Ep19 The zen of porcelain

Why we love the Sun Dynasty, exploring the history and charm of one of China's most fascinating dynasties, episode 19, The Zen of Porcelain. In this podcast, we're going to look at how Porcelain became an essential part of the lives of the people of the Sun Dynasty. I'm Bob Jones and in this why we love the Sun Dynasty podcast, I'm throwing the spotlight on what was to become one of China's most iconic dynasties in the country's long and colourful history. So we know that the time of the Sun Dynasty was very prosperous and that it's people like collecting things together, the feathering their nests you could say. You might expect that this new found wealth would translate into grandeur and extravagance, think of the Victorian era in England for example. Yes, we see this in things like the tea ceremony, at the higher levels where the best tea was expected for the emperor served in the best crockery and in the best surroundings. But the word "best" here maybe should be understood as appropriate. In many other aspects of the Song Society, a sense of appreciation of simplicity was the order of the day, this attitude finding its roots in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. The demand for nice things and nice things to go with nice things, boosted manufacturing and craftsmanship, making porcelain was no exception. During the Song Dynasty, kilns were built all over the country to satisfy demand and that demand was for monochromatic glazed functional simplicity. Song porcelain is beautiful, beautiful because of its high quality and because of its gentility. It is unadorned and elegant as well as perhaps inspiring reflection, contemplation and maldeness. All attributes that have come to describe the Song Society. It's all about Zen. Let's touch on Zen for a moment, shall we? In the West, it's taken on a bit of a momentum of its own. In finding a mass appeal, it's maybe lost sight of some of its roots, which the Song Dynasty of course would have been much, much closer to. Zen is not a habit. It's not simplicity. It's not a state of peace, a state of mind, a minimalist aesthetic living simply, a destination or being in the moment. Zen is a school of Buddhism that originated in China during the early Tang Dynasty. It's about observation of oneself and assessing the true nature of things. So you can see how this appealed to the people of the Song Dynasty. There are various anecdotes recalled by Songwriters which highlight this simplicity in Song Society. One recalled a discussion between Emperor Jiu Zeng and his Prime Minister Lu Dha Feng about ancestral domestic discipline for all emperors in the Song Dynasty. This advocated etiquette, generosity and kindheartedness, diligence and conscientiousness, being modest and embracing the advice of others, not seeking pleasures in play things nor using extravagant things like Jade Ware. There's a similar story where once Emperor Ranzeng was sick and a visitor to his Imperial resting chamber found to his surprise there was only some playing porcelain and lack of wear. Likewise Emperor Hwei Zeng once wanted to use Jade cups and plates at the banquet but he gave up on the idea because he was worried that he would be blamed for being extravagant. And of course what the Emperor did, the entire Imperial family of the Song Dynasty did and arm down through the different levels of society. So there were no ostentatious objects in the household, no unusual or precious things. When it came to porcelain for the court, the rule was minimalism. The Song loved porcelain that had simple shapes, simple lines but was good looking and had no complicated and redundant shapes. They also favoured porcelain that was of a single colour or shade monochromatic, perhaps with a Jade-like glaze which focused the eye on its delicate and plain qualities, essentially no distractions. In addition to that there was consideration of the clay itself, that had to be simple too. Think of the idea of a person's inner and outer appearance. It had to be good inside as well as outside. Some kilns exemplified this Song Dynasty minimalist style to a tea. Let's visit one of them, the famous Rue kiln, produced items for the Imperial court. Fewer than 100 complete pieces survive and if ever they find their waiter auction, they command prices of many millions of US dollars. They most have a duck egg blue glaze like the blue of the sky in a clearing among the clouds after rain, as one contemporary connoisseur noted at the time. They are undecorated and come in various shapes and include brush washing dishes, cups, wine caraths, small vases and incense burners. It was the first ever official wear, specifically commissioned for the Imperial court which kept the best and then gave the rest away as gifts to officials, temples and foreign rulers. The Rue kiln ended production when the barbarians moved in. There were actually about 20 sites of the Rue kiln. They were on flat terrain and surrounded by the mountains, with creeks to the west and the south. The major raw materials like coal, wood and agates for manufacturing Rue porcelains also had to be nearby. Let's appreciate if we can, just one piece which typifies the products of the Rue kiln. Let's observe like the people of the Song Dynasty appreciate the simplicity, examine the nature, the soul of the object, see it as an exercise in mindfulness. Porcelain Zen. Are you sitting comfortably? Let's begin. Clear your mind. Take a look at the sky blue Crackle-free Narcissus pot. See how it is free from Crackles. The marks often formed by the different drying and cooling rates of the clay. Their absence shows enormous skill. It's the colour of sky after rain, a gentle, peaceful blue, maybe a hint of Jade Green hue. The whole vessel is oval in shape with a flat base and four cloud shaped feet. The glaze colour is even and bright, with pink visible at the mouth and other places where the glaze is thin. There's a trace of six support pins revealing the beige grey clay body. And relax. Many of these fine pieces of porcelain only exist because they were carefully collected and valued by later generations. Empré Jung Jung of the Qing Dynasty for example displayed his antiques and curios on a special shelf. It was a Narcissus pot which was unhelpfully once described as a dog food bowl, suggesting that people weren't the only ones to enjoy the porcelain of the song. The other two pieces were a Rue Kill, three feet tray, which is now in the Palace Museum in Beijing, and which has an engraved poem on it written by Empré Jung Jung's son, Empré Chen Long. There is also a greyish blue tea cup which you'll now find in the British Museum in London. Let's dip back briefly into the Song Dynasty's tea culture. The popular way of tea drinking in the Song Dynasty was to put tea dust into the tea tea cup and then pour boiling water over it. When drinking, tea cups were to be used with a holder. As a result, all kinds of holders made of different materials were produced at the time. The rarest holders, among all famous kilns, are those made by the Rue kiln, followed by the Ding kiln and the southern song official kiln. Tea, flowers and just about anything else that the song used to enjoy, porcelain inspired poetry. Since so many artifacts have now been lost, these poems form a valuable part of our appreciation on song sensibilities. Low y'all, a poet and the early southern song dynasty once wrote a verse about a new, gall-shaped vase made by the Rue kiln. Such vases were specially used for arranging flowers in the song dynasty. It's still to be found in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The whole vase is full of crackles with a beautiful shape and with one circle of scraped glaze in the centre of the base, along which a poem written by Emperor Chen Long of Qing was engraved. This gall-shaped vase is similar to the Sky Blue Lotus design, Gooseneck bottle unearthed at the sight of the Rue kiln. Chen Long had a bit of a habit of inscribing things, all sorts of things, precious porcelain pieces, paintings or even buildings that he visited. He clearly liked to make his mark on history. So what are we to make of this song passion for porcelain? It's important to keep in mind that they admired simplicity and functionality as key. The ostentation came in the shape of the functionality. No way you can say that the song tea ceremony is in any way simple, although it is functional. Absolutely no good if you are in need of a quick refreshing cup of tea though. Many of the products of their kilns may not have survived to the present day and some of them have been adulterated or adapted by later generations, but their form and design and beauty have endured through the centuries. Those thanks go out to San Lien Jungdu for their help in making this podcast. This is Bob Jones. Thanks for listening. Join me again next time. [Music]