Chinese Porcelain: A Thousand Years of Firing, from Jingdezhen to Dehua
Where blue-and-white, Dehua white and Longquan celadon come from, how they differ, and what overseas buyers should check before ordering.
Three great kilns
Jingdezhen (Jiangxi): blue-and-white, famille rose, linglong and coloured glazes — the imperial kiln site, dense body and fine painting.
Dehua (Fujian): Blanc de Chine, an ivory-warm glaze famous for Guanyin and figure sculpture; He Chaozong of the Ming dynasty is the master name.
Longquan (Zhejiang): celadon in powder-blue and plum-green, thick multi-layer glaze, inscribed on the UNESCO intangible heritage list in 2009.
Process
Throwing or slip casting → biscuit firing → glazing → high firing (1280–1350 °C) → decoration → low-temperature decal firing. Hand-thrown vs. cast can differ several-fold in cost — confirm before quoting.
Buyer checklist
Food-contact safety (lead/cadmium release: FDA / California Prop 65 / EU 84/500/EEC); microwave and dishwasher suitability; glaze pinholes, warpage and shade variation against AQL 2.5/4.0; drop-test packaging (ISTA).
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