Ming Dynasty Porcelain Workshop Identified in Eastern China

JIANGXI PROVINCE, CHINA—Xinhua reports that a wall uncovered in the city of Jingdezhen, at the foot of southeastern China’s Zhushan Mountain, was part of an imperial ceramic workshop dating to the early Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368–1644). Fragments of rare royal porcelain were found within the wall ruins of the complex, and porcelain that was not selected by the royal family for use was found in burial pits near the structure, according to Jiang Jianxin of the Ceramic Archaeology Institute of Jingdezhen. The rejected pieces were deliberately smashed as part of a strict management system, Jiang explained. The city of Jingdezhen is known as China’s “Porcelain Capital” because porcelain was produced for imperial families and officials there for more than 1,000 years. To read about very early pottery from China's Jiangxi Province, go to “The First Pots.”