A Study On The Spread And Distribution Of Chinese Porcelain In The United States(1784-1844)

Porcelain is one of the most representative symbols of utensils of Chinese image overseas.In the process of Sino-foreign exchanges,Chinese porcelain has been absorbing the positive elements of other national cultures and has long become a "global commodity"of real significance in the history of human culture.In 1784,the United States sent merchant ships to China for the first time,and since then the two countries began to do business on an equal footing.In 1844,China and the United States signed the Treaty of peace,amity,and commerce,between the United States of America and the Chinese Empire.The equal relationship between the two countries was broken,and the economic exchanges relying on national political relations had thus lost the spirit of commercial freedom.This paper mainly discusses the appearance and process of Chinese porcelain that used trade as the main communication channel in the early years of Sino-US relations from 1784 to 1844,and the regional distribution characteristics in the continental United States.And then discusses the cultural impact of Sino-US exchanges with porcelain as the main body on the two countries and the world,with a view to contributing to the study of the history of world civilization exchange.This paper includes an introduction,four chapters and a conclusion:The introduction mainly introduces the origin of writing,the research status at home and abroad,the research ideas and innovations of this paper.The first chapter mainly discusses the history of the introduction of Chinese porcelain into the United States.This chapter uses time as a clue to sort out the spread of Chinese porcelain in the period of the American colonies and the period of direct trade between the two countries and the reasons why the trade of porcelain had gradually disappeared since then.In this chapter,the direct trade stage is mainly used,and the "The Empress of China" is taken as an example to focus on the specific realization of the Sino-US porcelain exchanges under China's "the Canton Single Port System",restoring the history of early Sino-US porcelain trade.The second chapter mainly explores the evolution of Chinese porcelain and its cultural connotation introduced into the United States.This chapter focuses on custom porcelain that has a special status in porcelain transactions,examines the intermediary of the custom porcelain trade,discusses the patterns and features of custom porcelain,explores the American cultural connotation and reasons of custom porcelain,and argues that custom Chinese porcelain carries in essence the core of the American cultural spirit and is a historical witness of the blend of Chinese and American culture.The third chapter mainly examines the regional distribution of Chinese porcelain in the United States.This chapter studies the distribution of Chinese porcelain in the United States from three aspects of Chinese porcelain unearthed in archaeology,Chinese porcelain in advertisements and personal property lists,and Chinese porcelain collected in major museums,based on city and geographical distribution.It is believed that in the early stages of Sino-US porcelain exchanges,Chinese porcelain was mostly distributed in colonies or coastal port cities,and the porcelain of the upper classes of the society accounted for a large proportion,and was gradually popularized to ordinary people.By the 19th century,private collectors in the United States donated Chinese porcelain to major museums,bringing Chinese porcelain to all over the continental United States.The fourth chapter mainly analyzes the influence of Sino-US porcelain exchanges on the culture of the two countries and the world.This chapter discusses the impact of porcelain exchanges on social customs,artistic creation,aesthetic appeal,etc.from three perspectives of China,the United States and the world.It explores the process of cultural absorption,acceptance and re-creation using porcelain as a medium and holds that the exchanges of porcelain between China and the United States and the cultural exchanges behind them are of great significance to promote mutual learning of civilizations and even the development of human society,and that Chinese porcelain is a well-deserved worldwide cultural artwork.The conclusion part reveals the four characteristics of the early porcelain exchanges between China and the United States.First,the Sino-US porcelain business has the characteristics of rapid development and rapid decline.Second,under the influence of the US "buyers'market",the cultural connotation of Chinese porcelain exported to the United States has been reshaped.Third,the cultural communication with porcelain as a medium is a process from "artifacts" to "spirits",and even further affects the construction of American social and cultural systems.Fourth,the cultural exchange of porcelain has a remarkable feature of two-way effect.This paper holds that Chinese porcelain plays an important role in cultural exchanges between China and the United States and the world,as well as in promoting the exchange and mutual learning of Chinese and foreign civilizations,and is a representative of Chinese culture with world-wide status,which is of positive significance to the strategy of enhancing Chinese cultural self-confidence and promoting Chinese culture to go global.