Where Did All the Ancient Chinese Porcelains Go?

They got buried.

They were stolen, they were robbed…….

Throughout the last millienium, there was a love affair between the ruling monarchs of China and their porcelains. Starting with Song Huizhong, they all poured inordinate proportions of national resources to make porcelains for the royal family, for the ruling class. Millions were made, yet we only got a few in the museums today. Where did they all go?

Well, the story starts with the ancient kilns.

Due to difficulties in controlling kiln temperature and firing conditions, most porcelains suffered firing defects. Those that were not perfect had to be smashed, per the emperor’s orders, so may be less than a quarter survived.

Many of the best porcelains were buried with their beloved owners when they passed.

Then there were smashing campaigns.

When Hongwu defeated the Mongols to establish his Ming Dynasty, he ordered all Yuan Blue and White porcelains bearing human figures destroyed. So today, only a dozen or so Yuan blue and white figural jars exist in museums.

Xuande Emperor loved cricket fighting. Many exquisite blue and white cricket jars were made for him, and for his court. When he passed, the queen mother ordered all cricket jars destroyed. Three intact examples exist on record. Another dozen or so are on display at the Jingdezhen Museum, reassembled from shards.

During the Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards smashed any ancient porcelain they laid eyes on. Many were hidden away though, safeguarded by those who risked being smashed themselves.

As an aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion, the Imperial gardens were burnt down by European forces. The best cultural artefacts were kept at the gardens. Luckily, before the fire spread, they were removed for safekeeping…. in Europe.

Before the Qing Dynasty fell, the Last Emperor ordered a thorough inventory of all cultural artefacts kept at the palace. Rumor has it that the inventory shrank precipitously during that process. Those that survived the inventorying were later moved to the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

When China re-opened its doors in the early eighties, a lot of the antiques were sold dirt cheap to foreign tourists and business folks. Foreign exchange was more important than culture at that point in time.

Today, a lot of ancient Chinese cultural treasures still remain at the hands of the general population, in China, in Europe, in the US, and every corner of the globe. Some know their value, and some don’t.

Our job is to identify these treasures so they can be appreciated, cherished, and shared.