A New Investigation Into The Maritime Silk Road And The Spread Of Celadon Culture During Song And Koryo Dynasties

The Maritime Silk Road did not start from the Song Dynasty but became matured in it.Under the background of opening the ocean,the Maritime Silk Road connected the Song dynasty with Koryo,Japan,Southeast Asia,the Arab region,East Africa,and other places,resulting in frequent trade exchanges and rapid cultural spread.As a neighboring country with only a strip of water,Koryo maintained close sea contacts with the Song Dynasty in the complicated political environment,among which the cultural power could not be underestimated.Song and Koryo carried out official trade and subsidiary trade by sea.Simultaneously,the private businessmen and merchants were also in close contact,even during the official break down period,the trade never stopped.Maritime trade promoted the exchange of people and the circulation of goods between Song and Koryo,and more importantly,it satisfied the cultural needs of Korean aristocracy,and this cultural life was also reflected in the porcelain.Under the influence of porcelain making technology in eastern Zhejiang province,Koryo began to make celadon and became more and more accomplished in the 12 th century.The changes in the shape and ornamentation of celadon,as a tool for life and enjoyment of Korean people,reflected the influence of cultural exchange on people's aesthetics and taste.By analyzing the process from occurrence to the development of Korean celadon,this paper demonstrates the influence of the spread of porcelain technology along the Maritime Silk Road on Korean celadon production in different production periods.By comparing the porcelain produced in the Song dynasty with the celadon produced in Koryo,it can be seen that Koryo and the Song dynasty had extensive exchanges in porcelain making technology.At the same time,through the teaware and incense in Korean celadon,it can be seen that the Korean people had the same taste as the Song people,namely,ordering tea and burning incense.As the so-called "making utensil with image," the shape,design,and decoration of Korean celadon teaware and incense not only reflected the activities of the celadon implement during the Korean period but also reflected the influence of tea and incense trade on Korean cultural life.As a dual carrier of material culture and spiritual culture,Korean celadon has transformed intangible culture into a real instrument,explaining the cultural significance of the Maritime Silk Road to future generations.