Chinese porcelain evolved from pottery, with primitive porcelain originating over 3,000 years ago. By the Song Dynasty, renowned kilns and porcelain brands were found throughout much of China, marking the most prosperous period for the porcelain industry. The Jun, Ge, Guan, Ru, and Ding kilns were collectively known as the Five Great Kilns. Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, was renowned as the porcelain capital. Its blue-and-white porcelain, produced during the Yuan Dynasty, became representative of Chinese porcelain. The glaze of blue-and-white porcelain is transparent like water, the body is thin and light, and the pure white porcelain is decorated with blue patterns, creating an elegant, fresh, and vibrant effect. Blue-and-white porcelain became an instant sensation upon its emergence, becoming the crown jewel of Jingdezhen’s traditional porcelain.
Chinese Porcelain is a comprehensive art, and form is as important to a good piece of porcelain as it is to a fine piece of sculpture. For porcelain ware of artistic value, an intriguing shape can capture instant attention from viewers. Among Chinese porcelain, there is a type of white porcelain decorated with floral patterns of the same color, which suggests a feeling of relief sculpture. Most Chinese porcelain ware embodies the characteristics of Confucian aesthetics. In its pursuit of gentleness and refinement one senses the aesthetic propensities of Confucianism; through its implicit and reserved artistic style one discovers the reserved nature of Confucian aesthetics. Pure and elegant beauty is the goal that porcelain pursues, and this ideal is best explained in the production of blue-and-white porcelain. Blue-and-white porcelain occupies a prominent position in the Chinese porcelain industry, for it accords well with the culture and aesthetic spirit Chinese people have long pursued — of simplicity, unaffectedness and ease. Chinese people believe that ultimate beauty is simple and natural; anything that is affected and over-polishedruns contradictory to this philosophy. As representative of Chinese porcelain, blue-and-white porcelain displays a world of conciseness and elegance, serenity and purity. Blue and white form a single-color painting, which may appear monotonous but this is the exact feature of blue-and-white porcelain, free of excessive decoration or exaggeration.
