A little place in China called Jingdezhen has made some of the most revered porcelain pieces the world over. But it’s no mistake; this town once made porcelain items and tea sets just for the royal families. Emperors, empresses, princes and the like all ordered porcelain from Jingdezhen.

This storied history is a very important piece when it comes to solving the Chinese porcelain industry puzzle.

In the 13th century, Kublai Khan founded the first royal kiln in Jingdezhen. He loved the porcelain made there for its pure white color. White became an important color under the Khan, and it is under his rule that Jingdezhen porcelain really got going.

After its founding, dynasty after dynasty continued to operate royals kilns in Jingdezhen. A huge number of porcelain was ordered from the small town, and at times they had trouble keeping up production.

There was so much work to be done that Ming dynasty emperors decided to set up a post to oversee the making and shipping of their orders. They sent their best henchmen to fill the post, who were expected to bring back the most beautiful porcelain the world had ever seen.

One of their duties was to ensure that no one except the emperor could enjoy the top quality porcelain. So how did do they that? They shipped only the best of the best porcelain wares, smashed the rest, and buried the debris in a guarded area. The techniques of making the special porcelain were also carefully protected. Any potter who stepped out of line would be severely punished.

Making such great porcelain was never an easy task. Some emperors sent troops halfway across the world to find colors and other designs that became essential parts of royal Chinese porcelain.

As time went on, emperors passed on and gave way to new dynasties and rulers in China. But the royal kilns of Jingdezhen were not disbanded until the last dynasty fell.

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