Porcelain

Zhejiang is the hometown of porcelain. As the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou was an important place for the production, consumption, and distribution of porcelain, and holds a leading position in Chinese porcelain culture and history.

Celadon is the origin of Chinese porcelain. Around 200 A.D., celadon was successfully fired in Shangyu, Zhejiang, making the leap from pottery to porcelain. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the celadon culture emerged, and during the Tang and Song dynasties, the manufacturing techniques of celadon reached a very high level. The first kiln in Chinese history to fire custom-made porcelain for emperors appeared during the Song Dynasty. After the Southern Song Dynasty established its capital in Hangzhou, the official kilns of the Southern Song Dynasty were established. Craftsmen fired exquisite celadon with superb skills, and Song porcelain became a vivid commentary on the remnants of Song culture.

The Southern Song Dynasty has left behind abundant cultural heritages in Hangzhou, especially the establishment of Xiuneisi Official Kiln (修内司官窑) and Jiaotanxia Official Kiln (郊坛下官窑), which created the most glorious period of Hangzhou porcelain. At that time, Hangzhou carried out extensive porcelain trade and exchanges with other regions through the unique advantages of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In addition, the Southern Song regime took advantage of Hangzhou's geographical advantages to develop a maritime economy, selling porcelain around the world. Some scholars have suggested that the Southern Song official kilns in Hangzhou had an important influence on porcelain production in the rest of Zhejiang, and also had some influence on the production of porcelain in foreign countries.

To better spread porcelain culture, one must understand that porcelain is not only a cultural heritage lying in a museum but also an ongoing inheritance. Hangzhou will eventually form a complete industrial chain through the protection of kiln sites, the construction of museums, and the planning of heritage parks, so as to integrate porcelain with people's daily life and promote the spread and inheritance of porcelain culture.