08/04/2026
Song-Yuan Dynasty Tradeware Ceramics at the Asian Civilizations Museum. Green-wares, Dark-glazed wares, and White-wares. March 29, 2026.
CERAMICS - An Introduction.
Nature's gift:
Ceramics are produced through the masterful human manipulation of earth, water, and fire. They are among China's greatest technological and artistic achievements. Ceramic is clay that has been shaped by pressure (with water to soften and lubricate), then hardened by fire.
A Chinese marvel:
Chinese ceramic production began about 20,000 years ago, with low-fired earthenware (tao t) vessels. High-fired ceramics (ci #), dense and more durable, developed in the Shang dynasty (around 1600-1046 BC). Porcelain - high-fired, fine-grained, white, non-porous ceramics - emerged around AD
600.
Creativity and diversity:
Chinese ceramics are renowned for their durability, beauty. and variety. Their importance and desirability as a global commodity are explored in our Maritime Trade galleries on Level 1. The objects here highlight the innovations of Chinese potters and the artistic potential of ceramics. Examples date from more than 4,000 years ago until the 20th century. illustrating technological and artistic developments as well as the varied uses of ceramics.
White wares
Although white pottery vessels (taoqi) were made in China earlier, it was only in the second half of the 6th century that high-fired white wares with harder and denser bodies (ciqi 瓷器) were made.
Porcelain or stoneware?
The Chinese do not distinguish between stoneware and porcelain; both types are regarded as ciqi. By the Sui dynasty (581-618), porcelain, as defined in the West - white, hard, translucent bodies - was produced in northern China.
Xing and Ding kilns:
While several northern kilns made white wares, the finest Tang-period examples came from the Xing kilns in Hebei province. Xing porcelains were likened to snow and silver, but they were cheaper and more practical (easier to clean, for instance). During the Song dynasty (960-1279), white wares from the Ding kilns, also in Hebei province, were viewed as the premier porcelain product of northern China. Ding is regarded as one of the "five great kilns" of the Song la concept that first appeared in the Ming), and Ding wares of superior quality were sent as tribute to the court.
Qingbai wares:
In the 10th century, potters in Jingdezhen also began producing porcelain. These wares have a glossy, icy-blue glaze now typically referred to as qingbai (bluish white) or yingqing (shadow blue). In line with the prevailing taste for elegance and simplicity, qingbai potters of the Northern Song period 960-1127) favoured form and subtlety in their decoration.
Mass-production
As China's export trade expanded during the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), new mass production techniques were introduced. Moulds were used to create more elaborate patterns, as seen in the bowls displayed here. Evocative of jade, qingbai wares were imitated at other kilns in Jiangxi and neighbouring provinces.
Dark-glazed wares:
Like celadons, brown and black-glazed wares rely on iron oxide as the main colouring agent. These dark glazes have a larger concentration of iron oxide (5% or more, compared to 1-3% in celadons). Made since the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), these high-fired ceramics were inspired by objects decorated in lacquer.
Tea drinking:
The popularity of these dark wares peaked during the 10th to 13th century, due to the prevailing fashion of drinking powdered tea. Hot water was added and then whisked into a frothy mixture. Contests in which the tea as well as its foam were judged, were popularly enjoyed by the elites. Ceramic bowls with intensely dark glazes were best for accentuating the white froth of the whisked tea.
The magic of iron-rich glaze:
Potters used leaves, wax, or papercuts to create resist designs on bowls. Others relied on the unpredictability of iron-saturated glazes. Excess iron rises to the surface as it is fired, then crystallises upon cooling to form diverse patterns. These markings were described in various ways, including "partridge feather mottles" (zhegu ban) and "oil spots" (youdi). Dark-glazed tea bowls were taken to Japan by visiting Zen Buddhist monks, where they were treasured in temples, as well as by courtiers and the military elite.
