Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province was the center of porcelain production in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its kilns have contributed much to the perfection of porcelain and occupy a distinguished place in ceramic art.

China's various dynasties have seen a wealth of wares including the green Yue ware of Yuezhou, Xing white porcelain ware of Xingzhou, Ding ware in Hebei, Ru ware of Ruzhou, the celadon of Longquan in present-day Zhejiang Province, and Jingdezhen ware.

The distinctive style of each is admired in different parts of the world, for Chinese pottery and porcelain went abroad as early as in the Han Dynasty, and was exported in large quantities by the late Tang Dynasty. From North China the wares went westward along the famous "Silk Road"; from the south they were shipped by sea to neighboring Asian countries and then to North Africa and Mediterranean countries. Not until the 15th century did they reach Europe and so have the worldwide impact that provided their brilliant page in the history of world civilization.

Today, every Chinese province or autonomous region turns out ceramics with local features or in the style of the ethnic group of the area. People in the business have inherited and carried forward the fine traditions of the ancient Chinese ceramic art, thereby creating a flourishing situation in pottery and porcelain production.

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