A skill that ignites the imagination

JORGE CORTES/LIN QI/CHINA DAILY/NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CHINA 01 Shang and Zhou dynasties and proto-porcelain The period saw the birth of "proto-porcelain", a product in the transition from pottery to "mature" ones, known to people today as porcelain. 02 Late Eastern Han Dynasty and mature porcelain Regions along the Cao'e River in Shangyu, in today's Zhejiang province, became a center for making green-glazed proto-porcelain during the third century BC.The production scaled up, and the wares used for rituals were transported elsewhere, even deeper in the country, to help spread the practice. Finally, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the "mature" porcelain, exhibiting a celadon glaze, were successfully produced at major kilns in Shangyu, such as the Xiaoxiantan kiln, of which the relic location was discovered in 1974 and is now deemed a heritage site. 03 Tang Dynasty and ceramics export trade Tang Dynasty is synonymous with prosperity, openness and diversity, and one vivid example of its power and extensive influence is the rise of several major ports, including Guangzhou. 05 Yuan Dynasty and the cobalt-blue qinghua ware The Yuan qinghua porcelain features varieties of patterns painted in cobalt-blue pigment on a white ground.