Chinese porcelain likely originates in Zhejiang

Chinese porcelain likely originates in Zhejiang

Chinese archaeologists said on Friday their latest findings showed the country's ancient porcelain likely originated in Deqing, an east Zhejiang Province county.

The sites of more than 30 ancient porcelain kilns from the Shang, Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou dynasties (1600 B.C. to 256 B.C.) were found in Deqing, indicating the area as the birthplace and center of the country's ancient porcelain activities, archaeologists agreed in Deqing.

In the latest excavations from early 2007 to present, archaeologists found 10 porcelain kiln sites from the ancient periods in the Huoshaoshan and Tingziqiao areas.

A number of pieces of porcelain, such as bowls, plates and pots, were unearthed in the two areas. They were believed to be made for the then royal families and high-ranking nobles.

The unearthed porcelain pieces covered all kinds of ancient porcelain works that archaeologist had found in recent years in the country's southern region, according to experts.

"Just as man should trace its roots and ancestors, this new and important discovery ensures me that the celadon works popular in recent years in society, collected by the National Museum of Chinaor individuals or even found in markets abroad, their headstream was in Deqing," said Geng Baochang, China Ancient Ceramic Institute chairman.

From the samples of unearthed porcelain pieces, "the porcelain should have been elaborate works in terms of the shaping crafts, quality and making technologies", said Wang Liying, the institute's vice chairwoman.

She said the physical features of the porcelain can be comparable to those of porcelain works produced in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). Chinese archaeologists previously believed the well-developed porcelain works appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

China has a long history of porcelain and pottery production as ceramic products, along with silk, were the favorite exports in ancient times. The earliest-known porcelain dates back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C. to 1100 B.C.).

"China has a splendid history of porcelain," said Qin Dashu, a Peking University professor. "The excavations of porcelain sites in Deqing are just a small part. We believe more archaeological achievements will come with further research."

2008-04-29