During the Ming and Qing dynasties, specialized towns emerged in the Yangtze River basin in China, with a focus on processing and exporting. At that time, there were "Four Great Towns" in Jiangnan, China, including the ironworking town of Foshan, the ceramic town of Jingde, the goods distribution town of Hukou, and the merchant gathering town of Zhuxian. Today, let's close our eyes and join me on a journey back to ancient Jiangnan in China, to catch a glimpse of the splendor of Jingde township at that time.

 

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The term "China" in Chinese refers to the middle or the center. Before the Opium War, China considered itself the central power, accepting tribute from envoys from various countries around the world. Tribute trade was actually a grand display of wealth, with envoys from different countries bringing tribute gifts in the hope of trading with China, and China reciprocating with generous gifts in return.

 

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From this, we can see that trading with China at that time, whether during the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, was highly profitable. The most famous traded goods from China at that time were probably porcelain. You may know that the word "China" in English originally referred to "porcelain." In other words, merchants from the Indo-European language group referred to China as the "country of porcelain," indicating the far-reaching reputation of Chinese porcelain at that time.

 

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The ceramic center of China at that time was Jingde township, located in present-day Jiangxi Province. Before the Ming and Qing dynasties, the ceramics industry in Jingde had already developed vigorously. It started during the "Song Dynasty," which focused on commercial trade as a national strategy. During the Northern Song Dynasty, they successfully improved the firing of "qingbai porcelain" and produced "yingqing porcelain," which was exported worldwide. With the wide-reaching influence of the Yuan Dynasty, the "yuan blue-and-white" large decorative pieces from Jingde township already amazed the world.

 

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During the Ming and Qing dynasties, European merchants greatly relied on trade with China after opening new trade routes. In order to enter the global market, China developed specialized towns based on division of labor, and it was only natural for Jingdezhen, renowned for its ceramic industry since the Song Dynasty, to become a specialized town for porcelain production. Due to the high market demand, Jingde township at that time was even known as the "Town of Thunder and Lightning in Four Seasons," highlighting its prosperity.

 

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Starting from the Ming Dynasty, Jingdezhen's imperial kilns became the beginning of producing porcelain for the imperial court. Blue-and-white porcelain from the Yongle and Xuande periods of the Ming Dynasty, as well as doucai porcelain from the Chenghua and Wanli periods, were among the top-quality ceramics. Zheng He, a eunuch during the Ming Dynasty, exported a large quantity of Jingde porcelain overseas, which had a significant influence on Jingde porcelain at that time and beyond. During the Qing Dynasty, Jingde porcelain reached its peak in ancient Chinese ceramic development. Joto carries on this historical legacy and continues to tirelessly produce ceramics in the contemporary era, striving for breakthroughs and bringing a new look to Chinese ceramics.

 

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