“Blue-and-white”porcelain (青花瓷) made its first appearance at that time. Potters used cobalt oxide as the main coloring agent in the pigment. They used to draw on the clay shapes. Then potters used a white glaze to cover the drawings before firing the clay at a high temperature. The result was blue-and-white porcelain. There were also other forms of painted porcelain, including under-glaze red porcelain (釉里红), polychrome over-glaze decor porcelain (五彩瓷) and soft-colored over-glaze decor porcelain (粉彩瓷).
Notes：1）cobalt钴；2）polychrome多色的
9.什么是唐三彩？
What is the tri-color pottery of the Tang Dynasty?
The emergence of tri-color pottery brought China’s age-old traditional pottery industry to a new high. Tang tri-color is the general name for color-glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty. Its colors include yellow, green, brown, blue, black and white; but yellow, green and brown are the major colors. The body is made from white clay. After the clay mold is fired into a fixed shape, a mineral frit is applied. These minerals contain elements of copper, iron, cobalt and manganese. The body is then fired again at a temperature of around 900 degrees centigrade, allowing the different colors to permeate.
Tri-color pottery is used mainly for burial utensils, and rarely used for items of daily use. Most tri-color human figures are female. They range in size from a dozen centimeters to over one meter tall and wear gorgeous, fashionable costumes. Their full figures and round faces are in conformity with the criteria of beauty of the Tang Dynasty.
Of the animal figures, horses and camels account for the greatest number. Tang horses are robust and handsome. As they throw back their heads or rear up, their inner strength is depicted in outward appearance. The Tang camels are presented in a walking position or with their heads held high, as if whinnying.
Notes：1）emergence出现；2）tri-color三色的；3）frit熔块；4）manganese锰；5）permeate渗入；6）gorgeous灿烂的；7）conformity遵从；8）robust强健的；9）whinny嘶叫
10.你对中国古代向海外运输陶瓷的历史了解多少？
How much do you know about the overseas
transportation of pottery and porcelain in ancient
China?
Before the Han Dynasty, China already traded silk for products from West Asian countries. In the 2nd century B. C., Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty went twice on diplomatic missions to the western regions and established ties between China and a number of countries west of the Pamirs (帕米尔高原). Large quantities of silk fabrics flowed along the road leading to Central Asia. It is an east-west caravan road of 7,000 kilometers, famous as the Silk Road. China’s pottery and porcelain were transported west along this road.
Up to the 16th century, the Silk Road was China’s main caravan route for the export of porcelain to the West. However, Chinese sea navigation also goes far back into history. During the Han Dynasty, sea travels between China and Japan became more frequent, and in the South, sea navigation developed between Chinese and Indian Ocean ports. Since the early Tang Dynasty, around the 7th century, Chinese pottery and porcelain has exported by sea in large quantity, and the Tang court appointed an official at Guangzhou to be in charge of sea navigation and foreign trade. At the same time, overseas merchants who visited the Tang Empire purchased large quantities of pottery vessels and porcelain and shipped them abroad. Since the Tang Dynasty, the sea route continued to expand to various countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and other regions. Later, people called this route as“The Pottery and Porcelain Sea Route (海上陶瓷之路).”
Pottery and porcelain are easily broken. In ancient China, horses and camels were the main means of transport along the Silk Road, and in addition, the road transportation couldn’t assure the safety of pottery and porcelain. Therefore, many famous kilns were built along the coastal areas for sea shipment, and the main ports included Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen and Macao.
Notes：1）diplomatic外交的；2）caravan商队；3）navigation水上运输；4）shipment装运
