Ceramics of the Shang, Zhou Dynasty, the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty
(1,600B.C.-220 A.D.)

During the reigns of the Shang(16th-11th Century B.C.)and the Zhou Dynasty (11th Century-221 B.C.)white pottery with exquisitely-carved designs and pottery with elegantly-stamped patterns were also made in the Shang Dynasty, in addition to the continuing production of grey potteries in large quantities and, toward the middle of the dynasty proto-porcelain came into being. During the Warring States Period, stamped hard pottery and protoporcelain were widespreadly developed in South China. The success in the production of low-temperature glazed pottery in North China of the Western Han Dynasty(206 B.C.-A.D.24)laid down a technological foundation for the development of low-temperature glazed colour for the later generations. An important invention in the history of development of ceramics was the success in the production of porcelain ware in the Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220).