The Birth of Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain: China’s 3 Secrets Unveiled

Today is April 12, My name is Li. and I’m now at Jingdezhen Ceramic University. On the fifth floor of the university’s exhibition center, a new blue-and-white porcelain gallery has just opened.So come with me and let’s explore Jingdezhen’s blue-and-white porcelain.

If I didn’t mention it, this rock in front of me might look like just an ordinary stone. But it’s actually porcelain stone ground into powder, one of the most important raw materials in Jingdezhen ceramics.

The core material resource of Jingdezhen ceramics is the “dual-formula.” To produce Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain, you first need the right porcelain stone, combined with the local kaolin clay.

This white sample I’m holding is kaolin.Mixing porcelain stone with kaolin clay was a formula first invented by Jingdezhen craftsmen. This formula predates Europe’s porcelain technology by more than 300 years.

Back then, Europeans and Arabs were all trying to figure out why they couldn’t make blue-and-white porcelain.

The reason is their clay wasn’t hard enough to withstand 1280 to 1300 degrees Celsius. Without high temperature, the porcelain wouldn’t be hard enough, and without that hardness, you couldn’t paint cobalt blue on its surface.

Besides the clay, there’s another key ingredient—”blue pigment.” This pigment is called “Sumaliqing,” and it’s not produced locally in Jingdezhen.

It’s said that during the Yuan dynasty, as the Mongol Empire expanded westward, its territory extended all the way to Persia. In Persia (modern-day Iran), there was a mineral called Sumaliqing.

It’s a cobalt oxide, and it’s the essential raw material for blue decoration. So the birth of Yuan blue-and-white porcelain required three key materials: porcelain stone, kaolin clay, and Sumaliqing.

Today, this may not seem impressive, but back then, Europeans spent centuries trying to unlock the secret of blue-and-white porcelain.

To sum up, the three core materials of Yuan blue-and-white porcelain are: first, porcelain stone that can endure high temperatures; second, local kaolin clay; and third, imported cobalt pigment—Sumaliqing.

At the time, Jingdezhen craftsmen also tried to create blue pigments using local materials,
but the color turned out grayish and dull—not attractive.

What truly made the blue vivid and bright was this black mineral brought as tribute from Persia.
It was carried on camel caravans across the deserts and Hexi Corridor along the Silk Road, brought all the way to Jingdezhen.

This shows just how precious Sumaliqing was at the time, and how critical it was to the success of Yuan blue-and-white porcelain.

So the clay in my hand isn’t just ordinary clay—it’s porcelain clay mixed using the dual-formula, designed for high-temperature firing.

Without this formula, the porcelain couldn’t reach the needed hardness,and the signature blue color wouldn’t appear.

Next is the shaping process. Yuan blue-and-white pieces are first thrown on a wheel, then trimmed and refined, preparing the blank body for hand-painting.

This grayish dish in front of me is a Yuan-style blue-and-white plate that has already been painted on the raw body.

Before firing, the cobalt pigment looks black,but after firing at 1280 to 1300 degrees and undergoing kiln transformation,it reveals a bright blue.

After hand-painting, a layer of clear glaze must be applied.This large plate in front of me is covered in a white layer—that’s the clear glaze.

The clear glaze is crucial. It doesn’t cover the painted design,but gives the porcelain a smooth, glossy surface.

There are two main methods for painting blue-and-white porcelain:underglaze blue and overglaze blue.You can paint directly on the raw body, then apply glaze,or glaze first and then paint on the surface. Each method has its own beauty and advantages.

Once the design is complete, it’s time for kiln firing.The kiln worker in front of me is loading the painted pieces into saggars for the firing process.

In the past, they used wood-fired kilns, which were costly. Kiln workers had to consider temperature differences in various parts of the kiln, and would fill the kiln as fully as possible to save fuel.

I think the firing time was around one or two days and nights. Nowadays, gas kilns are more common, but a hundred years ago, wood kilns were still widely used.

This blue-and-white shard in front of me was salvaged from a shipwreck along the Silk Road, about 800 years ago. Even after centuries of exposure, it still retains its sheen and hardness.

Blue-and-white porcelain is not only durable but also safe to use. Even after earthquakes, floods, and weathering, with the right techniques, broken pieces can be restored.

The repair process usually involves filling missing parts with gypsum, ceramic powder, or kaolin clay, then remolding, patching, and polishing.

Now, let’s take a look at the patterns on Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain. They’re actually more similar to Persian or Arab designs, different from the minimalist aesthetics of Song dynasty ceramics, like celadon, Qingbai or Ru kiln pieces. So, the birth of blue-and-white porcelain was truly a revolutionary moment in the history of Jingdezhen ceramic craftsmanship. 

I hope this story about the birth of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain was helpful to you. My name is Li. Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to my channel!