Neolithic pottery and ceramics, which were produced from 6000 to 1000 B.C., began as earthenware vessels in basic, functional designs, and evolved into thinner walled, more delicate earthenware painted with red, gray and black designs. Neolithic pottery consisted of both functional, everyday pottery and decorative, ritual vessels. By the bronze age, from 1766 to 221 B.C., the production of earthenware pottery declined and nearly disappeared. It was replaced by more delicate types of pottery with high-fired glazes that produced a golden-brown color. Many of these vessels mimicked the shapes and designs of bronze vessels, bells and ritual containers of the same era.
During the Han dynasty, from 206 B.C. to A.D. 220, many functional ceramics were mass produced using molds to create identical vessels. The invention of lead glazing also took place during the Han dynasty, largely in central China, allowing pottery to be decorated with green, yellow or brown finishes. Most vessels glazed in this way were used for funerary rituals because the lead made them toxic. Along the southern coast of China a high-fire ash glaze that produced yellow-green tones was common in mass-produced ceramic pottery. This led to the creation of Yueh ware, a celadon ceramic common from the fifth century to the 10th century A.D. Iron-oxide-coated pottery was fired at high temperatures to produce a gray-green, olive, blue or blue-green glossy finish.
The Tang dynasty, from 618 to 906, saw the production of burial figurines and models made of low-fire earthenware and decorated in bright glazes. Northern artists created tri-colored funerary vessels using three types of lead glazes. Tang dynasty artists were responsible for the invention of porcelain, the perfection of high-fired celadon and the introduction of cobalt blue glazes. These inventions greatly influenced the future of Chinese pottery. During the Sung dynasty, from 906 to 1279, artists focused on interesting shapes, glazes, decorating techniques and the firing process to produce high-quality, monochromatic vessels with glossy finishes. Many different variations of Sung dynasty pottery developed, each specific to a certain region of China.
Ting ware, produced from the 11th through the 15th centuries, was sculpted of gray ware and coated with white slips and clear glazes for a white, glossy finish. Designs and decorations were carved and pressed to decorate with texture rather than color. Ch'ing-Pai ware, produced from 960 to 1368, is one of the earliest forms of porcelain and often referred to as shadow blue because of its bluish-white color. This porcelain, used to create everything from crude vessels to delicate, thin-walled dishes, led to the creation of China's well-known blue and white porcelain.
During the 10th through 13th centuries, a series of inexpensive, black-glazed ceramics were created for use by middle class Chinese citizens. These thick-walled vessels were produced in both northern and southern China, and eventually grew in popularity for Chinese of all economic backgrounds.This led to the popularity of brownish-black glazed tea bowls created during the Sung dynasty of the 11th through 13th centuries. Tzu-Chou ceramics, made from 960 to 1600, coincided with the black-glazed pottery but differed greatly in design. Tzu-Chou ceramics were created using a cut-glaze technique to carve intricate designs through a black-brown glaze to expose the white clay underneath.
Celadon pottery was highly popular in China from the 10th through the 15th century. Northern celadon largely consisted of intricately carved patterns on thin-walled vessels coated in an olive-green glaze made of iron and titanium oxide. Lung Ch'uan celadon appears more delicate and is famous as a durable porcelain with fine carvings and a delicate blue-green glaze. Comb designs were also common, producing fine lines of texture along the body of the vessel. It was primarily produced during the northern and southern Sung dynasties from 960 to 1279.
Chun ware, produced from the 11th through the 15th centuries, is found in pale green, pale blue, lavender blue and a blue with purple splashes. These stonewares are fairly thin-walled with simple shapes and little to no decorative carvings or designs. Kuan ware, produced in the 12th and 13th centuries, is a light blue-gray with a crackle-finish glossy glaze. The crackle glaze is largely responsible for the popularization of this pottery as many members of the Ch'ing court found it to be appealing and refined.