From the Middle East the Chinese acquired a blue pigment-a purified form of cobalt oxide unobtainable at that time in China-that contained only a low level of manganese. So admired were these pieces that they encouraged the development of earthenware made in imitation of porcelain and instigated research into the method of their manufacture. One of the most far-reaching examples is the impact of the fine ninth-century AD.Chinese porcelain wares imported into the Arab world. Trade between the West and the settled and prosperous Chinese dynasties introduced new forms and different technologies. Ceramic products also include lead-glazed tomb models of the Han dynasty, three-color lead-glazed vessels and figures of the Tang dynasty, and Ming three-color temple ornaments, in which the motifs were outlined in a raised trail of slip-as well as the many burial ceramics produced in imitation of vessels made in materials of higher intrinsic value. The tradition of religious sculpture extends over most historical periods but is less clearly delineated than that of stonewares or porcelains, for it embraces the old custom of earthenware burial ceramics with later religious images and architectural ornament. Whitewares produced in Hebei and Henan provinces from the seventh to the tenth centuries evolved into the highly prized porcelains of the Song dynasty (AD.1960-1279), long regarded as one of the high points in the history of China's ceramic industry. During the Six Dynasties period (AD 265-589), kilns in north China were producing high-fired ceramics of good quality. The earliest ceramics were fired to earthenware temperatures, but as early as the fifteenth century B.C., high-temperature stonewares were being made with glazed surfaces. In addition, there was an important group of sculptures made for religious use, the majority of which were produced in earthenware. The ceramics fall into three broad types-earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain-for vessels, architectural items such as roof tiles, and modeled objects and figures. The function and status of ceramics in China varied from dynasty to dynasty, so they may be utilitarian, burial, trade-collectors', or even ritual objects, according to their quality and the era in which they were made. A country as vast as China with so long-lasting a civilization has a complex social and visual history, within which pottery and porcelain play a major role. China has one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations-despite invasions and occasional foreign rule.

How to use chinese tpo toefl