In English, "China" refers not only to the country but also to porcelain. The history of Chinese ceramics can be traced back to the Neolithic era, with centuries of technological innovation giving rise to a wide range of ceramic techniques.
In ancient China, porcelain was widely used in royal courts and was one of the key goods in international trade, often symbolizing China alongside silk. Chinese porcelain is renowned for its intricate craftsmanship and long-standing traditions, making it a unique part of Chinese culture and a significant subject of study in material culture worldwide. Despite foreign influences, especially from West Asia, Chinese ceramics have maintained their distinctive characteristics and exceptional quality.
The Song dynasty (960–1279) is often regarded as the golden age of Chinese ceramics, producing exquisite works in celadon and white porcelain.
Ru Kiln Among the five most famous kilns of the Song dynasty—Ru, Guan, Ge, Ding, and Jun—Ru kiln, known for its celadon pieces, is particularly rare today. The celadon ware from the Northern Song Ru kiln, has been a model for later porcelain creations. Ru ware’s influence extends beyond ceramics; its signature crackled glaze has inspired modern architecture. For instance, the ice-crackle pattern (a type of crackle effect) can be seen in traditional buildings, such as in the Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion in Taiwan.
Crackle Glaze Most surviving Ru ware has a crackle glaze, a result of differing expansion rates between the clay body and the glaze during firing. Though originally considered a flaw, this feature came to be highly appreciated by scholars and aristocrats alike.
After the fall of the Northern Song to the Jin dynasty, the Ru kiln ceased production. Its brief 20-year operation resulted in very few surviving pieces. By the Southern Song dynasty, Ru porcelain was already exceedingly rare. Today, fewer than 100 genuine pieces remain, with 21 housed in Taipei's National Palace Museum, 17 in Beijing’s Palace Museum, and smaller collections spread across institutions like the Shanghai Museum and the British Museum’s Percival David Foundation, among others. In 1992, a small Ru dish (8 cm in diameter) sold for $1.54 million at Sotheby’s New York. Later, a Ru ware piece achieved a record-breaking HKD 50 million at a Hong Kong auction. In April 2012, a Ru ware sunflower wash bowl sold for HKD 207.86 million, setting a new auction record for Song porcelain. In October 2017, a Northern Song Ru ware brush washer fetched HKD 294.3 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, once again setting a new world record for Chinese porcelain.
"Emperor Qianlong composed poems in praise of Ru porcelain and instructed palace artisans to engrave these inscriptions on the porcelain, further elevating its fame. Of the 87 surviving pieces of Ru porcelain, 22 are adorned with his imperial poems. He sometimes struggled to distinguish genuine Ru porcelain from imitations. On one occasion, he mistakenly identified an imitation from the Qing dynasty, crafted during his father's reign, as an authentic Song Dynasty piece and inscribed a poem to praise it." from Sotheby's.com.
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