China is known for its long history of pottery making: archaeologists believe it is quite likely that pottery was invented in what is today China (or nearby) some 20,000 years ago. Even the word "china" means "high-fired ceramics" in English.
Blue and white covered jar with cloud and dragon, Jianjing period of the Ming Dynasty, 1522-1568; curated at the Palace Museum, Beijing. Photo by Xuan Che.
So, when people say that Jingdezhen is known as the ceramic capital of China, they refer to the enormous pottery making community where porcelains were made for official and royal consumption by the 7th century AD, and for darned near global markets by the 13th century.
- Read more about Jingdezhen
- Invention of Pottery
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