The China national treasure—porcelain中国国宝—瓷器

Porcelain(瓷器cíqì) derives its present name from Old Italian porcellana(瓷蟹属cíxièshǔ) (cowrie shell) because of its resemblance to the translucent(透明度tòumínɡdù) surface of the shell. Porcelain can informally be referred to as "china" or "fine china" in some English-speaking countries, as China was the birthplace of porcelain making. Properties associated with porcelain include low permeability(渗透性shèntòu xìnɡ) and elasticity; considerable strength, hardness, toughness, whiteness, translucency and resonance; and a high resistance(阻力zǔlì) to chemical attack and thermal(暖气流nuǎn qìliú) shock.
“瓷器”一词来源于古意大利的珍珠贝—缘于它透明的外表。瓷器在某些英语国家里已经成为中国的代名词了，因为中国是瓷器的故乡。瓷器的性质是低渗透并且致密，硬度强，外表光滑透明，对化学物质有较高的阻力，因此瓷器一度成为皇家的奢侈品。中国是瓷器的发源地，瓷器的发明是中华民族对世界文明的伟大贡献，在英文中"瓷器"(china)一词已成为"中国"的代名词。大约在公元前16世纪的商代中期，中国就出现了早期的瓷器。因为其无论在胎体上，还是在釉层的烧制工艺上都尚显粗糙，烧制温度也较低，表现出原始性和过渡性，所以一般称其为"原始瓷"。今天我们就去看一看中国的瓷器历史。

Porcelain originated in China. Although proto-porcelain(试制瓷器shìzhìcíqì)wares(商品shānɡpǐn)exist dating from the Shang Dynasty(1600–1046 BCE), by the Eastern Han Dynastyperiod (196–220)glazed(釉面yòu miàn)ceramic(陶瓷táo cí)wares had developed into porcelain. Porcelain manufactured during the Tang Dynasty(618–906) was exported to theIslamic(伊斯兰yīsīlán) world, wher it was highly prized. Early porcelain of this type includes the tri-colour(三色的sān sède)glazedporcelain, or sancai wares. The exact dividing line between proto-porcelain and porcelain wares is not a clear one to date. Porcelain items in the sense that we know them today could be found in the Tang Dynasty, and archaeological(考古káo ɡǔ)finds have pushed the dates back to as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE).By the Sui Dynasty (581–618) and Tang Dynasty (618–907), porcelain had become widely produced.
瓷器源于中国，虽然试制品出现于商代，但是到了东汉釉面瓷器的出现无疑是瓷器史上的一个亮点。到了唐代，陶瓷手工艺品出口伊斯兰和全世界，并享有极高的声誉。早期的瓷器是三色釉瓷器或者是三彩瓷器。试制品和商品瓷器的分界线不是很明显。我们今天所知的瓷器一般都是唐代的，考古发现的瓷器一般会更久远。等到隋代和唐代，瓷器已经很盛行了。

Eventually, porcelain and the expertise required to create it began to spread into other areas of East Asia. During the Song Dynasty(960–1279), artistry and production had reached new heights. The manufacture of porcelain became highly organized and thekiln(窑yáo)sites, those excavated from this period, could fire as many as 25,000 wares. By the Ming Dynasty(1368–1644), porcelain art was being exportedto Europe. Some of the most well-known Chinese porcelain art styles arrived in Europe during this era, such as the coveted blue-and-white wares. The Ming Dynasty controlled much of the porcelain trade, which were further expanded to all over Asia, Africa and Europe through the Silk Road. Later, Portuguese merchants began direct trade over the sea route with the Ming Dynastyin 1517 and were followed by Dutch merchants in 1598.
现代景德镇的制瓷工艺继承了传统的技法,吸收和借鉴了国内外的精华,使陶瓷制作达到了一个又一个的高度。一部中国陶瓷史，就是一部形象的中国历史，一部形象的中国民族文化史。