The History Of Maritime Ceramics In South-East China

The study on southeast maritime ceramics of China is an archaeological integrative study about the impact of ceramics system in oversea areas. The main content is the imitated ceramics in southeast of China from Han Dynasty to Ming and Qing Dynasties. And it is based on the civilian kilns and faced the sea world market. The time range is from the end of East Han when the ceramic was successfully made in China to 1950s when the ceramics industry declined. And the area mainly covers the southeast of China.The study is about the oversea spread and influence of the ancient ceramics in China and that is a new angle. The study method has got the features as follows: Firstly, as one organic constituting part of the handicraft industry in seashore, southeast maritime ceramics is researched in the macroscopical view: the system of maritime social-economic and cultures of China. And the study also introduces the big background of the system of maritime social-economic and cultures of China and the world on every stage of maritime ceramics pattern like early stage, developing stage, flourished stage and its change. Secondly, based on rich credible archaeological data of ceramic kiln sites, study of maritime ceramics is not only the superficial contrast of characteristics but also deeper study on the intercourse of kiln industry and the techniques. Thirdly, taking the means of multi-subjects combination, we try to deepen the study of maritime ceramics. For example, using the study data about ports, we discuss the effects of ports' development on change of southeast maritime ceramics pattern. Using the data of history of navigation and the history of traffic between China and overseas, we study the change of sea routes and the variable areas of maritime ceramics' spread, and underwater archaeological data are used to verify it.The exact content is as follows:First, the emergence and early history of southeast maritime ceramics in Eastern Han and Six Dynasties. After celadon was successfully made at the end of East Han, the technique of celadon was spreaded during the ports in the east of Zhejiang. As ceramics were transported by ports of southeast like Dongye,Liangan,Panyu, the kiln techniques of celadon were spreaded in these places. Along with beginning of the sea routes like South China Sea-Indian Ocean, China-Korea, China- Japan etc, the successfully made ceramics were spreaded to Korea chersonese, Japan and Southeast Asia.Second, the preliminary development of southeast maritime ceramics pattern in Sui,Tang and Five Dynasties. During Sui,Tang and Five Dynasties, the center of celadon kiln industry was still in the eat of Zhejiang, but the kiln techniques had been spreaded to every place of southeast seashore. Most maritime ceramics kilns were located around the port towns or the banks of rivers and their anabranches. As Arabians came to China, the sort of maritime ceramics became multiplex, but southeast maritime ceramics kilns still mainly made celadons. And the center of southeast maritime ceramics didn't get to the north of Qiantang River, the east of Wuyi Mountain and the inland areas of the north of South Mountain Range.Third, highly development of southeast maritime ceramics in Song and Yuan Dynasties. The center of southeast maritime ceramics industry had been gradually diverted to the south of Zhejiang like Longquan, and disparities of ceramics techniques of Fujian and Guangdong reduced increasingly. The distributing of kiln sites and the port towns flourished or declined together. Because the ship-owners in southeast of China controlled the sea authority of South China Sea and Indian Ocean, the ceramics of large-famous kilns in Central Plains were imitated in southeast, so the sorts of these ceramics were aborted in the system of maritime ceramics. The influence of southeast maritime ceramics greatly reinforced and some inlands like Jiangxi became one part of this system. The consume marker of maritime ceramics were deeply developed based on Tang and Five Dynasties.Fourth, the change of southeast maritime ceramics pattern in Ming and Qing Dynasties. At the beginning of Ming Dynasty, because of the ban of private businessmen's trade with overseas, the southeast maritime ceramics rapidly shrinked. Longquan Kilns were inclined to breakdown. During the Middle Ming, with the collapse of the pay tribute-trade system and the increase of private businessmen's trade with overseas, southeast maritime ceramics grew up around the ports where private businessmen's smuggles were rampant. At the tempt of the large market brought by the Asia-Europe sea route, the technique of blue and white turned to civilian kilns from the official kiln—Jingdezhen, and further more to southeast seashore. On the consume market of ceramics, as join of the Dongyang sea route and the Asia-Europe sea route, based on the primary development, maritime ceramics extend to vaster area like Occident.