Dehua County in central Fujian
Province in southeast China is known as one of the Three Porcelain Capitals in
China, together with Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province and Liling in Hunan
Province.
Dehua porcelain dates back to the
Song Dynasty (960-1279). Solid and smooth, Dehua porcelain is resistant to both
heat and cold. One type of "Jianbai" porcelain in particular has a sparkle and
luster even more stunning than white jade. Its ivory-white color and superb
workmanship make it a favorite of art lovers.
Dehua Kiln was a famous kiln specialized in
white porcelain making. Its sites spread about within the scope of today's
Dehua County, Fujian Province. Its white porcelain became a representative genre
of Chinese porcelain industry. The body of its while porcelain was low in iron
content and high in potassium content, the color of the glazed surface was of
bright, smooth luster, and milky as frozen fat. It was thus often called as
"lard white" or "ivory white". Dehua white porcelain used to be one of the major
varieties for export in various dynasties. In the West it was named as "Chinese
white porcelain" or "Marco Polo porcelain". Its common shapes were burner, cup,
bottle, plate, tin, Zun (a kind of wine vessels), and Ding (an ancient cooking
vessel), which are often decorated with appliqués and stamps, and the porcelain
figurine was also remarkably exquisite. The masterpiece of Dehua porcelain is
white porcelain figure of Buddha.
Dehua porcelain gradually developed its own
techniques and styles and enjoyed big development during the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644). During the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368), Dehua porcelain had
already been exported to other countries and regions. In modern times, quite a
few Dehua porcelains of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) have won gold prizes in
expositions held both at home and abroad, such as Shanghai, Taiwan, Japan and
Britain, and Dehua porcelain is one of the main products of the national
porcelain export, exporting to more than 80 countries and regions.