Page 212 - Chinese pottery and porcelain : an account of the potter's art in China from primitive times to the present day

126 Chinese Pottery and Porcelain

who think to flatter a specimen by suggesting that it is " very early
K'ang Hsi " are likely to be paying a doubtful compliment. When,

however, peace was restored and the factory rebuilt, a veritable

renaissance of the porcelain industry began. In 1680 ^ an official

of the Imperial household was sent to reside at the factory and

to superintend the work and we are told in the T'ao shuo ^ that
;

" previously to this the first-class workmen had been levied from

the different districts of Jao Chou; but now all this forced labour

was stopped, and as each manufactory was started the artisans

were collected and materials provided, the expenses being defrayed

from the Imperial exchequer and the money paid when due, in

accordance with the market prices. Even the expenses for carriage

were not required from the different districts. None of the proper

duties of the local officers were interfered with both the officials
;

and the common people enjoyed the benefit, and the processes of

manufacture were all much improved."

The success of this new movement was assured by the appoint-

^MMment in 1682 of Ts'ang Ying-hsiian to the control of the

WeImperial works. are not told how long this distinguished person

retained the directorship, but his merits are clearly indicated in

the encomiums of a subsequent director, the celebrated T'ang Ying.
In his " History of the God of the Furnace Blast," the latter states

that when Ts'ang was in charge of the factory the god laid his

finger on the designs and protected the porcelain in the kiln, so

that it naturally came out perfect. Unfortunately, the notice of

Ts'ang's work in the T'ao lu^ is in the conventional style, and

extremely meagre. The earth used, we are told, was unctuous,

the material lustrous and thin. Every kind of colour was made,

but the snake-skin green {she pH lii), the eel yellow {shan yii huang),

Cp^the (?) turquoise chi ts'ui), and the "spotted yellow" (^^S^"

huang pan tien) were the most beautiful. The monochrome {chiaoY

^ The Emperor K'ang Hsi was specially concerned to encourage industry and art,

and in 1680 he established a number of factories at Peking for \\\q, manufacture of

enamels, glass, lacquer, etc. Pere d'Entrecolles mentions that he also attempted to

set up the manufacture of porcelain in the capital, but though he ordered workmen

and materials to be brought from Ching-te Chen for the purpose, the enterprise failed,

possibly, as d'Entrecolles hints, owing to intrigues of the vested interests elsewhere.

' Bushell, op. cit., p. 3.

" Bk. v., fol. 11.

* i% lit. watered. This word has been rendered by some translators as " pale "
;

but probably it has merely the sense of " mixed with the (glaze) water," i.e. a mono-

chrome glaze. The recipe given in the T'ao lu (see Julien) is incomplete, only mention-