Qingbai

Chinese Song Dynasty name meaning "blue white". Qingbai was developed at the Xinping kilns early in the Northern Song dynasty. During the Jingde (1004-07) period, Xinping was renamed to Jingdezhen meaning "Jingde's marketplace". Popular from the late 10th century up until the Yuan dynasty. Essentially a folk porcelain but sometimes referred to as Rao yu = "Jade from Rao", Rao zhou being the name of the administrative area in which Xinping were situated. The bluish tone comes from iron impurities in the glaze. The special characteristic comes from the body, which is natural porcelain clay, and its glaze, which is made by diluting in water the porcelain body material mixed with lime. Qingbai made its way all over China and were exported to other localities in Asia and as far away as Africa. Qingbai was developed in Jiangxi province (Jingdezhen/Hutian area) and production is archaeologically confirmed in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Henan provinces, but none really seems to have been able to equal the Hutian wares in quality. Recent antique dealer's name is Yingqing (Shadow Blue).

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© Jan-Erik Nilsson, Gothenburg, Sweden 1998-2007