The Blue and White Vase Withdragon Pattern and Blue and Whitehand-Painted in Imitation of The Qianlong Emperor of The Qingdynasty

The concept of firewood kiln and firewood burning is quite popular in recent years. Many people think it is the same thing. If you call firewood burning kiln again, it is the same -- firewood kiln, firewood burning kiln, can there be any difference? However, although it sounds quite similar, the products of wood kiln or wood burning on the market are quite different. One is close to rough pottery, and the other is close to official kiln. It seems difficult to understand that these two types are all fired in the same kiln.
In fact, firewood kiln and firewood burning are not only two completely different concepts, but also completely different goals in burning.
Look at the firewood kiln first. To clarify the firewood kiln, we need to take two words apart.
firewood. When it comes to firewood, people are familiar with it. Even though it is hard to see it in cities now, it is often seen in movies and TV dramas. Every big city is used to big hotels and has become popular with firewood stoves. So when it comes to firewood, it is natural to think of firewood for burning. As for what kind of wood it is, there is nothing special about it. Different places, such as Beijing Roast Duck, require fruit trees. Of course, it is not necessarily a certain kind of fruit. Generally, firewood stoves only need firewood that can burn. But the firewood in the firewood kiln does not mean random firewood, but pine. Only a kiln burning pine wood is called a firewood kiln.
However, it took a long time to explore pine wood as a special kiln material, and it became the mainstream after the Qing Dynasty. Most of the firewood used in the early kiln is miscellaneous wood, which is almost the same as the firewood stove. There is also a special word for what to burn, which is called Chachai. Chachai kilns are called Chachai kilns. In ancient times, there was a legend about Zhang Qian riding on the Cha and floating on the sea, which is also the word. This story is widely spread. Du Fu wrote a poem: "When the news is close, there is no place to ask Zhang Qian.". This story is often depicted in the Qing Dynasty official kiln ceramics. Generally, it belongs to fairy stories.
Later, with the progress of the kiln technology and the improvement of the kiln structure, the requirements for fuel became higher and higher. The artisans gradually found that pine wood as fuel not only had high thermal efficiency, but also was rich in pine oil, which might have a good impact on the glaze. At this time, the kiln structure is also more compatible with it. It is the most advanced egg-shaped kiln in the history of ancient ceramics in the world. Because this kind of kiln is mature in Jingdezhen, it is named Jingdezhen kiln, which is referred to as Zhen kiln. The firewood kiln we generally refer to is Jingdezhen kiln. After the Qing Dynasty, the official porcelain we mentioned was basically fired in this kiln.
Such a firewood kiln represents the most important direction in the history of ancient ceramics. The more it can improve the rate of finished products, and the more difficult it is to make porcelain.
But the situation of firewood burning is quite different. In general, firewood burning is an original state of pursuing kiln burning, because in the immature period of the kiln, there will be various problems in the kiln, such as the most common is falling ash and slag, affecting the glaze, which is a problem from the perspective of products. However, in modern ceramic art creation, I think this can also be used to achieve unexpected results. So in modern ceramic art, this primitive burning method was once again used as a means of creation.
Of course, there are many different ways to burn firewood, but on the whole, they are relatively simple. Sometimes, they even use bricks to build an area without even a roof. Like burning garbage, they put the preform and firewood into it and burn it directly. During the burning process, they occasionally throw some paper or sprinkle some salt, which in short increases the unexpected effect.
Therefore, the direction pursued by firewood kiln and firewood burning can be said to be completely opposite.
However, from the point of view of the process itself, the difficulty of burning wood is much lower than that of the wood kiln. In fact, it can't be compared at all. However, it is interesting that many works of firewood burning on the market now often repeatedly emphasize the difficulty of burning, and often confuse the concept of firewood kiln and firewood burning intentionally or unintentionally.
Of course, it sounds reasonable, because the uncertainty of firewood burning is too great. If you are a ceramic artist, sometimes there is not even a satisfactory work after a kiln. But the problem is that there is no standard for satisfaction. For most firewood products, it often becomes a problem that all products can be named "special effects". For ordinary people, it is really indistinguishable.
It seems that the cursive script in the writing is very confusing. Anyway, most people can't understand it and are easy to cheat, especially in Taiwan, but it is rare in Japan. Now, the rise of young ceramic artists in China is emerging. Naturally, there are potential stocks, but the market is too good to hold.
A friend asked me, how can I tell? Is there any good way? I say it is difficult, depending on your own aesthetic ability and quality. Of course, there are also ways: show me.

THE HISTORY OF BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN
• Blue and white porcelain began to be made in large amounts in Jingdezhen starting in the Ming(1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties,gradually becoming the most recognizable ceramic style in both the East and West.
• This blue and white vase can tell you a lot about China's international history.
• The story begins with the mineral known as cobalt,which the Persians used to make a unique pigment which turned blue when heated.
• In the 13th century when the Yuan Dynasty took over China, Islamic culture penetrated into Chinese territory.
• Blue was a favorite color of Muslims as it symbolized water-"the treasure of the desert".
Chinese masters worked the imported blue powder into floral scrolls on the stark white porcelain, so the style came to be known as Qinghua, which literally means blue flowers.
• Later in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Qinghua was made in large amounts in Jingdezhen and became the most recognizable style in both East and West.
• Vessels exported from China could be found all around the world, from national museums to private collections.
• Many cultures around the world have had their symbols etched in Chinese blue and white.

THE HISTORY OF JINGDEZHEN
Jingdezhen, a world-famous porcelain town in Jiangxi. In Chinese, the name Jingdezhen is virtually synonymous with ceramics,particularly porcelain.
• Historical records tell of Jingdezhen (then called Xinping) making porcelain in the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), while archaeological excavations have shown evidence of Jingdezhen firing porcelain in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (265-420).
• Jingdezhen Porcelain developed rapidly in the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368), and a series of imperial factories was set up in Zhushan (a district of Jingdezhen) during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912), making Jingdezhen the nation's porcelain center.
• Jingdezhen porcelain is characterized by its beautiful shapes, various varieties, rich decorations,and unique styles. It is quite famous for its white porcelain, which is known for being 'white as jade,bright as a mirror, thin as paper, and sounding like a rock'.
• Regarding Chinese porcelain's glaze, blue was traditionally taken as the most precious color.
• During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127),Jingdezhen kilns imitated the tone and moist texture of blue and white jade, and creatively fired a kind of qingbai ware ('blue-white' ware).
• The production of blue-white ware made Jingdezhen Porcelain particular important and famous at home and abroad.

OUR CRAFTSMAN
• We have many Chinese masters of arts and crafts, Jiangxi masters of arts and crafts, as well as national first-class technicians and professional cooperation teams.
• These craftsmen have been employed for more than 20 or 30 years and were born in Jingdezhen's porcelain family.
• Their craftsmanship has also been passed down from generation to generation. We hope that through the efforts of the company and the craftsmen, the Chinese traditional ceramic culture as well as technology and aesthetics can be truly integrated into modern life, so that more people can feel, touch and use these artifacts.
• This is more like a dialogue with the ancients and the modern people.

• Porcelain transformed from the soil of nature
• It was once called "white gold" in western European countries
• Blue and white porcelain is the first global commodity
• The Ming Dynasty was at the beginning of global trade
• Witness the prosperity of porcelain trade between China and the West in the 17th century