Page 111 - The colours of each piece: production and consumption of Chinese enamelled porcelain, c.1728-c.1780

CHAPTER 2 The Production of Enamelled Porcelain and Knowledge Transfer

As I have shown in the above sections, the interactions and knowledge transfer

among different sites experience was dynamic. This dynamic therefore impels us to

reconsider the locality technological exchanges and innovation. Each manufacture

experienced a different process of innovation, and resulted in different terms of

Chinese enamelled porcelain.

Conclusion

This chapter has sought to explore the technological transfer of enamel techniques,

including making enamel colours, and painting enamel on porcelain. It first introduced

the manufacturing process of porcelain and enamelled porcelain. Secondly, it

explained the technological innovation of Chinese enamelled porcelain in detail. It

demonstrated that the innovation occurred of the procedures of making enamel

colours and applying enamel colours on porcelain.

In order to explain the transmission of enamel techniques, I applied the term

‘useful knowledge’ and Joel Mokyr’s approach on ‘useful knowledge’. I examined

making enamel colours and applying enamel colours on porcelain as ‘useful

knowledge’. More importantly, I have shown that along with technique transfer, the

Qing court played a very important role in knowledge dissemination. This point of

view challenges Mokyr’s view on the imperial China that knowledge was controlled

by the court, and thus not accessible.

In the last section, unlike current studies that focus mostly on how overseas and

local manufacture at Jingdezhen and Canton influenced the imperial workshops at

Beijing, I have examined the technological exchanges and innovation of interactions

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