Page 24 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

differed in some respects from its predecessor, and to

which Western interpreters of Chinese history apply

the term " porcelain." According to this theory, the

manufacture of pottery commenced in China B.C.

2698, and that of porcelain between 202 B.C. and

88 A.D. It is to be observed, however, that among

Chinese writers themselves some confusion exists on

this subject. Julien reflects their bewilderment. Of
four ideographs each "
translated " him,
porcelain by

the first, tao, is used sometimes generically for all

keramic wares, sometimes in the sense of pottery

alone the second, yaoy signifies anything stoved or
;

fired, and has no more specific signification than
" ware "
; the third, ki, simply means utensil, and is

applicable to stone, iron or pottery ; and the fourth,

tsu is written in two ways, the latter of which, ac-
y

cording to some scholars (whose dictum is open to

much doubt), was originally employed to designate

porcelain proper, though both subsequently came to
Whenbe used in that sense.
the fact is recalled that

even among Western authors it is a common habit to
word " porcelain
employ the " in reference to baked

and glazed vessels, whether translucid or opaque, there

is no difficulty in supposing that Chinese writers were

at least equally inaccurate. As for M. Julien's no-

menclature, the impossibility of relying implicitly on

its evidence is shown "by the fact that, speaking of a
so-called " manufactured by the elder
porcelain of

two brothers (Chang), who flourished under the Sung
dynasty (960"1 277), he says that it was made of " une

argile brune ; that a variety of the Chun ware (also

of the Sung dynasty) which he equally describes as

"porcelain," was of "une argile jaune et sablonneuse;"

and that in other instances the pate of his so-called

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