Neolithic Culture

Ancient China is littered with archaeological sites that date from the Neolithic period through to the advent of the earliest dynasties. The Nanzhuang archaeological site in Hebei, has pottery shards that date back almost 10,000 years. The emergence of an agricultural based society and a consequently more settled, less nomadic lifestyle, lead to an increased demand for pottery products for both cooking and for the storage of grains and crops.

* Fairy Cave - Lishui

* Celestial Caves - Wannian

* Periligang Culture site - Xinzheng

* Cishan Culture site - Wu'an

* Hemudu Culture site - Yuyao

* Banpo Village - Xi'an

Pottery from the Celestial Caves is largely of two types; one is of a thick paste construction using a heavy clay coiled technique and the other is of a finer more refined style. Both types appear to have been in use at the same time.

The development of pottery throughout China is very closely linked to historical events. The various dynasties that dominated everyday life in ancient China for over 4,000 years are a mixture of long periods of relatively peaceful existence interspersed with periods of turmoil and political unrest that lasted for several centuries yet, the developments in pottery continued throughout these periods unabated.

During the Neolithic period the majority of the pottery was produced from red and gray clays using coiling techniques, this pottery was functional and practical for everyday use. The most significant pottery from the later Neolithic period was painted pottery. A variety of designs were painted on the pottery before they were fired with stylized designs prevalent. The variety of designs and the different types of pottery produced included basins, bowls, urns, cauldrons and tripods; such pottery reflected the nature of the society and the lives of the people.

The neolithic period is also notable for the first appearance of clay figurines. Though they were at this time primitive they were the beginnings of a trend towards figurine production throughout the Chinese dynasties.

Xia Dynasty Pottery

The first of the acknowledged Chinese Dynasties the Xia ( 2,100 - 1,600 BC ) coincides with the beginning of the Bronze Age in China and the emergence of a society where the emphasis turned from the making of pottery to that of the new technology; metallurgy. As a consequence the developments made in the art of pottery were less significant to those that were achieved with the production of bronze and copper. While bronze could not replace clay as the principle material for the making of utensils and vessels for daily life it did have the effect of shifting the direction of the artists and craftsmen away from pottery.

The Xia Dynasty potters carried on the techniques developed during the Neolithic Period making pottery from both red and gray clays using both coil and wheel methods. The potters wheel originates from the late Neolithic period and resulted in a fundamental change in the nature of the pottery. Pottery produced on the wheel was thinner walled and the clays used also began to have a fine grain structure. The designs were still similar to those of the late Neolithic with stylized designs common and also the appearance of pictorial designs of birds, animals, and in some cases battle scenes.

Aliened with the developments occurring with the bronze industry were developments in kiln technology that would allow for the firing of pottery at higher temperatures and at temperatures that were more controllable.

Ancient Pot

Shang & Zhou Dynasty Pottery

The early Shang Dynasty ( 1,700 - 1027 BC ) was a development and transition period in Chinese history. While the processes in pottery that had been developed over the previous 5,000 years were continued in much the same vane, the Shang Dynasty brought about a restructure to the way in which the artists and tradesmen worked.

The trades and craftsmen were subdivided into six separate and distinct categories; weavers, stone-masons, carpenters, animal husbandry, smiths and potters. This division of labor lead to a substantial increase in the production of pottery for the commercial trade and was accompanied by an expansion in the number of kiln sites specifically set-up for the production of pottery. For the greater part of the Shang Dynasty the two crafts of metallurgy and pottery paralleled each other in both design and in the range of products being produced.

Amongst the Shang-ware pottery produced was a white pottery made from Kaolin clay with a fine grain and fired at a temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius, this resulted in a pottery that was characteristically almost pure white in color and with a texture that was harder and less porous than previously produced. This pottery is considered as being the forerunner to Porcelain.

Chinese pottery and porcelain is generally produced using either a Kaolin Clay or Petunse.

Kaolin or Gaoling, is largely composed of the clay mineral Laolinite and, Petunse is a micaceous rock containing sericite and other quartz based minerals. Both of these materials have the ability to hold a large amount of water that allows the material to be easily worked and pliable.

Ancient Pot

The emergence of a recognizable written language emerged during the Shang Dynasty. While inscriptions and designs had previously been used on pottery items for many centuries they lacked the repetition of characters that is associated with a language. This new feature was to become an important aspect of the bronze production while the use of language on pottery items was limited with traditional designs and motifs being more prominent. Bronze works of the period were used to record events and were permanent. Bronzes were also used to record transactions and for contractual agreements.

With the end of the Shang Dynasty a social change resulted with the advent of the Zhou Dynasty ( 1027 BC - 221 BC ). The slave society that had endured for a thousand years under Shang rule was replaced by a social structure that more closely resembled the later feudal system of medieval Europe. The stand out development of the period was a change in the architectural styles that were prevalent across China. The use of bricks and tiles as a construction medium was rapidly expanded and became to standardized material in use. While potters had been producing tiles and bricks for generations it was never before on the scale that was introduced during the Zhou Dynasty. A vast number of new kiln sites were established in all regions of China and this had a flow-on effect upon the growth of the pottery industry and also upon the growth of the developing steel industry. By the end of the Zhou dynasty and the Warring States Period ( 475 - 221 BC ) the use of bronze was almost totally replaced by steel.

The development of kiln technology associated with the growth of the steel industry meant that the control of temperature has improved and the temperatures that could be produced for firing of the pottery were increased to 1250 Degrees Celsius.

The Warring States period saw the introduction of glazed pottery; this brought a new dimension to the potter's toolbox. When combined with the white Kaolin clays, higher temperatures, and refinements in production the new glazes made porcelain production the logical progression.

From the beginning of the Xia Dynasty until the demise of the Zhou Dynasty, China as such was never a single nation under one rule but rather a series of separate cultures and states ruled over by a succession of warlords. This was all about to change with the rise of the Qin in 221 BC.

Rows of Statues

Qin Dynasty - Yuan Dynasty

221 BC - 1271 AD

The first Imperial Period

A conclusion to the Warring States Period was brought about in 221 BC by the rise of the influential, Qin Dynasty ( 221 BC - 207 BC ). The ruler of the Qin Culture, Qin Shi Huang, unified most of what represents China today and in doing so proclaimed himself the first Chinese Emperor.

The most noticeable works resulting for the Qin dynasty is the massive scale of the pottery sculpture ( Clay Figurines ) that was commissioned as a tribute to the first Emperor. Unearthed in the summer of 1974 in Linlong County, only a few miles outside of the Qin capital of Chang'an, present day Xi'an, are almost 7,000 life-size figures of warriors, chariots, and horses, all fully equipped and armed for battle . The entire army covers an area of over 12,000 square meters.

Following the death of Qin Shi Huang in 210 BC the Qin Dynasty collapsed to be replaced in 206 BC by the Han Dynasty.

The Han dynasty ( 206 BC - 220 AD ) is separated into two Dynasties.

* The Western Han Dynasty ( 206 BC - 9 AD )

* The Eastern Han Dynasty ( 25 AD - 220 AD )

The intervening years being known as the Xin Dynasty ( 9 AD - 25 AD ).