Dehua Porcelain

Dehua County, about 80 kilometres north of Quanzhou city, is home to China's finest white porcelain tradition, a craft that has been practised here since the Song dynasty and which influenced ceramic production across Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Dehua Porcelain Museum in the county town holds a comprehensive collection from all periods, and several large pottery factories operate with showrooms that allow visitors to see the production process and purchase directly from the kilns.

The drive from Quanzhou through the mountain scenery of the interior is itself pleasant. Day trips are practical and can be organised independently by bus from the main station (around 2 hours) or by hired car in about 90 minutes. The Quanzhou Museum in the city centre also has a significant Dehua porcelain collection for those who cannot make the journey to the county.

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A story
Dehua white porcelain — known in Europe as "blanc de chine" — was one of the most coveted ceramics in 17th and 18th century Europe, where it was copied at every major European porcelain factory. The translucent white glaze, warmer than anything produced elsewhere, suited the European taste for Buddhist figurines and religious statuary that could be repurposed as Christian icons — the same Guanyin figure sold as a goddess in Quanzhou could be sold as the Madonna in Lisbon. The kilns at Dehua have been continuously producing white porcelain for over a thousand years.

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