Pottery is made of mud (clay) and dried by fire. It is the crystallization of mud and fire. Our ancestors knew about clay for a long time. As early as in primitive society, they could not live without clay everywhere. They found that clay soaked in water is sticky and plastic, and becomes hard after drying. The use and understanding of fire has a very long history, about 2.05 million to 700 thousand years ago. Fire began to be used. In the long primitive life, the ancestors found that dry mud became more solid, hard and waterproof after firing, so pottery was produced. The invention of pottery has opened a new page for human beings to use, transform and confront nature, which is of great historical significance and a milestone in the history of human production and development.
According to the known archaeological materials, exquisite pottery products include gray pottery in the late Paleolithic period 65,438+0,000 years ago, red pottery in magnetic mountain culture more than 8,000 years ago, painted pottery in Yangshao culture more than 7,000 years ago, "eggshell black pottery" in Dawenkou more than 6,000 years ago, white pottery in Shang Dynasty more than 4,000 years ago, and 3,000 years ago. As well as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Qin Dynasty, with the rapid development of porcelain production, the pottery industry tends to decline, but some special pottery varieties still have unique charm, such as Song and Liao tricolor pottery, purple clay pot, colored glass, flower pottery and Guangdong Shiwan pottery sculpture, which are all unique and of great appreciation value.
However, pottery is always a low-grade product in the primary stage of civilization, and its own defects are doomed to be gradually eliminated by history.
Porcelain is a great invention in ancient China. In the long historical years, the industrious and wise ancestors of China turned hostilities into friendship, wrote brilliant chapters and made great contributions to human civilization. China ancient porcelain, which enjoys a long reputation, has become the pearl of major museums in the world, and will be more and more widely studied by experts and scholars in China and around the world, and cherished by collectors and ceramic lovers.
The invention and development of China porcelain has a gradual development process from low level to high level and from primitive to mature. As early as the Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, primitive celadon appeared in China. After 1000 years' development, it finally got rid of the original porcelain state and fired the mature celadon in the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is an important milestone in the development history of China ceramics.
After more than 330 years of development in the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty, the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty, China was politically stable and economically prosperous in the Tang Dynasty. Social progress has promoted the development of porcelain industry. For example, the white porcelain of Xing kiln in the north is "like Yin Xue" and the celadon of Yue kiln in the south is "like jade ice", forming two kiln systems of "North White and South Blue". At the same time, snow glaze, patterned fetal glaze and glaze were also fired in the Tang Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty was an unprecedented period for the development of porcelain in China. Porcelain kilns are spread all over the north and south, with many famous kilns and various categories. In addition to blue-and-white porcelain series, black glaze, blue-and-white glaze and painted porcelain have risen one after another. The products of the world-famous five famous kilns, Ru Kiln, Guan Kiln, Ge Kiln, Ding Kiln and Jun Kiln, are world-famous. There are Yaozhou Kiln, Hutian Kiln and Longquan.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen set up the "Floating Beam Porcelain Bureau" to manage kiln affairs, invented the binary formula of porcelain stone and kaolin, and fired large-scale porcelain, successfully firing typical blue-and-white porcelain, underglaze red porcelain and official porcelain, especially blue-and-white porcelain, which has epoch-making significance in the history of China ceramics. The main porcelain kilns left over from the Song-Jin War continued to be produced, among which Longquan Kiln was larger than Song Dynasty, and Mei celadon was Yuan Dynasty.
In the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, a royal kiln factory was established in Jingdezhen. Over the past 200 years, many high-quality, exquisite and sophisticated products have been produced, such as the blue and white glaze of Yongxuan, the bucket color of Chenghua and the colorful colors of Wanli, all of which are rare treasures. The existence of imperial kiln factory also promoted the further development of folk kiln. Jingdezhen's blue and white porcelain, colored porcelain, monochromatic glaze and other varieties are in full bloom.
The development of Kang, Yong and Gan porcelain reached its peak in Qing Dynasty, reaching the highest level in history, which was the second peak in the history of China ceramics development. Jingdezhen porcelain industry is unprecedentedly prosperous, maintaining the status of China's porcelain capital. Kangxi not only restored the characteristics of all fine products since Yongle and Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, but also created and fired many new varieties, firing bright colors and shades. The blue-and-white Langyao with distinct layers has also restored the high-temperature copper-red glaze firing technology that has been lost for more than 200 years. Lang Yaohong and Gunn Hong are both unique. Sky Blue, Salan, Bean Green, Brown, Imitation Ding, Peacock Green and Zijin Glaze are all successful works, and the enamel porcelain created in Kangxi period is also famous all over the world.
Although the Yongzheng dynasty was only 13 years old, the porcelain-making technology reached its peak, and Yongzheng pastel was very delicate, which became a new variety with blue and white beauty and was called "national porcelain".
Monochrome glaze, blue and white, underglaze red, enamel color, pastel and other varieties in Qianlong period have extremely exquisite products and innovative varieties on the basis of inheriting the new ones.
Qianlong period was a turning point in the rise and fall of China porcelain industry, and porcelain art went downhill after Jiaqing. Especially during the Opium War in Daoguang period, China was reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, its national strength was exhausted, and the porcelain industry plummeted. It didn't improve a little until Guangxu period, but the outbreak of191Xinhai Revolution led to the demise of the Qing Dynasty.
Throughout the development history of ancient ceramics in China for thousands of years, although it ended in decline, this precious and rich legacy it left to future generations will shine forever.