Porcelain of Ancient China (English Edition): 3,000 Years of Chinese Ceramics in Pictures & Clear Text

This is a picture book of ancient Chinese porcelain—not a price guide, and not an academic textbook. It shows you how Chinese ceramics developed from the earliest pottery of the Neolithic Age, through the proto-celadon of the Shang and Zhou, the legendary Ru, Guan, Ge, Jun, and Ding wares of the Song dynasty, the blue-and-white of the Yuan, and the imperial porcelain of the Ming and Qing. The author, Xu Xiaolong, has spent over thirty years studying ancient ceramics, and he explains what you are looking at in clear, simple language. The photographs do most of the talking: you see the shapes, glazes, and decorations up close, with short notes that tell you why each piece matters. If you want to understand China’s ceramic traditions through beautiful images and readable text—rather than hunt for auction prices or wade through a dense academic study—this is it.