People only knew how to bake low temperature pottery before, but they learn to bake high temperature porcelain gradually. Pottery generally refers to all the ceramics, that is clay or the finished clay compounds processed by forming and baking. Porcelain is the finished products baked under high temperature. Usually, the body with high ferric oxide proportion, in dark red, and the baking temperature under 1250︒ is pottery. The body with low ferric oxide proportion, in white, and the baking temperature higher than 1250︒ is porcelain.

It is hard to clarify pottery from porcelain. The production of pottery can be dated back to the neolithic age 8000 years ago. Although the invention of porcelain is late, but it is the fruitful achievement getting from our ancestors’ acculated rich experience. The events occured in China’s pottery history are enough to prove that China is an intelligent and creative people. China enjoys a respectable status in the world for the invention of porcelain, winning the title of china(same as the meaning of porcelain).

The archaeological datas conclude that there is no doubt theat ceramics in China began 8000 years ago. The earliest painted pottery original place is Yellow River basin, especially gathered in Jinghe River of Shan’xi, Weihe River and eastern Gansu. The pottery from eastern Gansu the first-stage project of the earth culture is formal in shape, and painted with simple stripes, and it is the earliest painted pottery in the world. In this period, there exsited pottery wheel technique, and ceramics had become a specific technique. The painted pottery of Banpo culture is later than the first-stage project of the earth culture, whose stripes are complex and mainly in geometric. The strips on painted pottey in Miaodigou culture in the border regin of Shan’xi, Henan, Shanxi is full of changes, presenting the animals’ images in arcs and dynamic oblique lines. Fish, birds, pigs and human beings are taken as decoration patterns. The paint is lively, in resonable layout, not only the excellent original work but also the datas to research Chinese paint history.

Throughout China’s painted pottery technique, it experiences 4800 years. Actually, the maximun year is still unknown, with the proceeding of archaeological excavation, there may be new congnition. As the current datas put, the original pottery is not only the treasure of our ancient art, but also important in the world art history, and it is even the treasure for human beings and the glory in human civilization history.

The proud history and achievements are pottery figurine in Qin Dynasty, tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty, elegant Song porcelain. The exquisiteand luxury pottery in Qing, Ming Dynasty reflects the emotional appeal and human characterics of China.