History of Chinese Ceramics (Rarities from the Republic of China Series)

Author: Wu Renjing, Xin Anchao (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features: There have been few books on ceramics throughout history. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were occasional authors, but their works were disjointed and lacked a systematic approach, making them unsuitable as authoritative texts. As for books on the history of ceramics, none existed before this one. The authors considered it a "forgetting one's roots" and a "great shame for the Chinese people." Thus, they established the framework and compiled the book. They referenced dozens of sources, including ancient classics, official statistics, translations of foreign works, and personal records, categorizing and extensively collecting the information. Where gaps remained, they conducted field investigations to ensure accuracy and completeness. The book provides detailed and concise accounts of the origins of ceramics, the development and types of porcelain from each dynasty, famous kilns, changes in glazes, advancements in decoration, renowned ceramic artists, and works on the value of ceramics. The history of Chinese ceramics over thousands of years, along with its rise and fall, is clearly presented.
One of the authors, Wu Renjing, is from Boyang, Jiangxi. He studied in Japan and served as the principal of the Jingdezhen Private Eastern Art College. He was a long-standing art teacher at ceramic schools. Not only did he possess modern awareness and a scientific perspective, but he was also an expert in porcelain painting. He published a seminal work on porcelain painting titled The Art of Porcelain Painting, which was designated by the Ministry of Education as a vocational textbook.