Celadon (青瓷 Qingci)

Celadon, a famous type of ancient Chinese stoneware, came into being during the period of the Five Dynasties (907-960). It is characterized by simple but refined shapes, jade-like glaze, solid substance and a distinctive style. As the celadonware produced in Longquan County, Zhejiang Province, is most valued, so it is also generally called Longquan qingci.

Its Chinese name, qingci, means “greenish porcelain”. Why then is it known in the West as “celadon”?

Celadon was the hero of the French writer Honor111d'Urfe's romance L'Astr1111(1610), the lover of the heroine Astr111.He was presented as a young man in green and his dress became all the rage in Europe. And it was just about this time that the Chinese qingci made its debut in Paris and won acclaim. People compared its colour to Celadon's suit and started to call the porcelain “celadon”, a name which has stuck and spread to other countries.

Now, new products of Longquan qingci have been developed to radiate with fresh lustre; they include eggshell china and underglaze painting.