Zhangzhou Kiln Plain Three-Color 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 nothing compares to ceramics—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 called 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 fully 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 this object reached the Western world, it was even believed to be a natural jade carved into a vessel. They had never imagined that besides God, who else could mold clay into a material unseen in the world before! However, the facts before them made it clear 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, with its charm enduring to this day! The enthusiasm for collecting and researching Chinese ancient ceramics is 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 There are also relatively few series of books on Chinese ancient ceramics, and most of them present outdated perspectives: some organize them by dynasties, while others by kiln sites. The former, organized by the rise and fall of dynasties, artificially cuts off the historical development of Chinese ancient ceramics, making reading feel disjointed. The latter, organized by kiln sites, often lacks a horizontal examination of the same type of ancient ceramic from different production areas. Therefore, we have decided to organize a series titled "The Great System of Famous Ancient Chinese Porcelains" based on the types of ancient ceramics from different dynasties. This will be a new perspective for showcasing and researching Chinese ancient ceramics, and we welcome feedback from scholars at home and abroad on its appropriateness.