Arts & Crafts

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History of Ceramics The invention of ceramics was an important progress in the history of human civilizations. It was the first time that men used natural materials to create a completely new thing.

Blue-White Porcelain Blue and white porcelain designate white pottery and porcelain decorated under the glaze with a blue pigment, generally cobalt oxide. The decoration is commonly applied by hand, by stencilling or by transfer-printing, though other methods of application have also been used.

Celadon Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon.The shades can also be white, gray, blue green, with the famous shades known as kingfisher green, powder blue and plum green -- the green comes from iron oxide ore in the clay.

Eggshell and Blanc de Chine A gem of Chinese ceramics, eggshell is remarkable for its extraordinary white thinness, and Blanc de Chine is a type of white Chinese porcelain appreciated as "ivory white" and "milk white."

Five Famous Kilns of Song The Song Dynasty (960-1279) witnessed booming development of Chinese porcelain making crafts. Five kilns became outstanding during this period., namely Royal Kiln. Ding Kiln. Ru Kiln. Jun Kiln and Ge Kiln.

Black Pottery Black pottery was born in the late Neolithic period in China, 4000 years ago, the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is a masterpiece of primitive culture. Black pottery is the second best after Yangshao culture painted pottery types, known as "the art of soil and fire, strength and beauty of the crystal,"

Introduction of Red Glaze Red is the favorite color of the Chinese nation, because it represents good fortune, good luck, celebration, solidarity and prosperity. The emergence of red glaze can be traced back to the early years of Beisong. But the real pure, stable red glaze is bright red first fired at the early period of the Ming dynasty.

Other Famous Kilns Except the five famous kilns, namely Royal Kiln, Ding Kiln, Ru Kiln ,Jun Kiln and Ge Kiln, there're also some other famous kilns, that is, Jianyang kiln, Yaozhou Kiln, Changsha kiln, Longquan Kiln, Cizhou kiln, Jizhou Kiln, Jian Kiln, Xing kiln, Yue kiln, Yingqing Kiln.

Famous Zi Sha Makers in the Ming & Qing Dynasty During the Ming & Qing Dynasty, plenty of zisha makers appeared. Among them, there're some famous ones, that is, the Jinsha Monk, Gong Chun, Shi Dabin, Shi Peng, Li Zhongfang, Hui Mengchen, Chen Mingyuan, Yang Pengnian, Yang Fengnian, Shao Daheng, Zhu Shimei.

Purple Sand Purple Sand teapots are made from Yixing clay. This traditional style commonly used to brew tea originated in China, dating back to the 15th century, and are made from clay produced in the region of the town of Yixing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.

Story of Chicken Blood The Chicken Blood, with very bright red glaze on the surface is the best Jun china. Here is a story about the Chicken Blood.

The Development of Porcelain In China, porcelain enjoys a very long history. It came into being through several thousand years hard work and accumulating experience by early potters. And it is non-porous, harder, translucent, and smooth-surfaced, morever, it gives a metallic sound when struck.

The Development of Pottery Pottery is porous and opaque and gives a dull sound when struck. It was first found existing in the Neolithic Age.

Tang Tri-colored Glazed pottery A type of glazed pottery with the dominant colors of yellow, brown and green was very popular in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It was later called the tri-colored glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty, or Tangsancai .

Cloisonne - The Art of Decorative Enameling Cloisonné is the decorative art of applying enamel of all colors to the surface of a copper or bronze object which is then fired to become a bright and colorful work of art. This ranks as one of China's major contributions to the world's fine arts.

The Legend of the Brothers' Kilns (The Ge Kiln and The Di Kiln) The Ge Kiln was one of the Five Famous Kilns in the Song Dynasty, while the Di Kiln or the Longquan Kiln was one of the largest nongovernmental kilns in China. Here is a story about the brothers' kilns.

Famous Books on Industrial Arts

Chinese Ancient Coin Bronze knives and bronze spades were common barter items in ancient China, but a bit awkward or hazardous to carry around to trade. Some of China's first coins were made to look like a knife or like a stylized spade, so that people would think of them as money, however they were too thin and fragile to be used for anything but money.

The Mortise and Tenon Joints of Qing Dynasty Style Furniture The most basic joint in Chinese furniture making is the mortise and tenon.

Qing Dynasty Style Furniture Historically, Qing dynasty style furniture is important furniture. It comes from the last dynasty in China's long history of rule by emperors, and it represents, quite literally, the end of a cultural continuity that persisted uninterrupted for thousands of years.

Category of Qing Dynasty Style Furniture Document boxes designed to double as pillows tell us something of the dangers of travel in China. These boxes let travelers sleep on their valuables. Clever jewelry boxes could open to reveal both a hiden mirror and hidden compartments to store valuables.

Fakes of Qing Dynasty Style Furniture The Chinese,as everyone know, excel at the art of reproduction. They have been practicing this art probably for as long as they have been making originals.

Finish of Qing Dynasty Style Furniture The key point to remember is that these antiques age well. The predominant wood in late Qing furniture is a Chinese elm, either southern or northern, and its deep colors and rich, lively grain grow more beautiful with time and wear.

Wood of Qing Dynasty Style Furniture The type and quality of woods plays as important a role in antique Chinese furniture as it does in Western pieces, sometimes more so. Identical tables, for example, from the same region and the same period but made from different types of woods can have different prices - differences that could put two extra zero in front of the decimal point.

Category of Art Tub Potted landscapes, otherwise known as landscapes cultivated in pots, are made by putting the artistic touch on plants and stones arranged in a pot to make it look like an ornament -- a miniature of natural beauty. In general, potted landscapes fall into two categories: potted landscapes composed of plants (potted plants) and those made from stones and water.

Potted Landscapes Today Nowadays, in Chinese cities big or small, there are many potted landscape exhibitions featured in parks.

Bronze Drums Inspired by the shape of drum or bronze basin, bronze drums are percussion instrument of the ethnic groups in the southwest of China. Applied to sacrifice rites, the bronze drums were usually used to play music or accompany with dance.

Historical Periods of Erlitou Erlitou culture (first half second millennium B.C.) was the first to introduce industrial casting of bronze vessels, a craft that was not evidently imported from the west. We have not much traces left of the palaces and the burial sites of the ruling class of Erlitou.

History of Chinese Brone Archeology first began during the 1920s when Western people like J.G. Andersson discovered remains of the prehistorical past.

Bronze Galloping Horse Among China's various craft masterpieces, Bronze Galloping Horse is unique with its splendid designs and is a classical work of Chinese ancient aesthetics.

Bronze Mirrors The Bronze Mirrors were for daily use in ancient times of China. Before the popularity of the bronze mirrors, people reflected their faces by filling a basin with water.

Patterns of Chinese Brone The Taotie 饕餮 pattern came up already in the Erlitou culture when jade objects like daggers, axes, disks and scepters were decorated with fabulous animals with fierce teeth and claws, sharp horns, tails and legs.

Historical Periods of Shang Dynasty The Shang Dynasty (also called Yin 殷 after the last capital) is the second of the Three Holy Dynasties (San Dai　三代) of Chinese historiography (Xia 夏, Shang 商, and Zhou 周).

Historical Periods of Spring and Autumn

Square Bronze Kettle with a Lotus and Crane Motif The finest bronze ware of China -- A Square Bronze Kettle with a Lotus and Crane Motif -- was unearthed in Lijialou Village, Xinzheng County of Henan Province in 1923.

Major Type of Broze Ding - one of the standard vessels for food sacrifying. Although one can often read the ding is three legged, there are many examples of four legged vessels, especially in old times.

Historical Periods of Warring A very intensified warfare, not in number of battles, but in length and professionalism of the particular campaigns gave this period its name.

Changsha Kiln The Changsha Kiln was first established in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and its site was found in the town of Tongguan in the suburb of Changsha in Central China's Hunan Province , hence its other name of the Tongguan Kiln.

Calligraphy and Painting for Ceramics Pottery and porcelain art has a lot in common with ancient Chinese painting in terms of artistic essence, characteristics, and expressive ways.

Chinese Ceramics Culture The charm of Chinese ceramics culture not only lies in its wide range of expressions on social life, nature, culture, customs, philosophy, and various notions, but also in the way of its expression, which is a demonstration of Chinese culture from many angles.

Cizhou Kiln The main Cizhou kiln, located at Guantaizhen in Handan of North China's Hebei Province (at that time under the Cizhou Administration), was an important kiln in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and a representative of the civil kilns. Cizhou porcelain was a type of ordinary household ware manufactured in the region of Cizhou, hence the ware's name.

Dehua Kiln The first Dehua Kiln, whose white porcelain became a representative genre of the Chinese porcelain industry, was a famous kiln that specialized in white porcelain making. Its sites spread about within the scope of today's Dehua County, in East China's Fujian Province.

Ding Kiln Ding kilns were one of the five renowned kinds of kilns of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in ancient northern China. Ding ware was mainly white porcelain. The central kiln site was located in Jianci Village in Quyang County of North China's Hebei Province.

Yue Kiln The main Yue Kiln first appeared in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The kilns in today's Huiji, Shanyin, Zhuji, Yuyao, Shanxian, Xiaoshan, and Shangyu counties, which belonged to the Yue Prefecture in the Tang Dynasty, are all part of the Yue Kiln, which is famous for its fine celadon productions.

Ge Kiln The original Ge Kiln was reportedly located in Longquan County of East China's Zhejiang Province, but so far no site has been discovered.

Guan Kilns Guan kilns refer to official kilns directly run by the government, and the products of which were exclusively supplied for the imperial courts or governmental officials.

Jiangyang Kiln The Jiangyang Kiln, also known as the Jian Kiln, was a famous kiln in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and was located in Jianyang of East China's Fujian Province.

Jun Kiln Jun kilns, with the main kiln site located in Yuxian County of Central China's Henan Province, constituted a famous school of porcelain manufacture that flourished in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Longquan Kiln The porcelain of Longquan ware represented a great school of southern celadon that arose in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It was manufactured in fairly vast areas in the southwestern part of East China's Zhejiang Province.

Ru Kiln The Ru kiln located in Linru County of Central China's Henan Province represented another major celadon school that rose in northern China in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Shiwan Kiln The Shiwan Kiln, located in Foshan of South China's Guangdong Province, began its porcelain business in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), though some argue that it began in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In any event, the kiln reached its prime during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).

Xing Kiln As one of the most famous kilns in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Xing Kiln was best known for its production of white porcelain.

Yaozhou Kiln The original Yaozhou Kiln is located in Yaozhou, which is present-day Huangbaozhen in Tongchuan of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Yaozhou ware was another major school of porcelain in northern China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Yixing Kiln The Yixing Kiln in Tixing of East China's Jiangsu Province has undergone great changed throughout its history. Celadon (glazed pottery) began to be fired at the kiln early in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD).

Gaomi Clay Figurines Gaomi (a place in Shandong) clay figurines have a history of 400 years. In the Long Qing and Wan Li periods of the Ming dynasty, farmers in Gaomi designed a kind of skyrocket.

Clay Figurine Zhang and Huishan Clay Figurines Chinese folk artists use simple and cheap materials to make small and delicate handicrafts, won great favor among folk people.

Types of Flower Arrangements Flower compositions usually come in four different types.

Flower Containers A large collection of receptacles and stem holders for flowers is necessary for flowers to look their best. An adequate collection of vases should include oriental, modern and conservative containers in metal, glass, pottery and porcelain.

All About Placement for Flowers The two most important places in the home for flowers are the dining-room table and the hallway. A cheerful greeting by flowers in the entrance hall makes guests feel at ease and flowers on the dining-room table have the power to make dining an aesthetic experience.

Sources of Plant Material Meadows and woods offer an endless variety of plant life. Indiscriminately plucking wild flowers is considered taboo. Children should be taught that flowers near the roadside should be left for passersby to enjoy and that rare plants, such as the arbutus, heather and trilliums, should never be picked.

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