Trading China: Paintings of the Porcelain Production Process in the Qing Dynasty

During the 18th century, from the entry of European traders into China, an enormous export market for fine Chinese porcelain was opened. Given their scarcity in Europe and exclusivity for the wealthy classes, fine porcelain wares were very costly. This led Westerners to experiment with producing their own porcelain at first imitating the Chinese style. Although Chinese motifs were adapted by European artisans, the technique of producing high-fired porcelain was not yet discovered.

The curiosity on the secret of making porcelain opened a Western market for the kind of painting series on the Jingdezhen production. The set of 34 paintings at the HKMM does more than describe the factory at Jingdezhen. It shows the division of labour, the logistics of both imperial and export commissions, the foreign merchants in Canton and the Chinese folk religion.

Trading China - Paintings of the Porcelain Production Process in the Qing Dynasty, Gift of Mrs. Susan Chen Hardy, HKMM2012.0101.0028.

1. Division of labour and preparation

The series opens with an official commission arriving at Raozhou Prefecture which governed the Fuliang locality, including Jingdezhen. An official had been sent directly from the Imperial Household Department to reside in Jingdezhen to supervise the imperial production since 1728.

1. Raozhou

2. Mining the clay

3. Crushing the clay

4. Buffalo trampling the clay

5. Sieving the clay

6. Rinsing the clay

7.Moulding the clay into brick

8. Transporting clay bricks

9. Making the clay malleable

2. Porcelain Production Process

The transport routes for both the raw materials going into Jingdezhen and the porcelain coming out of it are noteworthy. The availability of the raw materials, porcelain stone (baidunzi 白墩瓷) and kaolin clay, and the water transport for these materials, wood fuel and the finished products, all contributed to the growth of the porcelain industry in Jingdezhen.

10. Shaping the pot on a wheel

11. Perfecting the shape

12. Glazing

13. Cutting firewood for kilns

14. Filling the kiln

15. Lighting the Kiln

16. Removing the porcelain

3. Logistics of both imperial and export commissions

The Jingdezhen episode finishes with a scene bidding farewell to the purchaser, who came from Canton. In between there are scenes describing the Canton merchant’s adventures in Jingdezhen, including a feast at the broker’s house, and pressing for delivery at a porcelain shop where he negotiates for the replacement of defective goods. Leaving Jingdezhen, the merchant’s activities continue with a sea voyage on Poyang Lake which takes him to Nanchang where the porters cross the mountain pass into Canton.

17. Travel to Jingdezhen

18. Porcelain dealer greeting

19. Porcelain dealer’s banquet

20. Fixing the price of wares

21. Decorating the wares

22. Inspecting wares in stove

23. The purchaser pressing

24.Making barrels to transport

25. Wrapping bowls in straw

26. Packing wares in barrels

27. Purchaser back to South

28. Crossing the Poyang Lake

29. Descending from mountain

4. Foreign Merchants in Canton

According to an imperial edict of 1759, the activities of foreign merchants in Canton were strictly monitored. Their activities had to be conducted through Co-hong merchants and Chinese interpreters. However, the inclusion of Westerners in these scenes reflects the important role of Canton in foreign trade. Canton was the birth place of the genre of China trade painting illustrated by the series described here.

30. Westerners row u Whampoa

31. Painting wares for export

32. Refiring in a closed stove

33. European merchants at shop

5. Offerings to the god of fire, in thanks for the acquisition of wealth

34. God of Fire

The major fire god worshipped by Jingdezhen potters is Tong Bin. According to legend, as a potter he threw himself into a kiln leading to the successful firing of a dragon fish jar in the Ming dynasty.

The last scene shows the joyous atmosphere during such an offering ceremony in Canton. The performance pays tribute to the god of fire for his blessings on the workmen in the previous year.

In Memoriam

This blog is dedicated to the late Susan Chen hardy, a passionate connoisseur and collector of Chinese Art. A longtime supporter of the HKMM, Susan’s generous donation of the 34 paintings herein described represents an important contribution to promoting public understanding of traditional Chinese porcelain production.

Text and Picture Sources

Jane Sze, Caroline Lang, Phoebe Tong, Kenny Yuen, “TRADING CHINA Paintings of the Porcelain Production Process in the Qing Dynasty” Hong Kong: Hong Kong Maritime Museum, 2015

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