In the same respect as other Chinese Arts and crafts, Chinese porcelain has also had a long history. ?In its 5000-year-long history, China has produced a large amount of porcelains of different varieties because the country is richly endowed with the raw materials needed for making porcelains. Its delicate texture, vivid color, and refined sculpture, this traditional art form is regarded as one of the most popular representatives of China.

The earliest Chinese porcelain existed in the early times of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. It was made of the raw material Kaolin. Sections in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Yellow River were the birth places of this handicraft. Although porcelain had not been around for very long, artists could already make it into different sculptures:human

figures, boxes, vases and jars, cups and bowls, lamps, cup-stands, censers and flowerpots as well as animals.

Some people believe that it was in the Han Dynasty when the first true porcelain was made. Celadon and black porcelain were mainly produced during this period. Celadon is a type of grayish-green glaze. Its color looks similar to jade. The Yue Kiln in Zhejiang Province produced celadon porcelain, while the De Kiln became the earliest kiln to baked black porcelain. Development in the production of celadon porcelain continue to carry on into the later dynasties.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the production of celadon porcelain was further developed. As well as this a large number of porcelain wares were produced with the new techniques that had been created. The most common examples of porcelains at that time were Tang Sancai (three-colour) wares and Yue celadon wares. Most of the porcelain produced during this period are from Henan and Hebei provinces. Xing kiln in Hebei Province was highly regarded for its pure white porcelain.

In the Song Dynasty, a variety of other porcelain wares came into being. Many famous kilns were found all over China. The city of Jingdezhen became a central place for the production of imperial porcelain. The Ru Kiln, Jun Kiln, Guan Kiln, Ge Kiln and the Ding Kiln are the most famous types of kilns. The Ru Kiln was produced in North China for imperial use. Ru ware is fine and delicate; it uses a special glaze with carnelian added to it. Ru wares range in color—from nearly white to a deep

robin’s egg—and often are covered with reddish-brown cracks. The artists always added agate into glaze so that the color and texture appeared to be creamy and could be compared with jade.Stepping into the Yuan Dynasty, the porcelain industry continued to develop. Blue and White Porcelain, which existed in Tang and Song Dynasties, was the main development during this time. Artists added many new elements in the traditional techniques such as painting. The Yuan Dynasty played an important role in the history of Chinese porcelain because it was the most prolific period.

The Ming Dynasty was regarded as an extraordinary period of innovation of porcelain wares. There were new techniques in design and shapes. Blue and white porcelain wares came into their golden era. The main raw material used for porcelain production was a mixture of kaolin and pottery stone. The products became very strong when this was added to the paste; it also enhanced the whiteness of the body.

In the Qing Dynasty, porcelain items that were produced during the reigns of Emperor Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong are the most famous. What’s more, the blue and white porcelain was improved further and had a worldwide interest.

Which Chinese porcelain wares are well known worldwide?

Tang Sancai wares
Tang Sancai is also called Tricolor Glazed Pottery. It is an ancient Chinese art. Actually, it was created in the Northern and Southern Dynasty. But during the Tang Dynasty, the production of Tang Sancai reached its peak. That’s why it got the name of Tang Sancai.

colors, deep and light. Main themes of this art form are horses, humans, pillows, and camels. The pottery camel is one of the best. However, Tang Sancai flourished during a rather short period of time since pottery pieces of this category were used by the aristocrats as funerary objects. So they are a rarity today, with only a few in existence and are regarded as treasures, valued for their brilliant color and life-like shapes.

Blue and White wares
Blue and white wares are painted or decorated under the glaze with a blue pigment. Paintings on such blue white porcelain wares are normally done by hand. It is believed that under glaze blue and white porcelain was first made in the Tang Dynasty. Since the 14th century, blue and white porcelain rapidly became the main product of Jingdezhen and gradually reached the height of its technical excellence in the later years of the Qing Dynasty.
During the Ming Dynasty, the Blue and white porcelain wares started in Germany. European porcelain designs and patterns are heavily influenced by the Chinese porcelain designs. Popular decorative ware designs were the willow pattern and the blue white dragon eyes

Guan wares
Guan wares refer to the official made porcelain products. They were produced by imperially-run kilns for the imperial court. This art form started from the Southern Song Dynasty. Because of the brown clay in the foothills and the thick glaze, Guan wares are well known for their “Purple” appearance. Indicating that the glaze is thinner on the top rim and the body seems to be transparent. Guan wares have been admired over the years, and have been subject to copy.