Chinese porcelain
The 7 main uses of china in China and overseas have been:1)crockery and stationery,2)decoration,3)ornaments and collectables,4)Chinese exports,5)diplomatic gifts,6)ceremonial ware, and7)insulators, fixtures, and dentistry.
Since the invention of porcelain in imperial China, around 2,000 years ago, it was instantly accepted as the better alternative to pottery, and applied in ever-widening fields. Porcelain seems to be endowed with endless vitality.
1. Daily Use Items
With obvious advantages over pottery, such astoughness and durability, porcelain was accepted by people rapidly and soon became a necessity.
The most common porcelain pieces arecrockery: bowls, plates, tea sets, etc. These porcelain items improved people's lives vastly, especially eating and drinking.
Another daily use of porcelain wasstationery items. In imperial China, most scholars had a preference for elegant porcelain-made stationery, such as penholders and paperweights.
2. Decoration
Porcelain House in Tianjin
Porcelain was alsoan ideal decorative material, due to its durable, graceful texture and beautiful colors. In imperial times, people used porcelain tiles in their houses as decoration, and durable, easily-cleanable surfaces, especially where water was used.
In the 17th century, the King of Portugal used about 260 pieces of exquisite Chinese porcelain to decorate the ceiling of his Santos Palace.
In modern times, porcelain's application (or ceramics) has been extended tothe majority of tiling: floors, walls (most floors and even external walls are tiled in China), work surfaces, sills, ledges, shelves, and even some roof tiles.
3. Collections
自发明以来,耐用,elegantly-shaped, and exquisite porcelain items were considered asgood collectors' items.
Antique Chinese porcelain, which may be hundreds of years old always grabs the attention of porcelain enthusiasts. Not only in China, but also thousands of miles away in the West, porcelain collectors display everything fromornaments to tableware.
4. The No. 1 Chinese Export Product
Chinese export porcelain
As early asthe late Han era (25–220 AD), Chinese porcelain was sold to western Asia through theSilk Road, though its manufacture remained almost exclusively Chinese.
This kind of magical Chinese productbecame fashionable rapidlyalong the route. More and more foreign merchants traded with Chinese to purchase the exquisite porcelain, which in turn led to trade in other commodities.
FromtheSong Dynasty(960–1279), Chinese ceramics were exported in large quantities, thanks to the prosperous maritime trade.
5. Diplomatic Gifts
In medieval China, Chinese porcelain technology was the best in the world and was sought after by people worldwide. Hence, many Chinese emperors would present exquisite porcelain pieces as gifts for ambassadors.
6. Ritual Uses
Tang Sancai
In China,sacrificial vesselslike incense burners, used on special occasions such as worship ceremonies, were mostly made of porcelain.
Porcelain was also made intoburial items.Sancai('three colors') was a type of porcelain in the Tang Dynasty (618–907), mainly used for burial objects and tomb figures.
7. Extended Applications in Today
Today, porcelain's application has been extended to various fields.
In electronics, porcelain (and ceramic derivatives) is widely used for insulating material due to its excellent non-conductivity.
In building瓷器是一个优秀的不透水,easy-clean building material, not only for tiles (see above),but also the first-choice for sinks and W/C fittings (toilets, urinals, etc.).
In medicine, porcelain is used in dentistry for caps/crowns, also known as "porcelain jackets".
