As Jingdezhen was known for producing the finest and whitest clay, this high quality clay originated in the Song and continued throughout the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The great amount of workers served the responsibility of shaping the clay into bowls and vases, as well as painting the cobalt and judging the temperature of the kilns (1). As it was a challenge to acquire workers capable of performing the high skilled labor, such complex labor was known to be very costly. The rates in which the workers were paid varied according to the level of the labor in which they were capable of performing. More specifically, those who produced the larger vessels were typically paid 0.03 tael and 5 copper cash (6). They also created bigger ceramic pots and took part in additional processes such as engraving and carving. On the other hand, “hired labourers who perform such tasks as beating and washing the cobalt [would typically] receive 25 copper cash (0.025 tael)” and those involved in lower skilled duties such as “cotton wadding, making frames and boxes or preparing paper received the lowest amount of money: a daily supply of 2.5 Chinese pints (sheng) of rice and 0.01 tael” (6-7). Although the lower skilled workers evidently made a drastically lower rate, they were more often hired in the labor force.
While all of the manufacturing processes were fulfilled through the use of kilns, responsible for firing ceramics, it is commonly known that the imperial kilns produced lower quality work in comparison to the private kilns. The fact that the work of the imperial kilns can be compared to an assembly-line production system and that the work itself was carried out to fulfill government obligations contributed greatly to its production issues. The difference in the quality of work between the imperial and private kilns demonstrated the need in which the imperial kilns had to retrieve aid from the private kilns and rely heavily on their coexistence. Personally, I am quite curious as to how this coexistence evolved. I am also intrigued by my classmate, Kristine’s preposition of why the private kilns lowered the quality of the objects they produced and invested less time in their production in order match the imperial kilns. The private kilns chose to prioritize assisting the imperial kilns over utilizing their great potential to their advantage.
Three things I learned this week:
- Jingdezhen was known for producing the finest and whitest clay that originated in the Song and continued throughout the Yuan and Ming dynasties.
- The workers in the labor force were paid according to their skill level. There were a greater amount of lower skilled workers in the labor force.
- Although the imperial kilns and private kilns coexisted, the imperial kilns were known for producing much lower quality work.
Works Cited
Ho, Soleil. “The Rich, Complex History Hiding Within Chinese Plate Designs”. Thrillist, June 10, 2019. URL: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/chinese-plate-design-history
Slides (Gdrive link)
Gerritsen, Anne. The City of Blue and White : Chinese Porcelain and the Early Modern World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.
