Museum of Nanyue King – Sailing the Seas Part 1 Porcelains

The Silk Road was called the silk road because it was trading in silk. But actually porcelains and later, celadons and blue-white porcelains were highly sought after too. The porcelain trade flourished when the maritime silk routes were established, because ships were the best way to carry large amount of porcelain to the West. That’s why China was synonymous with porcelain.

As a unique handicraft product invented by ancient Chinese craftsmen, is the first choice of merchants from all over the world, and has gradually become a commodity traded on the Maritime Silk Road.

The coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian are the main production areas of Chinese porcelain. After the Song Dynasty, the increase in foreign demand led to the rapid growth of porcelain production. Chinese merchants active in Southeast Asia during the Yuan and Ming dynasties mainly engaged in the bulk trade of porcelain. Panyu (ancient Guangzhou) for its proximity to ports was a major trading station for these commodities.

唐三彩 Tang Tri-Coloured Glaze Pottery (Tangsancai)

The Tang tri-coloured glazed pottery , aka 唐三彩 Tangsancai, is a low-melting glazed pottery. It was made by adding metallic oxides to the coloured glaze and calcining the object to create different colours, namely the predominant yellow, brown and green. The chemicals in the glaze change gradually in the firing process, creating a variegated effect with a majestic and elegant artistic attraction.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery was usually used as burial objects. Its loose and brittle base and its low waterproofing properties meant it was not as practical as the porcelain that had already emerged at the time.

巩县窑 Gongxian Kiln

Gongxian Kiln 巩县窑 was an important porcelain kiln in the Tang Dynasty. It is located in modern day Gongyi 巩义, Henan Province. Gongxian Kiln is the main kiln site for Tangsancai, having pioneered the technique as Sui Dynasty. During the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) it produced celadon flat bowls 青瓷平底碗 and high-foot plates 高足盘, etc. Its characteristic was that the outer wall of the pottery was not glazed to the bottom.

In the Tang Dynasty, it produced white porcelain 白瓷, black porcelain 黑瓷, patterned pottery 绞胎瓷, Tang Tri-Coloured Pottery 唐三彩, and single colour celadons. They also produced white porcelain as a tribute to the emperor, which explained its quality. But its bulk products were tea sets for folk use.

陶瓷 Porcelain

Porcelain 瓷器 is made from a fine-grained material called kaolin clay, while ceramics 陶瓷 are usually made from a coarse-grained material called earthenware. The difference in clay composition gives porcelain and ceramic different properties.

唐五代 Tang Dynasty – Five Dynasties

In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, ceramics began to be exported on a large scale. Xing Kiln 邢窑, Gongxian Kiln 巩县窑, Yue Kiln 越窑, Changsha Kiln 长沙窑and Guangdong region started producing porcelain meant for exporting. embarking on the glorious history of the Maritime Silk Road.

Two things spurred the production and export of porcelain in the Tang Empire. One was the popularity of tea drinking, and this necessitated the production of much durable and beautiful teaware; two, the emergence to prominence of the Silk Road, coupled with an open trade policy of the Tang dynasty.

Jingxing Kiln 井陉窑

When it comes to famous kilns in Hebei history, most people first think of Xing Kiln 邢窑, Ding Kiln 定窑 and Cizhou Kilns 磁州窑. However, there’s a fourth kiln that is equally important. Jingxing Kiln 井陉窑 began production in the Sui Dynasty and lasted as far as the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a span of more than 1,300 years. The site of Jingxing Kiln is located in Jingxing County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province and was the .

邢窑 Xing Kiln

Xing Kiln 邢窑 is located in the area of Neiqiu 内丘 and Lincheng 临城, Hebei Province. It got its name because it belonged to Xingzhou in ancient times. It was the main production area of white porcelain in the north during the Tang Dynasty.

The glazed colour of the product is white and shiny, known as “snow-like silver” 似雪类银. It is not only sold domestically, but also exported overseas. At present, it is found in Japan, India, Egypt and other places. The sunken Indonesian ship of the “Batu Hitam” was salvaged and recovered with Xing Kiln white glazed bowls, cups, cup, saucers and other products.

青瓷 Celadon

Celadon 青瓷 is created using stoneware (or porcelain) and fired in a reduction kiln, one of the reasons being is this has the highest reaction with iron oxide, which is used in the glaze. The unique grey or green celadon glaze is a result of iron oxide’s transformation from ferric to ferrous iron (Fe₂O₃ → FeO) during the firing process.

越窑 Yue Kiln

Yue Kiln 越窑 was the earliest representative kiln system of Chinese celadon, and the source of the development of celadon firing technology. Yue Kiln rose in prominence in the Eastern Han Dynasty, reached its peak in the Tang and Song Dynasties, but stopped abruptly in the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty.

越窑秘色青瓷洗 Yue Kiln Celadon Water Container

青瓷【五代】国立故宫博物院藏 Celadon, Five Dynasties Period (907-960 AD), National Palace Museum Collection

Yue Kiln products were mainly celadon, mostly for daily life; the “secret porcelain” “秘色瓷” made in the late Tang and Five Dynasties was once a royal tribute, representing the highest level of Yue Kiln porcelain making skills. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Yue Kiln celadon was sold overseas, and the porcelain-making skills spread to Korea, Japan and other places. Yue kiln products were found in the “Batu Hiram” and the Intan shipwrecks in Southeast Asian waters, as well as Jingliwen 井里汶 shipwreck.

长沙铜官窑 Changsha Tongguan Kiln

Tongguan Kiln 铜官窑 , also called the Changsha Kiln 长沙窑, is located in Wazhaping, Tongguan District, Changsha, Hunan, China. It is one of the major kiln sites in Tongguan to be protected at the national level. The place was a historical kiln site of potteries in the Tang and Five Dynasties periods. 

A large number of Changsha Kiln porcelain were salvaged from the sunken ship “Batu Hitam” from the Tang Dynasty. Changsha kiln porcelain was unearthed in 17 provinces and 29 foreign countries. The products of Changsha Tongguan Kiln are all over Asia, as far as Africa, opening up a “Maritime Ceramic Road” from South Asia to North Africa.

广东窑口

During Tang-Song dynasties, Guangdong was not only an important base for overseas trade, but also one of the important production region for export porcelain.

Meixian Shuiche Kiln 梅县水车窑, Chaozhou Beiguan Kiln 潮州北关窑, Guangzhou Xicun Kiln 广州西村窑, Xinhui Guanchong Kiln 新会官冲窑, Suixi Kiln 遂溪窑 and Lianjiang Kiln 廉江窑 were all important production bases at that time.

The kilns mainly produced celadons, and most of the products imitated Yue kilns; the products were sold in large quantities to Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf countries.

白瓷 White Porcelain

Before Tang Dynasty, porcelain in China was predominantly celadon made in the South. The development of porcelain making in the North was relatively late. Even the celadons excavated around Luoyang were mainly from the South.

In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the rise of white glazed porcelain 白釉瓷 in the northern kilns made China the first country in the world to have white porcelain. At the same time, it also broke the dominance of celadon in the world of porcelain. This period was called 南青北白 “south green and north white” in the history of ceramics.

The most famous white porcelain is the Ding porcelain 定瓷. And the French gave it a romantic name, Blanc de Chine (“White of China”). And since then, fine porcelain was given the name “China”.

宋金元 Song and Jin Dynasties

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the production and export sales of Yue Kiln celadon reached their peak, Jingdezhen kilns rose rapidly, and Guangzhou Xicun kilns and Chaozhou Bijiashan kilns once occupied a large market share. In addition, northern ceramics such as Yaozhou Kiln celadon 耀州窑青瓷, Ding Kiln white porcelain 定窑白瓷 and Cizhou Kiln 磁州窑 system also exported to the outside world.

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, the technology of the export porcelain production with Longquan Kiln 龙泉窑, Jingdezhen Kiln 景德镇窑 and Fujian kilns 福建地区窑 as the core gradually matured, and the output increased sharply, leading the maritime trade of ceramics in this period.

定窑 Ding Kiln

Ding Kiln 定窑 is located in modern day Quyang Dongchi village 曲阳洞磁村 and Dongxi Yanchuan village 东西燕川村 in Hebei Province. It was named after Dingzhou 定州 in ancient times.

Song-Jin dynasties were the heyday of Ding Kiln. Beautiful and elegant carved white porcelain and the magnificent printed white porcelain meant the products were sold at home and abroad.

定窑白釉折腰钵盂 Ding Kiln White Glaze Folded Waist Alms Bowl

白瓷【南唐】江苏扬州湾头砖瓦厂出土 扬州博物馆藏 White porcelain, Southern Tang Dynasty (937-976 AD), unearthed from Yangzhou Bay Brick and Tile Factory, Jiangsu, Yangzhou Museum Collection

口径17.9、腹径20.1、足径10、高9.5厘米。河北曲阳定窑因古定州而得名。宋金时期为定窑的鼎盛期，以清丽素雅的刻花白瓷与富丽堂皇的印花白瓷为典型。产品远销海内外。钵孟为“比丘十八物”之一，僧人的食器，亦指传法之器。盂唇口微撇，斜肩，腰部以下渐收。圈足，足边经过修削。通体内外施白釉，釉色匀润，胎洁白细腻。

耀州窑 Yaozhou Kiln

Yaozhou Kiln 耀州窑, located in Tongchuan, Shaanxi Province, started in the Tang Dynasty. The export sales are mainly concentrated . The export products were mainly green glazed engraved celadons. Because it was located inland and far away from the port, Yaozhou porcelain accounted for a small proportion of the export in the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty. The export market was mainly East Asia, and relics were found in Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, North Africa and East Africa.

磁州窑 Cizhou Kiln

Cizhou Kiln 磁州窑 was located in the modern day Guantai Town and Pengcheng Town, Ci County, Hebei Province. It started in the Northern Dynasty and reached its peak in the Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasties. The products were famous for white background black-brown colour 白地黑褐彩 and carved porcelain 划花瓷器, and there are green glaze black colour, white glaze red green colour and low temperature colour glaze products. Cizhou porcelain mainly exported to the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago using ports along Bohai Bay.

龙泉窑 Longquan Kiln

Longquan Kiln 龙泉窑 was mainly distributed in the Longquan and Qingyuan area of Lishui, Zhejiang Province. It started in the Tang Dynasty and Longquan porcelain was an important export commodity that maintained the trade of the Maritime Silk Road during the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Historically, Longquan porcelain was used by the royal family, as well as the needs of the domestic market.

With direct trade route between Europe and China, Longquan porcelain were exported to Western society. Europeans marvelled at the beauty of the greenish glaze, which is very similar to the green cloth gown worn by the hero Celadon in “Shepherd Girl” performed in Paris at the end of the 16th century, and named this beautiful Chinese porcelain after Celadon. Longquan Kiln has a far-reaching impact on the production of ceramics in many parts of southern China, as well as in East and Southeast Asia.

龙泉窑蝶恋花纹方斗盂 Longquan Kiln Butterfly Love Pattern Square Water Bowl

青瓷【元】丽水市博物馆藏 Celadon, Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), Lishui Museum Collection

瓷质，通身施青釉，整体作四边形方斗状。方口，下腹斜收到底，方圈足内凹，底部露胎，呈紫红色。口沿贴塑一小儿，头戴斗签，双手向上攀附，向内张望。四面开光，内刻双蝶恋花困，国案前后对称，其中一组图案露胎，露胎处呈紫红色。

青白瓷 Blue and White Glazed Porcelain

Blue and white glazed porcelain 青白瓷 is a kind of porcelain that is thin but firm, with white glazed with natural blue and white jade effect. Because of this aesthetic quality, it was deeply loved by collectors, and sold at home and abroad during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

景德镇窑 Jingdezhen Kiln

Jingdezhen Kiln 景德镇窑 started in the late Tang Dynasty and began to be exported around the 10th century. Jingdezhen was at first famous for white porcelain, but by the addition of cobalt, a blue colored porcelain was also produced. It is thought that cobalt for blue colors was introduced from the Middle East, as blue and white porcelain was highly prized there. The Moslem world was the biggest Western market, and the porcelain reached there by sea routes since the Silk Road was closed off.

In the Song Dynasty, cobalt and white porcelain was the main export product. In addition to cobalt and white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty, the egg shell glaze, and blue and white porcelain also became important export products, which were found in large quantities in the Korean Peninsula of Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka and other places.

西村窑 Xicun Kiln

Xicun Kiln 西村窑 is located on the east bank of the Zengbu River in Xicun, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Among them, the emperor’s kiln is the largest, which is the main remnant of the Xicun Kiln. In addition to being excavated in Song Dynasty tombs in Guangzhou, its products was found in the waters of the Xisha Islands and Southeast Asia on the waterway from China to the South China Sea, and there are also many heirlooms pieces in the Philippines, Indonesia and other places.

笔架山窑 Bijiashan Kiln

Bijia Mountain 笔架山 is located in the east of Guangji Bridge 广济桥, the Old City area of Chaozhou, my ancestral hometown. The mountains forms a beautiful backdrop along the east bank of the Han River.

Bijiashan Kiln began in the Tang Dynasty and peaked in the Northern Song Dynasty. Historically, the cluster of kilns was known as the “Village of a Hundred Kilns” 百窑村. The products are mainly blue and white glazed porcelain and were mainly sold to East Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia and other countries.

这件瓷器造型为一位呈现单腿跪姿的女性，双手怀抱者一个小酒壶，酒壶被巧妙地设计成了出水口，整体造型惟妙惟肖。同时，这位女性的造型也与汉代诗人辛延年在 《羽林郎》 中描写的卖酒胡姬十分贴近，诗中写道：胡姬年十五，春日独当坊。长福连理带，广袖合欢福。头上热田玉，耳后大秦珠。两鬢何窈窕，一世良所无。这件瓷器的出现反映了中外文化交往的频繁以及中外生活之间相互的影响。

青花瓷 Blue and White Porcelain

Blue and white porcelains 青花瓷 hold a special significance in the rich and varied history of China’s pottery industry and the origin of the famous blue gained recognition during the Tang dynasty (618 – 907). However it wasn’t until the Mongolian-ruled Yuan dynasty (1279 – 1368) that the production techniques of what has become antique blue and white stoneware reached maturity.

As the Silk Road trade route flourished, cobalt ores were imported from Persia and were an extremely expensive and scarce commodity used only sparingly, hence why blue and white China antique vases, bowls and plates are highly desired by collectors, both for their beauty and their scarcity.

Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain 青花瓷 became mainstream in Ming Dynasty, and reached its peak in Qing Kangxi Reign. As a main export commodity, it was found in huge numbers in shipwrecks in Southeast Asia. Besides Jingdezhen, blue and white porcelain was also mass produced in Fujian Zhangzhou Kiln 福建漳州窑, Guangdong Dapu Gaopi Kiln 广东大埔高陂窑 and several Chaozhou kilns.

明清 Ming-Qing Dynasties

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with the opening of global navigation routes and the gradual formation of the early globalized trade system, China’s ancient ceramic trade ushered in the last peak in this period.

The export of porcelain is mainly blue and white porcelain 青花瓷 and Dehua white porcelain 德化白瓷 produced by Jingdezhen kiln 景德镇窑 and Zhangzhou kiln 漳州窑. Longquan kiln 龙泉窑 and Shiwan kiln 石湾窑 porcelain also account for a certain share.

After their creation, Jingdezhen pastel 景德镇粉彩 and Kwon-glazed porcelain 广彩 quickly became important export products, and there has been a large number of customised porcelain in other countries influencing the daily and cultural life in various places.

景德镇青花瓷 Jingdezhen Blue and White Porcelain

In the Ming Dynasty, Jingdezhen continued to be a production centre for blue and white porcelain.

But during this era, there was a technical innovation in that manganese was added to prevent cobalt from bleeding during furnace heating and so distorting the fine artwork. For this reason, the Jingdezhen Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain is considered to be the pinnacle of beauty and exquisite artwork on this type of porcelain.

广州织金彩瓷 Kwon-Glazed Porcelain

Kwon-Glazed Porcelain (广州织金彩瓷 or 广彩 in short) is so named because it originated from Guangzhou, Guangdong province. In this special kind, white glazed porcelain from Jingdezhen were brought to Guangzhou to be painted and fired with imported Western material and technique.

Kwon-glazed porcelain was mainly sold abroad. The craftsmen applied traditional Chinese painting elements to illustrate Western historical stories, religious themes, myths and more. Besides decorative pieces, many Western buyers would come to custom-make tea sets, beer mugs, and other tableware and dinner service set.

Another technique developed in the Ming Dynasty is wucai (五彩), or “five colours” which employs a full palette of polychrome enamels or mixed colours. Often larger than dou cai wares, wucai ones often feature bold colors and more intricate designs. The best-known wucai wares are from Ming Wanli reign (1573-1620).

Qing Dynasty also saw great improvement of chinaware. Famille rose (pink), jaune (yellow), noire (black) and verte (green) were overglaze enamel porcelains made from the Kangxi period (1661-1722) and later.

高28.5,口径5.5×4.7,足径9.2×8.3厘米。“开光°是指在瓷器某部位面出边框，并在边框中彩绘亭合、人物、树木等，广彩行业称“开斗方”。此瓶短颈，圆腹，高足。色彩层次丰富，构因繁密丰富，层次细腻。釉面莹润，釉光灵动。

Conclusion

The invention of porcelain in China was a development that changed the face of art throughout the world. It took years for the process to be replicated anywhere else, but by then the ubiquity of Chinese porcelain was firmly stamped in the books of history. 

About Museum of Nanyue King 南越王博物馆 (MNYK)

Officially known as Western Han Museum of the Nanyue King Mausoleum 西汉南越王墓博物馆, MNYK is always on the top list of things to do in Guangzhou for archaeological lovers and Chinese history and culture enthusiasts.

The museum was firstly opened to the public in 1983 and renovated in 2010. Inside the museum, you can find the original site of the tomb, more than 1,000 pieces of rare treasures unearthed from the tomb and a collection of ceramic pillows donated by Mr. Yeung Wing-Tak. Those elegant artefacts will take you to the exquisite life of Nanyue State 2,000 years ago.

Nanyue King Museum 南越王博物馆
广州市越秀区中山四路316号
Tel : +86 (020) 36182920（王墓展区）, +86 (020) 83896501（王宫展区）

Opening Hours: open all year around from 9:00am to 17:30pm (on 28th February and 31st August of every year, it will be closed for maintenance), except every Monday.

Visited Jan 2022