Pottery and porcelain have over 8,000 years of development in China. Both colored and black pottery were common in ancient times. Terracotta was at its best in the Qing dynasty, and tri-coloured pottery reached its zenith at the time of the Tang dynasty. During this period, the glazed porcelains came alive with yellow, green, blue, black and white color.

Chinese porcelain began flourishing some 3,000 years ago during the Shang dynasty and is one of the China's greatest cultural treasures. During the Han dynasty, black and celadon porcelain were mainly produced. Celadon, a type of glaze that resembles the color of jade, saw continued development throughout the dynasties. By the Tang dynasty, celadon porcelain had developed to a high technical standard. The porcelain wares of the Song dynasty are considered classics. By the Song era, artisans had reached a high level of sophistication in design, firing and glazing. As a result, pieces from this time strike a perfect balance of shape, glaze and artistry.

The capital of porcelain is undoubtedly Jingdezhen, which is located in Jiangxi Province. With over 1,700 years of porcelain production, it continues its seminal role in Chinese porcelain arts and industry.

Bronze Vessels

About 5,000 years ago the Chinese began casting bronzeware. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, aristocrats use bronze vessels for ancestral rituals and for the more mundane tasks of daily life. Ancestral worship was a central belief of this era and bronze vessels played an important role in the ritual offerings. As befitting their important role in society of the time, they were kept in places of honor, such as in ancestral halls and were used during banquets and celebrations.

Common bronze vessels were used  for utilitarian purposes such as cooking or to heat millet wine, but large ornate vessels would become symbols of the power and status. A ding, which is a cauldron with three or four legs, was originally used both for cooking and ceremony - but came to symbolize power. Dings also had their surface etched with details of important political events and memorials to the deceased. These items of intricate and beautiful detail are now important historic markers detailing political alliances and tributes and the lives if those who lived thousands of years ago. Eventually dings came to symbol power and prestige as they required considereable wealth to commission.

Bronze work in China developed much faster than in other parts of the world because of extensive use. Technically, Chinese bronzes were unmatched during this period. Early bronzes vessels such as jue and zhi wine goblets, zun wine goblet beakers were highly sophisticated.

In 1976, aarchaeologist uncovered a Shang tomb in Anyang in north Henan Province, the former capital of the Shang dynasty. The tomb was the burial chamber of Fuhao, who was Emperor Wuding's consort as well as a top general. The tomb, located at the Yin Palace Ruins Ancestral Worship Temple, remains the only Shang imperial tomb found intact and revealed in rich find of artifacts. Many bronze vessels were found within; some were probably used by Fuhao, while others were funerary objects.

Several famous Shang bronze vessels currently displayed around the world belong to the legacy of Fuhao's tomb. Most Shang ritual vessels take the form of animals and are decorated with highly stylized animals designs and motifs. One example is the ancient Chinese totem known as the taotie monster mask - a mythical beast is commonly seen in Shang bronzes, as it played a central role in Shang spiritual beliefs. Offerings put into this animal - shaped vessel was symbolically consumed by the taotie and transported to the spirit realm. Later, this motif became an artistic motif in itself, signifying the mysticism and artistry of China's Bronze Age.