Transition period blue and white porcelain

Author: Pei Guanghui (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: If one seeks a material carrier that embodies the history of a nation's civilization, then ceramics are undoubtedly the answer—especially for the Chinese nation. Describing the essence and height of a civilization can be approached from different perspectives and scales, but it always revolves around the two dimensions of "technology" and "art." Any civilization must inherently contain both, otherwise it cannot truly be considered a "civilization." The long-standing Chinese ancient ceramics have always been a fusion of technology and art. It can be said that without understanding Chinese ancient ceramics, one cannot truly understand Chinese civilization. Porcelain is a great creation of the Chinese nation. This creation was equally awe-inspiring in the West—"shocking heaven and moving earth." When these objects reached the West, they were even believed to be natural jade carvings. They never imagined that besides God, who else could mold clay into a substance never seen before in the world! However, the facts before them revealed that this was not the work of divine creation but rather the crystallization of human wisdom. After the (strong ships and powerful guns) forced open the doors of the original homeland of the "Four Great Inventions," "Chinese porcelain" remained a "fifth great invention" that the Chinese nation could proudly surpass the West, its charm enduring through the ages! The collecting and research enthusiasm for Chinese ancient ceramics are on the rise, but currently, there are few works on Chinese ancient ceramics that offer independent thinking and fresh insights available in the market. There are also few series of books on Chinese ancient ceramics, and most present outdated perspectives: some organize them by dynasties, while others by kiln sites. The former artificially cuts off the historical development of Chinese ancient ceramics based on the rise and fall of dynasties, making reading feel disjointed. The latter, organized by regional kiln sites, often lacks a horizontal examination of the same ancient ceramic type across different production areas. Therefore, we have decided to organize a series titled "The Great Series of Famous Ancient Chinese Porcelains" based on ancient ceramic types from different dynasties. This will be a new perspective for showcasing and studying Chinese ancient ceramics, and we welcome feedback from scholars at home and abroad on its appropriateness.