The Influence on Cizhou Kiln from Drinking Custom in the Song and Yuan

The participation of Government in manufacturing management of wine industry boosts the development of Cizhou kiln

Besides folks operation, the government has to join the management because of the huge wine industry. Officials have their own workhouse to brew wine. The production of specific duty to brewing is a significant amount. “The production should be calculated by tens of thousands every day. That’s all because of the huge amount of people who demand it.” Says in Meng Liang Record, “The official workhouse has two supervisions, who can use the subordinate and craftsmen. The profit of brewing wine will be donated for the army or official duty.” These workhouses with public benefit character are more than dozens. In the Song Dynasty, Cizhou has 12 official servants. The management to the wine industry is well-organized.

Picture Ten is written “Transfer Order with Offering wines in the West of Capital”. So this bottle is a container for the transferred wines. Picture Ten and Eleven reflect that the government of the Yuan Dynasty specially ordered wine bottles in the Cizhou kiln. It shows that the Cizhou kiln provide a lot of porcelain used to produce, store and transport for both folk and government.

The participation of Government in manufacturing the management of the wine industry boosts the development of the Cizhou kiln, and then makes the Cizhou kiln wine bottle and related decoration above the reach of common people, which increases the demand of the wine bottle and improves the development of the Cizhou kiln porcelain objectively.

Picture Ten Song Dynasty Black Jing Bottle of Transfer Order in The West of Capital Shot at Henan Province Cultural Relic Control Station Pottery Specimens Exhibition Hall High 47cm

Picture Eleven Yuan Dynasty "Neifu (within the government)" writted on White Glazed Vase Stored at Kailu County Cultural Relic Control Station in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region High 35.4cm, mouth diameter 5.6cm, bottom diameter 13.8cm The 135th picture of the Former Part of Yuan Dynasty of Chinese Porcelain Collected, Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House

The fashion of drinking in the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty impel the creation of Cizhou kiln porcelain. Lots of pottery and decoration concerned with wine appeared and the demand for wine bottles increased quickly. The drinking habits and customs in the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty influence the development of the Cizhou kiln in various aspects in society and have become a key factor of the peak time of the Cizhou kiln.

By Chai Limeng

Editor: Liu Fang