After the invention of pottery in the Neolithic period, (5000-2200 B.C.), the ancient Chinese succeeded in producing painted pottery, black pottery and carved pottery. The long years of experience in kiln firing led China to enter into a new ceramic age in the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) Although archaeological finds have revealed that glazed pottery was produced as early as the Western Zhou dynasty (1100-771 B.C.), the production of glazed wares was not common until the Han Dynasty.
A notable change in figure modeling in the Six Dynasties (265-588 A.D.) is believed to have led to more detailed surface design on potterey. Six Dynasties potters also succeeded in improving the quality of early celadon wares both in glaze color and in body clay. The production of glazed porcelain was a significant achievement in Chinese ceramic history.
The major contribution made by Tang dynasty (616-906 A.D.) potters was their bold introduction of multicolour wares. In early Tang dynasty, production of sancai pottery figurines dominate the pottery scene. Tang pottery figurines were comprised of three major categories, namely, human figures, animals, and architectual structures. The success of ceramic production in the Song dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) was seen in the monochrome wares. The most spectacular of the Song monochromes was the Celadon which has been called by various names based on its shade and tone or its pattern of crackles.
The production of blue and white wares at the end of the Yuan dynasty (1280-1367) and the beginning of the Ming dynasty (1368-1643) was generally of a poorer quality, possibly due to the shortage of imported cobalt during a period of political instability. In the Yung Lo reign (1403-1424), both potting and glazing techniques improved and wares attained a whiter body and richer blue than those of Yuan dynasty ware. The underglaze blue of the Yung Lo wares and Hsuen Te (1426-1435) wares are noted for their rich blue tone.
Throughout the Ming dynasty, dragon and phoenix (The dragon representing the man and the phoenix representing the woman or the dragons bride) were the most popular decorative motifs on ceramic wares. Other animals, plant forms, and human figures in garden and interior settings were often used as decoration for blue and white wares. It has been noted that after the Wan Li (1573-1620), very few ceramic wares of the Ming dynasty bear reign marks. The fashionable wucai wares of Chia Ching (1522-1566) and Wan Li periods are usually fully covered with colorful patterns. The colors used include red, yellow, light and dark green, brown, aubergine and underglaze blue. The Ming dynasty also brought a variety of porcelain wares which were decorated with color motifs on top of opposing colored backgrounds. Most commly seen were green glazed patterns on a yellow background, yellow glazed patterns on a blue background, or green glazed patterns on a red background.
Another remarkable category of colored wares produced in the Ming dynasty was the susancai or 'tri-color'. The major three colors are yellow, green and aubergine. Tricolour wares of the Ming dynasty appeared in the reigns of Hsuen Te, Chia Ching and Wan Li.
The peak of Chinese ceramic production was seen in the reigns of Kang Hsi (1622-1722). Yung Cheng (1723-1735) and Chien Lung (1736-1796) of the Qing dynasty during which improvement was seen in almost all ceramic types, including the blue and white wares, polychrome wares, wucai wares, etc. The improved enamel glazes of early Qing dynasty being fired at a higher temperature also acquired a more brilliant look than those of the Ming dynasty.
The production of doucai wares in the Yung Cheng period reached new heights both in quantity and technical perfection.
The use of fencai enamel for decorating porcelain wares was first introduced in Kang Hsi period. The production of these wares reached a mature stage in the Yung Cheng era. As the improved fencai enamels had a wider range of colours and each could be applied in a variety of tones, they could be used to depict some of the highly complicated pictorial compositions of flower and plant forms, figures and even insects.
Qing dynasty is a period especially noted for the production of colour glazes. In the area of monochromes, Qing potters succeeded in reproducing most of the famous glaze colours found in ceramic wares on the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties. In addition, they created a number of new glazes, especially monochromes. Among them were the Sang-de-boeuf, the rough-pink, the coral red and the mirror black. All these four glazes were invented in the reign of Kang Hsi.
Yung Cheng potters invented a flambe glaze know as Lujun, or robin's egg which was produced in two firings. Another significant colour glaze successfully produced by the Qing potters was 'tea-dust'. It is an opaque glaze finely speckled with colours in green, yellow and brown.
When Ming was taken over by Qing (about 1639-1700 AD), and when Qing was taken over by the Republic of China (about 1909-1915 AD), the disturbances in these two periods resulted in the collapse of the official kilns. In their places, private kilns were established by the operators and artists who previously worked in the official kilns. With their expertise, they produced high quality porcelain wares, such as the export porcelain wares made during the transition of Ming to Qing, which earned high praise in overseas markets. Excellent imitations of Song, Yuan and Qing wares were also made during the early stage of the Republic of China and were almost true to the originals.
When the war broke out in 1937, triggered by the incident at Lo-Kou Bridge, all the kilns were closed. The operators and artists were dispersed, and many of them travelled to the south, trying to make a living. When peace came in 1945, social stability led to the re-establishment of the pottery industry. In this stretch of fifty years to the present time, the industry has re-gained its previous glory and is enjoying a growing prosperity. In the past twenty years, the ceramics industry has been developing at a quick pace.
Today's porcelain heralds a new era for Chinese production with reproduction and new modern designs operating along side each other. The area in China that produces some of the best specimens is the town of Jingdezhen where previously state operated factories have now been transformed into vibrant private companies. The demand for fine Chinese porcelain is rising within China as the population becomes more affluent.
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