September 8, 2022
Beijing – Unearthed items offer important clues to ancient life
One of the oldest and greatest inventions of ancient China, porcelain has played an important role in China’s long history.
The word “porcelain” was first used by the famous traveler Marco Polo when he brought it to Europe from China in the 14th century and called it porcellana (Italian for cow’s shell) I think I did.
The fact that porcelain is commonly known in English as “china” or “fine china” speaks to a shared perception of its origin and identity with China.
By the late Paleolithic, the Chinese were already making pottery. Fragments from the Xianrendong Cave, or Immortal Cave, in Jiangxi Province are believed to be the world’s oldest pottery dating back to about 20,000 years ago.
About 18,000 years later, the world’s first high-fired ceramics, commonly called “primitive porcelain” or “proto-porcelain”, emerged during the Shang Dynasty due to technological advances in the use of raw materials, molding processes, and firing techniques. (c. 16th-11th centuries BC).
Jiang Yu, head of the ceramics department of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, said these early proto-porcelain items had some basic attributes and characteristics such as hardness, glaze, and low magnetic permeability that distinguish them from porcelain. I said I shared it, but it wasn’t refined enough to be recognized as porcelain yet. .
“Compared to pottery, porcelain is made from a special kind of clay,” Jean said. “They differ in raw materials, glaze and firing temperature. Porcelain is much tougher than earthenware because it has an extra layer of glaze and is translucent.”
In other words, proto-porcelain was the stage where pottery transitioned to porcelain. From the late Spring and Autumn period (770 BC to 476 BC) to the early Warring States period (475 BC to 221 BC), a large amount of primitive porcelain was produced in what is now Zhejiang province. These items were more affordable and available than the bronze pieces that were preferred by most people at the time.
The ruling class also favored proto-porcelain. In 2004, about 500 instruments from the Warring States period were unearthed from an ancient tomb in Hongshan, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, among which the existence of hoo percussion was confirmed for the first time.
In 2007 and 2008, in Deqing County, Zhejiang, archaeologists unearthed seven kiln sites and unearthed several metric tons of ritual vessels and musical instruments made of primitive porcelain.
Discoveries include a ding (a cauldron on a tripod), a zong (a bottle of wine), a katakane (a set of bells), a chime bell, and are mentioned in ancient records. Many other items were included. Excavations and discoveries have led experts to believe that the items found in Hongshan’s tombs were also produced in Deqing.
According to Jiang, the findings indicate that the northern region of Zhejiang may have been a production base for high-quality proto-porcelain, indicating that production technology had advanced significantly by this time. increase.
However, it was not until the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) that the modern form of porcelain appeared. Pottery and primitive porcelain were known to be made in many places in China, but unsurprisingly, porcelain was first developed in Zhejiang.
In the 1970s, archaeologists unearthed ceramic shards in Shangyu, Zhejiang, that were of much higher quality than primitive porcelain. More items were unearthed in the early 2000s. These pieces had a gray or greenish ceramic glaze, and this type of porcelain is now commonly known as celadon.
Chen Wanli (1892-1969), a first-class porcelain expert at the National Palace Museum, once proclaimed that “half of China’s ceramic history lies in Zhejiang”, and Zhejiang’s important role in the history and development of porcelain. pointed out the location.
The production of porcelain, especially celadon, developed further in Zhejiang and surrounding areas after the Eastern Han dynasty.
According to Porcelain: A Story of China, written by Shanghai Museum porcelain researcher Chen Ke-lun, some of the most famous porcelain kilns began making their mark during the Tang dynasty (618-907). rice field. One of his was the Yue Kiln, now known as the Yue Kiln Site. This is a collection of archaeological sites located in Shanglin Lake, Cixi City, Zhejiang Province.
Yue kilns emerged during the Eastern Han Dynasty, reached their peak during the Tang Dynasty, and declined during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
A passage from a poem by Tang poet Lu Guimeng describes a spectacular scene of porcelain being made in Yue kilns.
When the Yue kiln opens in late autumn, the lush celadon covers the thousand peaks
This poem, Mise Tou (Mise translates as “secret color”), is also the earliest known mention of the finest variety of Yue celadon, Chen writes in his book.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960), in addition to the Yue Kiln, the Longquan Kiln in Longquan City, Zhejiang Province, also appeared. It flowered in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and was the largest porcelain producer in China from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) to the mid-Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
A craftsman in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, prepares pottery to go into the kiln. [Photo by YANG MEIQING/FOR CHINA DAILY]
treasure
The Zhejiang Provincial Museum displays works of Longquan celadon made in the Southern Song dynasty.
Measuring 16.7 cm long, 6.5 cm wide and 9.3 cm high, this piece is a boat-shaped water drop, a device commonly used in ancient China to sprinkle water on inkstones when polishing them. is.
Sculpted pillars are on the left and right sides of the item, with a pavilion cabin in the center. There is a rounded shelter in the back, and the anchor and paddle are also expressed in vivid detail. Two passengers are placed inside the cabin, and the boatman stands outside, seemingly preparing to moor the boat, while leaning over to get a bamboo hat from the roof. His robe flutters in the wind.
Cai Nawu, the museum’s ceramics expert, said, “This work represents the height of Longquan porcelain manufacturing and shows how exquisite and unique it is. All the excavated water droplets after the Southern Song Dynasty wrong.”
When this item was discovered in 1956, it was not the result of an archaeological excavation of a major burial site, nor was it from a known imperial collection. handed over to the authorities.
“The Song dynasty gave a strong boost to the development of culture, reaching an unprecedented level,” said Tsai. According to Tsai, the boat-shaped water droplets were likely custom-made for literary figures and were common at the time.
In September 2009, UNESCO listed the traditional firing technique of Longquan celadon on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
While it may not be among the four great inventions of ancient China (papermaking, printing, gunpowder, and the compass), porcelain was an ingenious creation by the ancient Chinese that combined art and technology, integrating aesthetics and practicality. There is no doubt that it is a creation.
More importantly, it provides clues to China’s past, said Tsai, saying, “Thanks to its durability, porcelain holds countless valuable pieces of information about China’s history, society and culture.” can be likened to a chip that stores .
For example, celadon was long favored by the Chinese imperial court until the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), but blue-white porcelain became popular, and the production base gradually shifted to Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, and other provinces.
Tsai said that while the tastes of the original rulers undoubtedly played an important role, the changes they made were, to some extent, a conscious display of power.
A teapot is placed in a kiln in Wuyi County, Jinhua City. [Photo by ZHANG JIANCHENG/FOR CHINA DAILY]
discovery of the palace
For centuries, people could only imagine the beauty of Mise celadon. For example, I had to rely on limited information, such as a passage in a poem that compared Mise celadon to “the moon dyed with spring water.” After that, the technology was lost over his 1,000 years, and no such object remained. Many people have come to doubt the existence of this mysterious type of porcelain.
However, in 1987, a total of 13 pieces of Mise celadon were discovered in the underground palace of Famen Temple in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. Wrapped in silk, they were found in a lacquered wooden box hidden in a temple treasury. Along with the celadon porcelain, the stone tablet, which records the items presented to the Buddha by the Tang emperor, is engraved with the Chinese characters for “Mitsuse-yaki”, revealing the true nature of the items.
Tsai said that important sources such as ancient poetry, calligraphy, paintings and classical texts help us understand the past, but the most real and compelling evidence is undoubtedly buried deep underground. cultural relics, especially the porcelain from the great kilns. Broken but still looks like new. “
Experts believe they have discovered a “time capsule” after recovering 160,000 porcelain artifacts from the Nanhai, a cargo ship believed to have sunk off the coast of southern China during the Southern Song dynasty.
Mr. Tsai said: But how can you go back 800 years and feel it? Now, with all the excavated porcelain, including Nanhai Wang items, we can effectively combine the time pictures for people to appreciate. “
Jiang Yu, head of the ceramics department of the Zhejiang Museum, said: It is not only part of people’s daily lives, but an integral part of their culture. “
The true meaning of porcelain lies in that.
The pottery comes from a kiln in Longquan, Zhejiang. [Photo/CHINA NEWS SERVICE]
Zhejiang ceramics are exhibited in Guangzhou, Guangdong. [Photo by XU JIANMEI/FOR CHINA DAILY]
A boat-shaped water drop that was used in ancient China to sprinkle water on the inkstone when polishing it. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Celadon sheep from the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) made in Yue Kiln. [Photo provided to China Daily]
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