Chinese Tea Sets From Jingdezhen, China
A little place in China called Jingdezhen has made some of the most revered porcelain pieces the world over. But it's no mistake; this town once made porcelain items and tea sets just for the royal families. Emperors, empresses, princes and the like all ordered porcelain from Jingdezhen.
This storied history is a very important piece when it comes to solving the Chinese porcelain industry puzzle.
In 1278, Mongol emperor Kublai Khan built the first imperial kiln in Jingdezhen. Jingdezhen then made a type of porcelain that was celebrated for being as white as snow. The Mongols revered the color white.
Following the Khan's idea, ruler after ruler continued or order kilns be opened in Jingdezhen specifically for the royal family's use. At some points in history, there were over 50 kilns in Jingdezhen just for this purpose.
The workload was so great, many emperors sent special envoys just to oversee the porcelain production. These envoys were trusted to send only the best pieces of porcelain to the capital.
These royal administrators were to make sure that no one other than the emperor and his family even saw the porcelain produced by the imperial kilns. If any piece was deemed unworthy of the royal palace, it was smashed into pieces and buried. The techniques were also closely guarded. If any potter was caught teaching others how to make such great porcelain, he could be executed.
Making royal porcelain items was half of the battle; finding the materials to start with was the other. certain emperors were not satisfied with what they could find in China, and ordered exports from as far as Iran to be integrated into their porcelain.
As time went on, emperors passed on and gave way to new dynasties and rulers in China. But the royal kilns of Jingdezhen were not disbanded until the last dynasty fell. - 2361
This storied history is a very important piece when it comes to solving the Chinese porcelain industry puzzle.
In 1278, Mongol emperor Kublai Khan built the first imperial kiln in Jingdezhen. Jingdezhen then made a type of porcelain that was celebrated for being as white as snow. The Mongols revered the color white.
Following the Khan's idea, ruler after ruler continued or order kilns be opened in Jingdezhen specifically for the royal family's use. At some points in history, there were over 50 kilns in Jingdezhen just for this purpose.
The workload was so great, many emperors sent special envoys just to oversee the porcelain production. These envoys were trusted to send only the best pieces of porcelain to the capital.
These royal administrators were to make sure that no one other than the emperor and his family even saw the porcelain produced by the imperial kilns. If any piece was deemed unworthy of the royal palace, it was smashed into pieces and buried. The techniques were also closely guarded. If any potter was caught teaching others how to make such great porcelain, he could be executed.
Making royal porcelain items was half of the battle; finding the materials to start with was the other. certain emperors were not satisfied with what they could find in China, and ordered exports from as far as Iran to be integrated into their porcelain.
As time went on, emperors passed on and gave way to new dynasties and rulers in China. But the royal kilns of Jingdezhen were not disbanded until the last dynasty fell. - 2361
About the Author:
Author D. Cheng has written about Chinese culture, calligraphy, and arts & crafts such as Porcelain tea set for ages. Occasionally, he endorses skilled Chinese craftsmen. Look at some beautiful China tea sets.
posted by Marcondes Allen at 12:39 AM
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