Fujian Porcelain
Dehua county in Fujian Province with the famous cities of Jingdezhen (Jiangxi province) and Liling (Hunan province) are known as “the three great porcelain capitals”. In 1996, the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People's Republic of China awarded the county of Dehua with the honorary title of the “homeland of Chinese ceramics”. Today, over two hundred sites of ancient potteries of different historical periods have already been discovered on the Dehua county’s territory.
The history of making porcelain in Dehua
The history of making porcelain in Dehua county dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618 -907 AD), and the first writings on pottery making appeared there in the 10th century. The Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) and the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) were the golden ages of the porcelain production in Dehua. At that time, local porcelain was sent to the coastal city Quanzhou, and then it traveled abroad along the Maritime Silk Road.
During the Song Dynasty, the workshops were equipped with special kilns of elongated shapes, which were called the “dragon kilns” (“lun yao”) for their shape. These kilns allowed baking smooth blue and green, exquisite pale green, noble white and even the rarest black glazed porcelain of various shapes. Flowers were the most common and favorite decorative theme for porcelain products: delicate lotus petals, gorgeous peonies, and delicate chrysanthemums.
Over time, the changes in processing technologies have made Dehua porcelain thinner and more translucent. The porcelain statues of the Ming dynasty (1388-1644 AD) became famous all over the world as the “priceless jewels of the Celestial Empire”, and the authentic white porcelain covered with a milky-white glaze was compared to ivory whiteness.
White porcelain became well-known in China during the Tang Dynasty, however, it was manufactured mainly in the north, while pottery workshops in the south of the country were famous for their blue-green porcelain. Back at the time, people would define these parts of the country as “the green south and the snow-white north”. During the Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, white porcelain began to appear in large quantities in the southern regions of China. In the south, the Fujian Province was the important manufacturing center of white porcelain. The white glazed porcelain from Dehua kilns became especially valued by the connoisseurs. The originals traditions of its production have survived until the Ming Dynasty and formed the basis for the new techniques of crafting the exquisite milky-white porcelain similar to the “ivory whiteness”.
The distinctive features of Dehua porcelain
White porcelain from Dehua County has its distinctive features.
Despite its density, such porcelain pieces transmit light really well. The high content of potassium oxides of the blanks gives the porcelain a vitreous structure and increases its luster effect. The glaze of Dehua porcelain has an absolutely pure white color, while other types of porcelain can have yellowish or greenish hues. The secret of this brilliant white color is in its chemical composition, but also that the porcelain is baked in a neutral environment. This is why, if you bring it to the light, you will see in the glaze the pale shades of pink or the lightest milky luster. In other countries, the white porcelain from Dehua was called “goose-down white” mainly thanks to the variations of its color.
Another unique position in Chinese porcelain culture belongs to the variety of white Dehua porcelain called “jade porcelain”. Its surface reminds of soft leather, and its glaze shines with appealing gloss, like a gem. Jade porcelain allows you to fully appreciate all the virtues of tea. The mellow-white surface, smooth or embossed with an image, gently sets off the saturated colors of tea infusion and allows you to enjoy the graceful dance of the delicate tea leaves.
During the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1911 AD), another type of porcelain from the Dehua county becomes very popular - porcelain with blue underglaze painting. Such products were defined thanks to their artistic decoration. The snow-white glossy pieces depicted historical and everyday scenes, people and animals, flowers and fruits, picturesque landscapes and even religious motives. These expressive and lively works of art marked the beginning of the new era of painted porcelain from Dehua. Tea sets, dishes, interior decoration pieces and sacred objects made of Dehua multi-colored porcelain, embellished with decorative painting, received global recognition.