Chinese Porcelain Culture

Speaking of China's English name "China", as we all know, it means porcelain. China is the hometown of porcelain and the birthplace of human "porcelain" culture. It is known as the "porcelain country" in the world. Therefore, porcelain is a symbol of Chinese civilization and a precious cultural heritage that China dedicates to the world. In the long history, the industrious and intelligent Chinese ancestors have turned soil into gold, and achieved fruitful results in the art of porcelain making with their ingenuity and unique aesthetic taste of the oriental nation. China's ceramic industry has a long history and extremely high artistic achievements. It carries the people's pursuit of the beauty of life, and with its unique charm as the carrier of Chinese culture, it spreads rapidly to all parts of the world through the "Ceramic Road" and "Silk Road". , has been widely loved by people all over the world, has made great contributions to human civilization, and has become a bright pearl in the world's art treasure house.

However, the formation of Chinese porcelain is by no means the work of porcelain craftsmen overnight. It has experienced a historical process of inheritance and development from pottery to porcelain, which constitutes the historical characteristics of continuous and sustainable development of Chinese ceramics.

As early as the Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, primitive celadon appeared in my country. But from the Shang Dynasty to the Warring States period, porcelain production was still in the primitive stage. The successful firing of mature celadon should be in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It can be seen that from the production of primitive celadon to the emergence of mature celadon in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it took about 1,000 years. Once porcelain came out, it was loved by people for its durability, simplicity and elegance. For more than 360 years, the production of southern celadon has advanced by leaps and bounds.

During the Sui Dynasty, the prosperous development of foreign trade and the expansion of the circulation of copper coins made porcelain daily necessities gradually replace the status of copper ware. During the Five Dynasties, "the Nine Autumn Winds exposed the Yue Kiln, and captured the emerald colors of thousands of peaks." The secret color porcelain of the Yue Kiln became a rare treasure in an era because of its exquisite style and clear color, and its artistry is comparable to that of gold and silver wares. The Tang Dynasty was a period of great social, economic and cultural prosperity in my country's feudal society. Due to social stability and economic prosperity, porcelain production took a step forward on the basis of the previous generation, and there was a situation of vigorous development and porcelain production areas all over the country. And some well-known famous kilns were born, such as Xing Kiln, Yuezhou Kiln, Hongzhou Kiln, Shouzhou Kiln and so on. More importantly, the different styles of porcelain in the north and south led to the gradual formation of a pattern of celadon and white porcelain going hand in hand across the country, with one white and one blue echoing each other, which is called "Southern Green and Northern White" in the history of ceramics.

The Song Dynasty was another prosperous and glorious period in the history of Chinese porcelain development, and its high artistic attainments made it reach the second peak in the history of Chinese porcelain. Looking at the porcelain altar of the Song Dynasty, the official kiln porcelain spared no expense and strives for excellence; the folk kiln porcelain is bold and unrestrained, with originality. Official kilns and folk kilns complement each other and complement each other. Moreover, the unprecedented development of folk kilns in the Song Dynasty formed a new pattern in which various kiln systems coexisted, and major folk kilns emerged one after another, influencing each other, constantly innovating, and competing for splendor. During this period, the five famous kilns of "Ru, Guan, Ge, Ding, and Jun" emerged. From ancient times to the present, all major museums, art galleries and collectors at home and abroad have taken the famous porcelain of the Song Dynasty as collection treasures. Shops are also competing to launch it as a heavy weapon at a sky-high price.

During this period, on the basis of more than 400 years of experience accumulation and technological innovation, Jingdezhen kiln absorbed the strengths of famous kilns of all dynasties, developed and improved them, and gradually developed from the original position of keeping pace with famous kilns in various places to the leading position. It became the center of the national porcelain industry in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, representing the highest level of the porcelain industry.

The Qing Dynasty was another peak period of Chinese ceramics prosperity. Among them, the three generations of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong were considered to be the most glorious stage of the entire Qing Dynasty ceramic industry. Products with more complicated craftsmanship appeared, and various colors and overglaze colors were extremely rich. . The porcelains of Kang Kiln are heavy, simple, and majestic, just like Emperor Kangxi's ambition to reorganize the country; the porcelain of Yong Kiln is famous for its exquisite craftsmanship, elegant and elegant, which is in line with the characteristics of Emperor Yongzheng's careful thought and hard work; and Emperor Qianlong's The brand name "Shiquan Old Man" pursues novelty, and its porcelain is even more numerous, complicated and exquisite. In addition to inheriting the achievements of the Ming Dynasty, new varieties such as famille roses and enamel colors appeared in the Qing Dynasty, which enriched my country's ceramic culture. situation.

Mr. Guo Moruo once said: "The history of the development of Chinese ceramics is the history of the development of the Chinese nation." Ancient ceramics are the historical witness of Chinese civilization for thousands of years. History tells a story.

Since the first piece of stone was struck, human civilization has been able to advance step by step through the continuous labor of human hands, and presents such a colorful scene today. In the 300 years since industrialization, we have left too much work to machines, but the production of machines is too rigid and uniform after all. When we are surrounded by products made on these production lines, life becomes devoid of spirituality, beauty and classical temperament. As a result, more and more people began to look around for the utensils made and used by their ancestors. Porcelain pieces, jade pendants, silver hairpins, wooden utensils, a wooden carving board, a purple sand pot, and even a brick or a tile, all of them have been carefully crafted by the ancestors, retain the body temperature of the ancestors, and engrave the spirit of our nation. imprint.