Time cannot crack porcelain network

For Chinese scholar Song Xiaoyu, "China" offers more than wordplay on the country. It offers a new entry point for exploring the connections between China and the wider world.

"The Chinese artifacts unearthed in Fustat, Egypt, attest to the close bonds and deep friendship that have existed between both nations' peoples.

"If you must pick an item to serve as a witness to ancient globalization, ceramics might be the best choice," said Song, assistant professor at the Institute of China Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

"This is because silk rots and spices fade, but porcelain, though fragile, can remain buried for a long time, either intact or in pieces, and treasured by generations throughout centuries," explained Song.

In Song's view, a piece of porcelain can tell an entire story, including when it was made, based on its style, its patterns, and its overall technique, as well as traces of where it has traveled. Ceramics offer a particularly tangible way to trace the Maritime Silk Road and learn how China was connected with Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

According to Song, while Europeans and Americans have long been known for their fondness for Chinese ceramics, the Arab world has an equally strong and long-standing appreciation for them.

The ninth century marked a significant period in the spread of Chinese ceramics to West Asia and North Africa, with a notable increase in their scale and influence, as evidenced by the archaeological discoveries of their presence.

At that time, the vast region roughly corresponding to present-day Iran, Afghanistan and southern Central Asia was closely connected through trade networks with the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Chinese ceramics often went through multiple rounds of distribution and transfer via Southeast Asia, India and ports along the West Asian coast. Some reached Mesopotamia through the Persian Gulf. At the same time, others circled the Arabian Peninsula, entered the Red Sea, and continued to places such as Egypt.

The Batu Hitam shipwreck, named after the Indonesian words for "black stone", was discovered off the coast of Indonesia in 1998. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) Arab merchant ship carried tens of thousands of Chinese ceramic pieces, providing tangible evidence of the maritime trade route.

Although the porcelain plates found in the sunken ship were made in China, their diamond-shaped patterns were popular in the Middle East. Their cobalt-blue pigment likely came from West Asia. The ship's timber and construction confirm that it was built by ancient Arab seafarers. The presence of objects designed for overseas markets shows that Tang-era ceramics were already part of a trade network spanning the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

"This is a very good example of how ceramics evolve as they travel and enter different markets. Chinese artisans adjusted designs to suit overseas tastes. The popularity of Chinese porcelain inspired imitation and, in some cases, innovation," said Song, adding that this process has continued from century to century and from dynasty to dynasty.

Song saw this as "a global history written in ceramics".

"The special value of ceramics lies in their ability to simultaneously reflect the flow of materials, technology, markets, and aesthetics. Kaolin and kilns determine where high-quality ceramics can be produced. Cobalt trade can change colors. Eating habits change shapes. Religion and writing shape decorations. Wars and maritime bans alter supply sources. Merchants and multinational companies constantly redraw trade routes," said Song.

She said interest in Chinese ceramics may grow further and attract more international scholars after China's Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on July 25.

"It is worth noting that Chinese ceramic technology has undoubtedly held an important position for a long time, but being important does not mean it was created in isolation or was always exported in a one-way flow.

"This is also the beauty of China studies. It is not merely about how research on China spreads, but also about the changes that take place along the way. It is about Chinese elements being liked, selected, altered, imitated, and even innovated through imitation," Song said, adding that this is what has attracted her to China studies the most.

Last October, the second World Conference on China Studies was held in Shanghai, attracting about 500 renowned experts from 50 countries and regions. During the opening ceremony, the Shanghai initiative for global mutual learning and advancement of China studies was launched, which Song described as particularly valuable.

The initiative proposes that Sinology is not only about studying China but it also serves as an important platform for dialogue between civilizations. It calls for experts and scholars from different countries, cultures and research areas to work together to present a true, multidimensional and comprehensive China through mutual learning and exchange.

"We need to discover how China impacts the world and how the world influences China. This requires a perspective that looks beyond national borders. Just as we speak of mutual learning among civilizations, we also need cross-border mindedness of how civilizations shape one another," Song said.