Jiangxi is the home of Chinese porcelain and
Jingdezhen has been the Porcelain Capital of a Thousand Years of China.
Jingdezhen porcelain is the pearl in the treasure house of Chinese art and
culture. Among its products, the most representative one is the blue and white
porcelain.
Known as Xinping in ancient times, the city
of Jingdezhen began to make porcelain as early as around 200BC in the Han
Dynasty (206BC-220AD). During the reign of Emperor Jingde (1004-1007) of the
Song Dynasty (960-1279), all the products made here bore the reign mark of
Jingde, and the name of the city was therefore changed to Jingdezhen (Jingde
Town).
The baking of the blue and white porcelain
originated during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). During the Yuan and Ming
dynasties (1271-1644), the blue and white porcelain became increasingly popular,
and since the 14th century manufacturers have shipped the blue and white
porcelains to world markets. The porcelain reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911). Its thin, translucent quality and exotic motifs made it highly
prized throughout Europe and the colonies, ranking first among the blue and
white porcelains nationwide.
Jingdezhen porcelain has formed its own four
special features, that is, white like jade, bright as a mirror, thin as paper,
and sound like a chime. Using the same materials, the same artistic techniques,
in some cases, the same kilns, porcelain from Jingdezhen is prized for its
artistic qualities and function around the world.
The blue and white porcelain belongs to the
color glaze porcelain. The coloring agent for it is cobalt oxide. The process
is: first, paint on the unbaked mould with cobalt oxide, apply a layer of
translucent glaze over it and bake it under a temperature of 1,300oC. The cobalt
oxide is reduced under high temperature into a blue color, which is very bright
and durable, without poisonous lead. Each monochrome-glazed porcelain has one
single bright color with exquisite design. It requires a very good mastery of
the control of temperature changes and the composition of contents. The blue and
white porcelain is the most famous one of the four traditional porcelains
produced in Jiangdezhen, renowned as the ever-lasting blue flower.
In 1979, Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain
won the national golden prize. In 1985, it won three gold medals in succession
at the international fairs held in Leipzig, Brno, etc. Ever since then, the name
of Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain was spread far and wide. By far, it is
the best product in the porcelain business with the most prizes and highest
standard.