The legend of blood red porcelain

Porcelain with red under glaze is distinctively different from other Chinese ceramic styles, with very flamboyant, lively, and intense colors. In traditional Chinese culture, the color red represents joy, happiness, and auspiciousness. This combination of form and meaning has made red under glaze porcelain very popular and demand has always been greater than supply.

"If you want to go broke, make red glaze porcelain" is a popular saying among porcelain makers, because making this kind of porcelain is very complicated and costly. The expensive materials needed and the complicated technique used to glaze the base are the two major obstacles to making red under glaze porcelain. When the porcelain is fired, temperature and time control is also essential to prevent the glaze from changing color or breaking.

Because of the extreme difficulties in producing this kind of porcelain, the skills were once lost, and were only revived very recently with the help of modern technology.

The origins of red under glaze porcelain

Red-glazed porcelain was invented as the result of a happy accident. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), bronze was widely used in Changsha kilns to make porcelain green, and it was discovered that different firing temperatures made some porcelain red.

The technique was improved in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), when large quantities of porcelain with red under glaze were produced in Jun kiln in Henan Province. However, the craftsmen's skills were not yet very advanced and there were usually some other colors in the red under glaze.

In the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), craftsmen began to intentionally make porcelain with red under glaze in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, known as the capital of ceramics. In the Yongle Reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the craftsmanship was very much improved, and the red color became more brilliant.

Later, Jihong porcelain began to be produced for sacrificial ceremonies. Ji means to sacrifice and hong means red. Jihong porcelain produced in Jingdezhen surpassed previous porcelain both in luster and in color. Precious gems like coral, agate, jade, pearls, and gold were sometimes added.

It was extremely hard to produce this kind of porcelain, and the success rate was quite low. The successful production of red porcelain demonstrates the intelligence and dedication of the Jingdezhen people.

A popular local legend says even their blood was sacrificed for their craft. According to the story, Emperor Xuanzong in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) wanted to use red porcelain to worship the sun god, and issued an imperial decree ordering the Jingdezhen kiln to produce it. After many attempts, the craftsmen failed to produce satisfactory porcelain and were whipped, thrown into prison, and threatened with death if they didn't produce what the emperor desired.

Cuilan, daughter of an elderly kiln worker, was very upset when her father was jailed. Enraged at the atrocity, she jumped into the fiery kiln. Two days later, when workers opened the kiln, they were surprised to find the porcelain inside was blood red.

People thought Cuilan's blood dyed the porcelain red and this is how the porcelain came to be called Jihong.

Successive emperors also demanded expensive Jihong porcelain, but as the legend suggests, it was very hard to produce. Among the ten thousand plus items in Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum, there are only ten Jihong porcelain objects, one of which is only half of its original size and there are less than one hundred Jihong porcelain objects in museums worldwide.

Generations of Jingdezhen people endeavored to produce the porcelain in the following hundreds of years, but Jihong porcelain was never successfully reproduced. From the Ming Dynasty when Jihong porcelain was first produced, generations of Jingdezhen porcelain craftsmen have made numerous attempts to manufacture Jihong, but the results have not been as good.

The imperial kiln's only customer was the court, and it had very high product quality standards. The porcelain made in these kilns underwent a strict selection process. Works which didn't make the grade, were broken and buried because common people were forbidden to use them.

In 1982, an ancient imperial kiln with many pieces of red under glaze porcelain was accidentally found. Archeologists found many of the pieces could be glued together to make complete items. It seemed that these pieces were destroyed intentionally. Closer examination showed no obvious defects, some pieces were extremely skilled and still lustrous even after hundreds of years.

Western scholars examined the chemical ingredients of Jihong porcelain in the 19th century, but their attempt to reproduce similar porcelain with red under glaze failed.

In the 1950s, Jingdezhen established a center to produce colored under glaze, summoning seasoned craftsmen to research the firing techniques for various high-quality porcelains including Jihong.

Although there has been a porcelain industry in Jingdezhen for thousands of years, the red under glaze formula has always been a secret, passed down only within families. Luck and experience also played important roles in producing rare works like Jihong porcelain. 、

After persistent testing, researchers finally made some refined Jihong works that are just as beautiful as those from the Qing Dynasty. They were made with traditional kilns, and 35 tons of wood were burned to produce them.

In 1986, researchers in Jingdezhen tried to make the porcelain using gas, but it turned out black. After several adjustments to the glaze formula, they finally produced porcelain with red under glaze using another substitute fuel.

During their experiments, the researchers also found out why ancient red under glaze porcelain ware bottles, bowls, plates, and boxes were no taller than 40 cm. The red under glaze could only be made within a specific temperature, with a temperature difference no more than five degrees Celsius. But in traditional kilns, the temperature dropped varied by about ten degrees Celsius for every meter away from the furnace.

Modern gas kilns have relatively steady temperatures and with their help, Jingdezhen craftsmen finally made three 62cm tall vases with beautiful red under glaze, which were presented to Japanese and Turkish governmental heads.

Another porcelain with red under glaze that could withstand very high temperatures was produced recently in Hunan Province. Its color and quality are as good as Jihong porcelain, and the mysterious ancient technique was finally revived. The new porcelain is named "Chinese Red Porcelain."

(Source: chinaculture.org)