The origin of celadon

Yue Kiln, Longquan Kiln, Official Kiln, Ru Kiln and Yaozhou Kiln in Song Dynasty all belong to celadon kiln system. Primitive celadon appeared as early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. At present, many primitive celadon and its fragments have been unearthed in Shang and Zhou sites and tombs in Zhengzhou, Anyang, Luoyang, Gongxian, Yanshi, Gaocheng, Hebei, Beijing, Xi 'an, Yidu, Shaanxi, Tunxi, Nanjing, Dantu, Jiangsu and other places, mainly in the form of statues, bowls, plates, bottles, cans and beans. After scientific determination, they have basically possessed the characteristics of porcelain, but compared with celadon in the later mature stage, they are still primitive, such as larger pores, more impurities in tire materials and unstable glaze color, so they are called primitive celadon. Celadon has gone through the Spring and Autumn Period, and the last highlight of China celadon is the celadon fired in Longquan kiln in Ming Dynasty.

The development of the Warring States period made a major breakthrough in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Celadon from the Eastern Han Dynasty was unearthed in tombs and sites in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Gansu and other places. Four sites of Eastern Han porcelain kilns were discovered in Shangyu, Zhejiang Province, among which Xiaoxiantan kiln site was excavated, and its typical porcelain pieces were scientifically judged. The results show that the iron content is less than the original celadon, the matrix is gray and the embryo is sintered. The lowest water absorption is only 0. 16%, and the firing temperature is 13 10℃, and it is fired in Longyao. It shows that the firing technology of celadon in the Eastern Han Dynasty has reached a mature stage. Shangyu, Zhejiang Province was once the hometown of the ancient Yue people. It was under the jurisdiction of Yue State during the Warring States Period and was called Yue State in the Tang Dynasty, so the porcelain kilns in this area were collectively called Yue Kilns.

By the time of the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, celadon was fired more widely in the north and south, with more kiln mouths, various types and further improved quality. Celadon burned in the south and celadon burned in the north have their own characteristics. Southern celadon is generally hard and delicate, light gray, and its glaze color is crystal clear and pure, which is often described as ice-like. Northern celadon has heavy matrix, strong glass texture, large fluidity, fine glaze opening and bluish yellow glaze color. The celadon lotus statue unearthed from Feng's tomb in Beiqi County, Hebei Province is a masterpiece of northern celadon.

Longquan kiln celadon in Song Dynasty has its own unique style, the most obvious of which is lush glaze, transparent glaze layer and strong glass texture. At this time, Longquan kiln became the representative of Zhejiang celadon.

In the Yuan Dynasty, craftsmen invented the binary formula of porcelain stone and kaolin, fired large-scale porcelain, and successfully fired typical blue-and-white porcelain, glazed red porcelain and official porcelain, especially blue-and-white porcelain, which was of epoch-making significance in the history of China ceramics. After the Song and Jin Wars, the main porcelain kilns in the north and south continued to produce, among which Longquan kiln was larger than that in the Song Dynasty, and plum celadon was the best in Longquan kiln in the Yuan Dynasty.

The Qing Dynasty (1368- 1644) and the Ming Dynasty (1644-191) were the heyday of China celadon production, and the quantity and quality of porcelain production reached the peak.