The great kilns of the Song Dynasty and how their products were used.
Why we love the Sung dynasty exploring the history and charm of one of China's most fascinating dynasties episode 20 the famous five in this podcast, we're going to look at the other great kilns of the Sung dynasty and at how their products fitted in to everyday life in the sung society.
I'm Bob Jones, and in this why we love the Song dynasty podcast, I'm throwing the spotlight on what was to become one of China's most iconic dynasties in the country's long and colorful history.
In the last program we looked at the development of porcelain in the Sung dynasty, at how they favoured simplicity and utility.
In this podcast, we're delving a little deeper to see how these ceramics, which we today regard as priceless works of art, fitted into the daily lives of the sung people.
How they used their porcelain for rituals, ceremony, for eating and drinking, and for decoration.
Well do that by surveying the products from the five great kilns of the dynasty.
As we learned already, it wasnt enough for the sung people to use a simple cup or bowl.
It had to be the right cup or bowl that was part of the aesthetic appreciation of a task or an action.
For instance, when drinking green dust tea, they chose an icy snow white porcelain bowl.
Black glazed tea bowls with rabbit hair or partridge spot patterns were used in tea contests because they set off the colour of the tea bowls with the glaze shining black with rabbit hair markings were the favorite of the literati in the Song dynasty.
Their reputation spread far and wide, even reaching Japan, and became the must have items of both generals and noblemen.
What it also shows us is that there was a lot of porcelain to choose from.
We know about the rue kiln already, but there were actually five great kilns in the Sung dynasty.
Best to see them as brands like we might say Wedgwood or spode.
Each kiln might have had several active sites making porcelain.
The one thing about the famous five kilns of the Song dynasty is that they all had something in common.
Despite creating different styles, the porcelain products they produced were all elegant and simple, reflecting the restraint and tranquility of the Song.
Weve already learned about the Ru kiln in a previous podcast.
Lets find out a little more about the others, namely the ding, the official kiln, ni ge and the jun.
Probably worth saying that its impossible to give a proper appreciation of these wonderful items in a podcast.