Porcelain—Calling-Card-of-Chinese-Culture

Porcelain—CallingCardofChineseCultureInEnglish,thecountryandporcelainsharethesamename--China.ThisprovesthatEuropeanshavelongknownofChina’srelationshiptoporcelain.PorcelainfounditswaytoEuropeinthe15thcentury,occupyinganimportantpositionintheexchangesbetweenChinaandothercountries.TheKeiselRandyMuseuminGermanyhousesablue-and-whitebowldatingbacktotheMingDynasty.Porcelaingarnered(收集)agoodreputationforChinaforitssophisticationandelegance,andplayedanimportantroleinthewaveoftheEuropeanidealizationofChinaduringthe17thand18thcenturies.Intherococo(洛可可式）stylepopularinEuropeofthattime,onecouldsense,fromtimetotime,theinfluenceofChinesevogue（时髦）representedbyChina'sstylesofporcelainandgardens.PorcelainisofgreatsignificanceinthehistoryofChinesecivilization.Potterywasthepredecessor（前任）ofporcelain,whileglazed（上釉的）potterywasthebasisfortheemergenceofporcelain.Aroundthefirstcentury,porcelainproductionfirstemergedinChina,andbytheSongDynastyithadbecomemature.Song-Dynastyporcelainrepresentedtheacme（顶峰）ofChineseporcelaintechnique.Fivefamouskilns（窑）,theJun,Ding,Guan,GeandRu,wereallcreativeandoriginalintheirrespectiveproducts,andtheirporcelainwarehasbeenintimatedbylatergenerationsthroughouttheages.IntheYuanDynasty,JingdezhenbecamethecenteroftheChineseporcelainindustry.Chineseporcelainischerishedforitsserene（宁静的）color,crystalpaste,gracefuldesigns,andingeniousforms--aquestofgenerationsofcraftspeople.Bronzeware,potteryandporcelainareallpopularwiththeChinesepeople,thoughtheirstylesvarywidely.Potteryissimpleandunsophisiticated,whilebronzewaresuggestssolemnity（庄严）,butporcelainisthemostexquisiteandelegant.PorcelaincanberegardedasthecallingcardofChineseculture.Thiscallingcardrepresentsthecrystallization（结晶）ofChinesecultureandtheembodimentoftheaestheticandpursuitsoftheChinesepeople.Nature'sCraftAnyonefamiliarwithChineseporcelainknowsthatthesurfaceofsomeporcelainwareiscoveredwithirregularcracks.Thecracksoccuredduringkilningduetoflawedworkmanship,butastimewentoncracklewarebecameacraze（时尚）duringtheSongDynasty,andwaspasseddowntotoday.CracklewaretodayisoneofthetypicalChineseporcelainstyles.Chinesepeoplelovecracklewarebecausetheylovenature'suniquecraft.Porcelainisanartificialart,butwhatitmostdefinesisnothingmorethanartificiality.Anyman-madecrackleswouldbemechanicalandunnaturalandbetrayacertainartifice（欺骗）,definitelynomatchfornaturallycraftedcrackles.TheTaipeiPalaceMuseumhasapieceofcracklewareproducedintheGeKilnoftheYuanDynasty.itisanincense（香）burnerwithfish-shapedhandles.Thinandfinecracklesonthecream-coloredglazeareevocativeofatreeleaf,witharteriesandveinsstretching,intertwinedfreelyandvibrantlyinit.PureBlue-and-whitePorcelainBlue-and-whiteporcelainisatypicalartifactofporcelaininChina.AmongtheporcelainexportedduringtheMingandQingDynasties,80percentwasblue-and-white.Chinese-madeblue-and-whiteporcelainwareemergedlongbeforetheTangDynasty,butitwasnotuntiltheYuanDynastythatthistypeofporcelaincametobeproducedinquantity,withtheattendantmasterpieces.TheMingDynastywitnessedthematurityoftheart,andalargenumberofvaluablepieceswereproducedinthisperiod.Jingdezhen,asmalltownthatcreatedtheenchantingblue-and-whiteporcelainoftheYuanDynasty,becameitsporcelain-producingcenter;andinthesubsequentMingDynasty,theimperialkilnswereestablishedhere.Blue-and-whiteporcelainisnowthemostrepresentativeofChineseporcelain.Toproduceblue-and-whiteporcelain,cobalt（钴）oxide（氧化物）isrequisite.itisemployedtodrawonthewhiteroughcast（毛坯）beforeglazeisapplied.Afterkilningatahightemperature,theroughcastturnsintoblue-and-whiteporcelain,sincecobaltoxideturnsbluewithheat.Thewhitesurfacewithbluepatternsandashinysheen（光泽）ofgrazeproducesapure,elegantandtransparenteffect.IntheTaipei“PalaceMuseum”,thereisabowlwithbranch-and-flowerpattern,producedintheXuandereign(1426-1435)oftheMingDynasty.Itsshapedemonstratesaprimitivesimplicity,whileitsfinetextureiswhitewithatouchofblue.Inawell-balancedcomposition,theflowersarevividlydrawnwithsoftandserenelines,whiletheblueintermingles(混合)withthewhite,producingaharmonious,effervescent(欢腾的)effect.TheTaipei“PalaceMuseum”housesanotherpieceofblue-and-whiteporcelainware—aplatewithaflowers-of-four-seasonsdesign,alsomadeintheXuandereignoftheMingDynasty.Theinterioroftheplatefeathers13flowers,includingchrysanthemum,lotus,gardenia(栀子花),pomegranate(石榴),Chineseherbaceous(草本的)peony,hibiscus(木槿),andcamellia;whileitsexteriorisdecoratedwithseveralflowers.Inthecenteroftheplatesitsthelotus—thedivineflowerofBuddhismandcommonlyusedmotif(主题)inChineseporcelain.Thewhiteplatelookscrystalclear,andalthoughthedesignsarecomplicated,thepurewhitecolorandthegracefulbluematcheachother,toproduceanelegant,sophisticatedeffect.Blue-and-whiteporcelainoccupiesaprominentpositionintheChineseporcelainindustry,foritaccordswellwiththecultureandaestheticspiritChinesepeoplehavelongpursued—ofsimplicity,unaffectednessandease.Chinesepeoplebelievethatultimatebeautyissimpleandnatural;anythingthatisaffectedandover-polishedrunscontradictorytothisphilosophy.AsrepresentativeofChineseporcelain,blue-and-whiteporcelaindisplaysa