar 102
Section 8 Ming Blue and White Porcelain Becomes Popular due to a Piracy Incident 107
Section 9 Advent of the Private Kilns 116

Chapter IV The World of Color
Section 1 Twelve Flower God Cups: Historical Works of Imperial Kiln 122
Section 2 The Ruby of Ceramics—Lang Kiln Red 129
Section 3 Nian Xiyao’s Color Enamel Ware and Rouge Water 134
Section 4 Imari Porcelain during the Ban on Sea Trade in Early Qing Dynasty 138
Section 5 Tang Ying and the Kiln-Altered Glaze 142
Section 6 Color Enamel Ware Loved by Emperors 147
Section 7 Pastels Drawn from Needle Tips 153
Section 8 ‘Spring of Heaven and Earth’ of Cixi 157
Section 9 European Porcelain Industry Started by a Letter 160
Section 10 Royal Brushes of Chinese Light Crimson Porcelain Painting 167
Section 11 China’s First Set of Ceramic Tableware—Tongzhi Wedding Party Porcelain 170

Chapter V New and Old Ceramic Events
Section 1 Thousand Years of Ceramic Appreciation 176
Section 2 Treasure in the Forbidden City 188
Section 3 Japan’s National Treasure 209
Section 4 ‘Platinum’ in Europe 213

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Preface
“Waiting for misty rain and a blue sky.” The melodious tribute to Blue and White Porcelain reminds us of the much-treasured ancient porcelain of China, still in high demand today. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a ??ne porcelain piece emerging from the Ru Kiln (in Ruzhou of Henan Province) was quickly dispatched to Emperor Huizong, known for his love of such quality porcelain. He wrote: “The color is just coated in days after the rain.” During the next three dynasties—Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644- 1911), from the secondary formula of kaolin ceramic clay found in Jingdezhen of Jiangxi Province during the Yuan Dynasty, blue and white porcelain reached its peak in the reign of Ming Emperor Xuande (1426-1435). In the Qing Dynasty, blue and white porcelain was inherited and further developed, but the bottom color remained blue on a white background.
The history of blue and white porcelain is closely tied to changes in Chi- nese history and the continuous cultural development of the Chinese people. No matter how it changed, it remained inseparable from the daily life of both emperors and the common people. Blue and white porcelain tea pots and cups, bowls and tableware for daily life, inkstones on the desk for the production of beautiful calligraphy, and the most treasured possession of collectors all formed part of this particular genre of ceramic art. All of the works that have been passed down through history feature efforts of potters to further re??ne and per-fect these beautiful works. Examples include the orange peel veins of Ming Em peror Xuande’s reign (1426-1435), chicken bowls and cups of Ming Emperor Chenghua’s reign (1465-1487), the twelve ??ora cups of Qing Emperor Kangxi’s reign(1662-1722), and the colored enamelware of Qing Emperor Qianlong’s reign(1736-1796). These were the products of numerous dedicated artisans.
Jingdezhen is a famous porcelain town closely related to the birth and development of blue and white porcelain, which could be found in streetside shops and pubs, in today’s exhibition hall, buried in the earth or lying on the seabed after shipwreck unspoiled, cherished by the inheritors of the 72 process- es involved in the wares of Jingdezhen. As each generation passed, new artisans emerged to keep alive a cherished tradition to this day.
People who have never been to China must have seen and even have used Chinese porcelain. In English, both porcelain and china were used to refer to such products. However, in the minds of many people, the former word should only refer to the special blue and white porcelain. This is one of the most daz- zling creations of Chinese porcelain art. In addition, Chinese folk porcelain masters have also created many exquisite blue, white, black and colored por- celain works, all exercising their own fascination and commanding high prices when they come up for auction around the world. However, this wasn’t always the case. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 16th century Uni??er of Japan once waged a war on porcelain, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony imprisoned alchemists who sought to make ceramics in the 18th century. On the other side, there was a Queen of Sweden who established a special collection room for ceramics, and many pirates made their fortunes by hijacking the merchant ships fully loaded with chinaware destined for foreign markets, especially in Europe.
It is time, therefore, to examine the history of blue and white porcelain and its role of world signi??cance.