As for things valuable to the inheritance of the art of ceramics, aside from the surviving porcelain wares from the former dynasties, there were of course many

works of writing pertaining to ceramics.

The process of ceramics recorded by the Record of Jingdezhen Ceramics.

There were many references to specific time periods in the book, available for research and analysis. The Records of Ceramics was not just the oldest book in China on the ceramics industry of Jingdezhen, the author Jiang Qi was also hailed as the first knowledgeable man of ceramics in China by Chinese ceramics circles.

Another notable work was the Tiangong Kaiwu, which translates as Heavenly Creations, written by Song Yingxing (1587-1666 A.D.). This was an encyclopedia completed at the end of the Ming Dynasty, including subjects of agriculture and the handicraft industry. In the book, there was a chapter called "Taoshan," which mainly introduced the procedures of producing porcelain at Jingdezhen. It detailed the many steps including raw material selection, tempering, making a body, decorations, glazing, enclosing in saggar, firing in the kiln and so on. There were also limited descriptions and illustrations of potter's wheels and kilns, making this book fairly complete in scope.

Pottery molds.

about porcelain. In 1712 and 1722, Father D'entrecalles wrote two letters back to

Europe, which at the time was way inferior to China in porcelain-making crafts. The

letters helped to unlock the secrets of porcelain for the Europeans. With his scientific eye and basing his views on comparisons, D'entrecalles introduced the make-up, types, and ways to make early 18th century Jingdezhen porcelain. The specifics included the application and characteristics of different types of glazes; the coloring and decorative techniques of colored porcelain; controlling the maturing temperature and so on. For quantifiable material usage, capacity of kilns, as well as the length, width and thickness of crafting equipment, D'entrecalles provided rather precise numbers.

    The first man to comprehensively compile and detail the ceramic industry and the well-known figures in the trade was Tang Ying (1682-1756 A.D.), a Qing Dynasty

man honored as a ceramic artist. Tang Ying, styled himself Jungong, with literary

name Taocheng Jushi, was born in the city of Shenyang in 1682. His ancestral lineage goes back to the White Banners, one of the Eight Banners groups of Manchurians. He was 16 when he began working for the internal affairs ministry of the Qing courts. Wherever Emperor Kangxi went, Tang Ying closely followed. He worked for the ministry of the interior for 30 years, during which he became academically and artistically accomplished.

By the 6th year of the Yongzheng Period (1728 A.D.), the 8th lunar month in the autumn season, he was ordered to take office in Jiangxi Province, supervising all work relating to ceramics. When he arrived at Jingdezhen, he realized that ceramics, though being a single industry, was something he had absolutely no knowledge of. The complexity of materials, degree of fire, glaze colors and forms of vessels overwhelmed this newcomer.

Therefore, Tang Ying was determined to understand the trade and quartered himself with the ceramic craftsmen for three years. During those three years, he and all others ate, worked and slept together; until he became one with the art of porcelain, fully comprehending the humanistic, emotional and technical aspects

of the art. Tang Ying also indulged himself in mass volumes of literary records, searching for any and all knowledge related to porcelain-making. He organized scientific observations and studies to ancient kilns, analyzing fragments of porcelain and learning from actual case studies. Combining his findings with

his readings, Tang Ying gave his all in understanding the technology, art and fruits of labor created by his forefathers.

    Tang Ying was the longest serving government official in charge of ceramic crafts in Chinese history. Since he was well-learned in all aspects of ceramics including the raw clay, glaze,body, firing atmosphere and so on, the Imperial kilns in

Jingdezhen serving the royal families reached a new heyday since the Song Dynasty under his guidance and design. The exquisite porcelain vessels produced were the epitome of the collective achievements in ceramics history. Tang Ying was unmatched in his wisdom to create new or rejuvenate ancient colored glazes; high and low temperature glazes alone came in 57 different kinds. In terms of forms and decorative motifs, he was able to achieve, from a single kiln, authentic appearances and bodies for retrospective imitation ware and famous wares of other regional kilns. These works contained colored images including landscapes, portraitures and figures, flowers and birds and impressionistic paintings of every possible representation.

Each painting can be differentiated by style and its delicateness and creativity surpassed the famous works that it was based on.

The porcelain wares not only achieved aesthetic and artistic standards, they also satisfied the desires of the imperial families. The quality of Tang Ying's porcelain was unmatched during and before his time. Therefore, the works made during this 28 years serving in Jingdezhen were called Tang kiln ware, universally

acknowledged as the best of porcelain.

    The trade of the artisan is a learning of experience. Tang Ying committed himself to the summarization and reform of the porcelain industry. He established the most complete crafting procedures in the history of Chinese ceramics, and wrote and

illustrated the book Pictorial Guide to Ceramics; it was the most comprehensive scientific record for ancient Chinese porcelain-making. Later, Tang Ying followed up his first book with several more, leaving us all with priceless wealth.