Taiwan Porcelain

The history of Taiwanese porcelain and ceramics

The history of the development of porcelain and ceramics is a long continuous process of succession of the established traditions and discovery of new methods based on the best achievements of predecessors. The culture of Taiwanese porcelain and ceramics is no exception. This cultural layer is rich in content and has its authentic features, a hodgepodge of various styles, formed with time due to the consequence of historical events, like the migration of other people to the island with their own concepts and new unfamiliar manufacturing techniques.

One archeological site of Taiwan unearthed traces of Neolithic settlements where many shards of pottery have been excavated. This means that at the very beginning of its existence, about 6-7 thousand years ago, the Islanders could make various household items out of clay. Many ancient methods of processing clay are used by some ethnic groups even today.

During the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644 AD) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), the culture of Taiwanese ceramics has reached a remarkable level of development.  In 1624, the Dutch, who colonized Taiwan, brought craftsmen from the mainland, who started making bricks and tiles needed for the construction of bastions and temples. This marked the beginning of the new era of the pottery industry. In 1796 the first glazed ceramics were first created in the county of Nantou, where the distinguished Dong Ding Oolong tea is produced.

In this historical era, traditional Chinese ceramics processing techniques came to Taiwan along with settlers from Fujian and Guangdong provinces, which rose the advancement of the Taiwanese ceramic to a new level.

However, the Islanders continued to import sophisticated porcelain pieces from mainland China. During the Japanese occupation, the Taiwanese masters adopted a few distinctive techniques, very typical for Japanese ceramics. The new wave of migration after the island has been returned to China brought a lot of educated people from the highest social circles. Thanks to them that the production of ceramics received a scientific base in addition to practical experience. The masters began to pay more attention to the style and decoration of the products.

Today, Taiwan produces amazingly beautiful porcelain sets, which play with combinations of tender milky white surfaces similar to ivory, with bright and rich colors or, on the contrast, with thin almost transparent tones. The participants of the tea ceremony can use such beautiful teaware and enjoy the ambiance of serene tranquility and the feeling of presence at the moment.

Jingdezhen of Taiwan

Taiwan’s ceramics and porcelain landmark is the town of Inge, which is also known as the “Jingdezhen of Taiwan”. According to the legend, the immigrants from the Quanzhou city of Fujian province were the first ones to produce ceramics there. Pottery production quickly gained popularity, as local soils and clay were perfect to manufacture porcelain and ceramics. Also, thick mountain forests served as an excellent resource for the wood-fired kilns, where the clay blanks were burned. Today this tiny village counts about 800 pottery studios and shops selling porcelain and ceramic products.

The technology for producing Taiwanese pottery requires special skills. The clay blanks that have been molded in a certain shape can be deformed easily, so they are carefully transferred to a special room, carefully placed and dried during the day. Then the products are placed inside the kiln and fired at a temperature of 900ºC: at this time they lose water and become extremely fragile. Depending on the distinctive features of a product, for example, its purpose or the color of its body, the glazes are mixed in certain proportions and fused to the surface. Glazed products are fired in kilns at a temperature of 1200-1300ºC.

Taiwan’s ceramic culture and art is a true phenomenon. We can use the original tea sets as an excellent example of the distinctive Taiwanese style. They harmoniously combine contemporary shapes with traditional artistic patterns - images of blossoming plums, elegant orchids, bamboo shoots, autumn chrysanthemums, lush peonies, fragrant lychees or tea plant flowers.

Hand-painted Taiwanese porcelain is the most valued. One of the best types of such porcelain is the one with relief underglaze painting. This painting technique is free of excessive thickness but rich in bright colors that seem to overlap each other. The pattern is filled with lively, vibrant energy, very similar to the amazing guohua ink paintings. Thanks to the three-dimensional design, the image is not plain but has a perspective or three dimensions, and we never get tired of admiring this beauty for a long time.