Pearl Of The Porcelain Ocean That Cannot Be Submerged

A sunken wreck named "Black Stone" from the Tang Dynasty is the focal point of this research topic. The salvage from the "Black Stone" was astonishing with the recovery of more than 5,000 pieces of Tang Dynasty Changsha Kiln chinaware. These 5,000 pieces of Chinaware (which accounts for the majority of the discovery) fully confirms the fact that Hunan Changsha Kiln Chinaware was one of Tang Dynasty's most important export commodities.Historically, the Changsha Kiln was neither "as the jade resembling the ice" like the Yue Kiln, nor "as the silver resembling the snow" like the Xing Kiln. One cannot help but wonder what competitive advantages, if any, made the Changsha Kiln Chinaware a favorite among its peers? The answer is simple and it's because the Changsha Kiln originated the technique of Under Glaze Color Porcelain that not only exhibited the Chinese traditional art culture and the unique Hunan-Xiang personality, but also combined individual style from the Middle Asia and Western Asia. The Under Glaze Color Porcelain is precisely what distinguishes Changsha Kiln from the "southern blue" and "northern white". Throughout the pre-Tang era, the focus in ceramics was on the glory of the glaze color, since then, a shift has been observed towards color porcelain and decoration.It was a milestone-like transformation in the history of Chinese ceramics, Chinese painting as well as Sino-international exchange. Its significance is profound and its contribution is enormous. Even though it had been buried under the deep ocean for the past millennium, the glory of the Under Glaze Color Porcelain of Changsha Kiln cannot be hidden forever. Deservingly so, many call it " Pearl of Porcelain Ocean".However, due to many reasons, the Under Glaze Color Porcelaintechnique of Changsha Kiln was not widely known or appreciated by the general public. Its prominence and recognition had not all achieved the degree that matches it historical and cultural value. Many people, including some Hunan natives, have no idea about the location or significance of the Kiln and the under glaze color porcelain. As a fellow citizen of Hunan, this deep regret I had has made me more determined to help this "Pearl of Porcelain Ocean " resurface.Based on the political, economic, and cultural background of the Tang Dynasty, combining the history of Chinese painting and ceramics with existing archaeological findings and related literatures, this article illustrates the content, form, and personality of the Changsha Kiln Under Glaze Color Porcelain while exploring its origin and style. At the same time, this article intends to study the interconnection of the Changsha Kiln, as a folk art, with the scholar culture of Tang with the purpose of demonstrating its aesthetics value, as well as achieving the author's goal of a comprehensive and multi-demensional exploration of the Under Glaze Color Porcelain of the Changsha Kiln.