Page 124 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

era, but not to be regarded as truly representative

examples of the wares after which they are named.

The record arrives now at the keramic metropolis

of China, Ching-te-chen. Here during the past eight

centuries have stood the Imperial Factories, and here
have been produced the vast majority of the works
upon which the fame of Chinese potters rests.
Ching-te-chen is situated on the banks of the Chang-
kiang, a branch of the great Yangtze-kiang, in the
province of Kiang-si. Its potteries were established
in the sixth century under the Chin dynasty (557-

588). The place was then known as Chang-nan-

chin (town on the southern bank of the Chang), but
in the Ching-te era (10041007) of the Sung dynasty

its name was changed to Ching-te-chen (town of the
Ching-te era). This change was in commemoration

of the establishment of a special factory for the pro-

duction of pieces to be used by the Court. Under
each succeeding dynasty, the Tuan Mongols, the

native Ming, and the Tartar Tsing, Ching-te-chen
continued to be the great centre of the potter's art.
Under the Tuan emperors the inspector of the facto-
ries was no less a personage than the Governor of

Kiang-si, and in 1369 the Ming sovereign appointed
a special magistrate to act as overseer. M. d'Entre-

colles, in his " Lettres edifiantes" gives the following
interesting account of the place as it was in his time

Ching-te-chen wants only walls to merit the name of
city and be comparable with the vastest and most populous
towns in China. These places named Chen^ of which but
few exist, but which are easy of access and have a large

trade, are generally without walls, perhaps in order that they

may extend and grow as much as they please ; perhaps be-

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