"The history of the export of ceramics is also a history of cultural and technological exchange between China and the world," says Wang.
“陶瓷出口的历史也是中国与世界之间文化和技术交流的历史，”王光尧表示。
Before the 14th century, China controlled the production of high-quality porcelain and was a seller-oriented market. Finds unearthed from Taicang, an ancient port in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, show that celadon from Longquan was transported without being taken out of its firing boxes.
在14世纪之前，中国主导了高品质瓷器的生产，并且市场以卖方为导向的。从江苏省苏州市的古港太仓出土的文物显示，龙泉青瓷在运输时不用拿出匣钵。
During the process of firing, celadon pieces were placed in pottery boxes which would protect them from the ashes. Usually half of the products were usable while the rest broke or were defective.
在烧制过程中，青瓷件被放入保护它们免受灰烬影响的匣钵中。通常情况下，一半的产品是可以使用的，而其余的会碎裂或有缺陷。
"Whether they were good or bad, merchants took them all. This reflects how much demand there was on the market then," says Liu.
刘莹说：“无论好坏，商人都买下了它们。这反映出当时的市场需求是很大的。”
From the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) onward, the export of blue-and-white porcelain sparked a global fascination with these precious treasures from the East. Chinese porcelain makers began to produce pieces tailored to tastes in different countries after noticing a preference for kendis, a kind of water pot with a curved spout, in Southeast Asia, and began to produce for markets in places like Malaysia and Thailand.
从明朝（1368-1644年）开始，青花瓷的出口引发了全球对这些东方珍宝的着迷。中国的瓷器制造商注意到东南亚地区喜欢军持壶（一种带有弯曲壶嘴的水壶），他们开始为根据不同国家的口味为他们量身定制，而且开始为马来西亚和泰国等地的市场生产瓷器。
"It was a phenomenon of cultural exchange, with merchants from the Middle East flooding into China," says Wang.
“这是一种文化交流现象，当时来自中东的商人涌入中国，”王光尧表示。
In fact, blue-and-white porcelain was itself influenced by the Islamic world's taste. Several emperors in the 15th century are known to have supported Islam, and the Muslim favoring of blue and white influenced the whole porcelain industry.
事实上，青花瓷本身也受到了伊斯兰世界文化的影响。15世纪中国的几位皇帝支持伊斯兰教，而穆斯林对蓝色和白色的偏爱影响了整个瓷器行业。
Wang says the materials used to produce blue-and-white porcelain were imported from Persia during the early stage of its development.
王光尧表示，在早期发展阶段，生产青花瓷所使用的材料是从波斯进口的。
From the 16th century, Kraak porcelain, a blue-and-white porcelain tailored for overseas markets only, was fired on a large scale in kilns in Fujian province. Though the word kraak is Dutch, it is believed to derive from the Portuguese ships (carracks) that transported it. Kraak ware was made in the shape of deep bowls or wide dishes, whose surfaces were divided into s and painted with motifs.
从16世纪开始，定制给海外市场的青花瓷“克拉克瓷”在福建省的窑中大规模烧制。尽管kraak一词是荷兰语，但据说它源自葡萄牙的运输该瓷器的大帆船（carracks）。Kraak陶器呈深碗或宽盘的形状，其表面分为多个部分，上面绘有图案。
The 18th century saw increasing orders for blue-and-white armorial porcelain from the royal families and aristocrats of Europe. They usually bore the crests of the families painted at the center and were used on special occasions.
18世纪，欧洲皇室和贵族越来越多地订购青花纹章瓷器。它们通常带有家族的纹章，绘制在中央，用于特殊场合。
"On porcelain, you can find all the popular elements and trends from around the world," says Wang.
王光尧表示：“在瓷器上，你可以找到来自世界各地的所有流行元素和趋势。”
During the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), under the influence of the West, Chinese porcelain was being made in colors other than the green favored by the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Some makers used glass and enamel techniques introduced from Europe to produce the multicolored ceramics loved by the imperial family at the Forbidden City.
晚清时期（1644-1911），在西方的影响下，除了宋代（960-1279）青瓷之外，中国还生产了其他颜色的瓷器。一些制造商采用了从欧洲引进的玻璃和珐琅技术，制作出紫禁城皇室喜爱的彩瓷。
