Page 20 - Export Porcelain and Globakization- GOOD READ

Dutch cartography has also contributed to the image of China in the West. The first
modern Western map of China was published in 1584 by Abraham Ortelius.
Pic. 8: The first modern China map in the Atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by
Abraham Ortelius published 1584 22

One can imagine that under these circumstances people in Europe were very
curious to learn more about the country from where silk and porcelain was imported
and treasured. The Nieuhof travel report and a second report compiled by the Dutch
Olfert Dapper (1636-1689) have shaped the image of China in Europe for a long time
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and have created the chinoiserie fashion for almost two centuries .
The engravings show cities, plants, animals and scenes of everyday life in China.
Specifically, the pictures of these scenes created a positive attitude towards China – a
kind of dreamland with wise rulers and cultivated people devoting their life to music,
painting and poetry. In a country suffering from decades of civil war, in the south
against rebels and in the north against nomad tribes, the reality however, was very
different. Nevertheless, Europe and the Netherlands also suffered from war – from the
Eighty Years’ War, including the Thirty Years’ War, to the Anglo-Dutch wars and the
War of Spanish Succession. There was reason enough to dream of a country of peace
and harmony.
China was not the exotic dreamland the chinoiserie displayed, but it entered with
Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) into a period of stability and relative wealth. His reign
lasted for 61 years making him one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the world. It
therefore is not a surprise that the most beautiful and best quality export porcelain was
produced during his reign. The Dutch became his best customer and the VOC its
carrier between Europe and Asia. In the first 50 years, until the 1650s when the export
of Chinese porcelain came almost to a standstill, the VOC shipped more than three
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million pieces to Europe. T. Volker describes in detail the Asian-European and the
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