Page 22 - Export Porcelain and Globakization- GOOD READ

Almost half of the imperial ware consists of vases, with many cups and bowls, and
few plates. Displaying them, not using them, was the main purpose of any porcelain
collection. The same applied for the export porcelain at least until the end of the
Kangxi era in 1720. Most of the Kraak porcelain exported to Portugal and the
Netherlands in the beginning of the porcelain trade was probably also for decoration
or used for fruits as shown in many Dutch still life paintings of the 17th century.
The cargo of the Vung Tau shipwreck is a good example of what was demanded by
Europeans during that time (plate 56). The ship sunk on its way to Batavia in 1690.
Most of the 48,000 recovered items are small vases with or without covers, for display
only. The main shapes and subsequently also the usage of imported porcelain changed
in Europe during the first quarter of the 18th century. Vases became much less popular
and tableware including plates, tea cups and saucers started to dominate the shipments.
Plates were still used mainly for decoration but the cups were also used for drinking
tea. Evidence gives us the cargo list of 18th century ships and discovered shipwrecks.
Tea cups, saucers, and coffee cups dominate the porcelain cargo.
2.3 The British
The British Empire was the largest empire in history and left its footprints not only
in India but also in other regions of Asia including the Malay Archipelago and China.
However, we should be careful not to overestimate its role and influence on Asia in a
time when the first English ships started to discover the seaways of the Indian and
Pacific Ocean. The history of the Eurasian porcelain trade is very much linked to the
age of discovery and trade had come almost to an end when Great Britain started to
establish its colonial regime. The bulk importation of Chinese porcelain by the British
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East India Company (EIC) ended after the 1791 season – 25 years before the British
Straits Settlements were created and 50 years before the establishment of Hong Kong.
These events took place more than 250 years after the first English explorer, Francis
Drake, completed the second circumnavigation of the earth in 1580 following the
voyage of Magellan and Elcano who succeeded the circumnavigation in 1522.
When the first British diplomatic mission – the famous Macartney Embassy - to the
Chinese Emperor Qianlong took place in 1793, the Eurasian porcelain trade was
almost over. The mission - an example of intercultural misunderstandings – was often
taken as evidence for an inflexible, isolated and weakening China: a China defeated
and humiliated half a century later. However, it could also be understood as a
symbolic event, what might happen when Europe does not pay respect to the historic
and cultural achievements of China. The 1793 mission marks also the beginning of
the Western feeling of superiority – a state of mind Europe is learning to overcome
now more than two centuries later. When the porcelain trade ended, equal intercultural
interaction ended. Now, in the 21st century we can link ourselves back to this period
of equality when Europe was fascinated and sometimes overwhelmed by China –
imitating its habits and products and sometimes even creating a chinoiserie
dreamland.

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