Download The Art of Porcelain Porcelain is a delicate form of pottery that

The Art of Porcelain
Porcelain is a delicate form of pottery that originated in China. This is the reason for its
popular nickname, “China”. It has a long rich history that goes back to the Shang dynasty.
Porcelain has been used for the wealthy and the common people. Porcelain has a lot of modern
day uses in our society. Porcelain is a rich part of Chinese culture and has many interesting facts
that are a bit unusual.
First, the history of porcelain dates back to the Shang dynasty. At this time the porcelain
we know now didn’t exist. The porcelain in the Shang dynasty was the first copy so it was a
rough and chunky cousin of the more modern porcelain. That started in the early Han dynasty.
Porcelain was used for jars, plates, cups, and many other things. There were two main colors,
black and celadon. Celadon is a pretty light green color which is very similar to jade. During
the Yuan dynasty the most famous type of porcelain was discovered, colored blue and white.
These are used to make blue Chinese willow plates, which has a very interesting story behind it.
On blue Chinese willow plates, there is a picture that tells a story. There is a pagoda, a
willow tree, and an island with a cottage. The story goes as followed: A long time ago, a rich
old man lived in a wonderful pagoda with his daughter. His daughter was supposed to marry a
wealthy but old merchant. The girl unfortunately fell in love with her father’s clerk. The pair
ran off together to a little island but the old man followed them. They were about to be killed
when the gods decided to turn the couple into two turtledoves, so they can love each other for
eternity.
Porcelain was a commodity for the western cultures, although not as much as silk.
Porcelain was one of China’s exports that traveled along the Silk Road. Today porcelain is used
all over the world for many different uses. Porcelain is very commonly used in dental practices,
where it is used for dental bridges and veneers. The most common use is in tiles, for both indoor
and outdoor purposes. Porcelain is very popular for bathroom tiles and appliances because it
doesn’t stain, scratch, absorb moisture, become damaged by cleaning products, or rust. It is also
used for subway station and tunnels (for subways and cars) because porcelain is sturdy enough
so that graffiti and exhaust will not damage it.
Porcelain is also commonly used for tea sets. At first, tea was drank out of porcelain
bowls (in the Han Dynasty). It was artisans of the Song dynasty however, that created the
famous teapot. Tea grew more popular in China, so porcelain tea sets grew more common. Tea
was very popular in the Ming Dynasty. We know this because of the vast amount of tea kettles
that still remain from that period of time. The Silk Road introduced tea and tea pots to Europe,
where it then became extremely popular with the wealthy. In the Victorian Age, tea became
more common and so it was very common to see teapots. Unfortunately, teapots are no longer
made of porcelain, but out of cheaper more durable materials.
Porcelain has a very rich history and is extremely useful today. We use porcelain in ways
that we would have never thought of, and more ways are being invented. We can thank the
Chinese for this wonderful invention.
钱韵姗
Sources: 1. http://www.bluewillowinn.com/bluechina.htm
2. http://www.mingwrecks.com/sales/porcelain.html 3. http://history.culturalchina.com/en/54History3221.html 4. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Many-Uses-of-Porcelain&id=3751199
5.http://www.arttiques.com/about_history.html