The usage of pottery marked the beginning of New Stone Age. Archeologists call it colored (or painted) pottery since some of them have elegant design. Chinese painted pottery was made some 4,000 to 7,000 years ago, most of which were in Qinghai and Gansu provinces of west China, southern Shaanxi Province and northern Henan Province of Middle China. In primitive society, nomadic life came to the end and people settled down gradually. Pottery was of highly importance in daily life, that's why painted pottery becomes an important cultural symbol of that period.

Primitive Chinese artists dipped their painting brushes into black, white and red colors to make drawings on red pottery utensils such as basins, jars and plates. The designs on painted pottery fall into two types: abstract patterns and realistically drawn figures of animals, insects and humans. The most common types are rippling, rotary, circular, sawtooth and net-mesh designs. The lines are smooth and neat, symmetrical and balanced, and adhere to certain rules. On the painted pottery unearthed in Majiayao in Gansu Province, there are many rippling and rotary designs drawn with smooth and balanced strokes to engender a quiet and gentle mood. These designs shed precious light on life in primitive Chinese society, with men fishing and hunting, and women doing housework and collecting vegetables and fruits -- a scene of equality and harmony. Designs on the Banshan and Machang painted pottery differ greatly from that of the earlier period of Majiayao. Its realistic pottery designs look more attractive. The animal designs drawn on painted pottery unearthed in Banpo Village in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, have simple but descriptive patterns, such as swimming fish, running deer and barking dogs. These designs demonstrate that ancient Chinese artists were good at depicting the movement of animals. On a painted pottery basin unearthed in Datong County, Qinghai Province, there is the design of five dancing people standing in a line, hand in hand. This design can be seen both as an ancient picture and ornamentation.

The primitive artists began using pictorial designs for decorative purposes and expressing abstract thoughts. For example, they divided the design of a fish into head, body and fins, alternating straight lines with curves, triangles and circles. This innovation was a significant step in the development of Chinese painting. On a painted pottery basin from Banpo Village, for instance, we see the design of a human face with a fish's body. The combination of human face and fish's body formed regular design. This mysterious design might be related to sacrificial rites to pray for a good harvest.