Porcelain Ceramic History

<Dehua ceramic whiteware in the Maritime Silk Road years>

First Porcelain in Ancient China

The earliest Porcelain appeared in the Shang Dynasty in China (1750 BC to 1027 BC). The earliest ceramic was found at ruins close to Zhengzhou, in central China’s Henan Province, in the region of Shang Dynasty. It is believed that the porcelain was invented approximately at the time of the Eastern Han Empire. Black porcelain came into made during the East Han Dynasty and started to be the dormant kind of earliest ceramics. After the Sui and Tang dynasties, Chinese porcelain separated into two kinds, Dark porcelain, and white porcelain.

Spread to Korea and Japan

The Skills and technology of making porcelain passed down to other Eastern Asian countries, firstly Korea and next to Japan. It became known that Korea firstly began to produce pottery with Porcelain during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) in Korean Peninsula. The pottery during the period is considered to be the finest works of ceramics in Korean history.
The porcelain skills then passed down to Japan from Korea during Baekje Dynasty (18 BC – 660 AD). Many of Korean pottery artisan moved and settled in Japan where they delivered the skills of making pottery. The transIt had been not until the 17th century that Japanese manufactured porcelain. Japanese artists developed their design of porcelain emphasising beautiful features of a natural “organic, earthy.”

 

 

 

 

The beginning of European Porcelain production.

Ancient ceramic history began in Europe, long after it was first created and produced at the time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in China.

From the start of the 15th-century porcelain was considered a precious and luxurious material along with gold, by the nobility and wealthy of the day and was bought from the merchants of Genoa, Pisa, Venice and Portugal. This prestige was likewise as a result of mystery associated with its fabrication, which remained key before the 15th century. The first breakthrough in porcelain production occurred in Florence from 1575 to 1597. Using a furnace designed by Bountalenti and Fontana, a delicate paste porcelain was created, the production becoming known as “Medici Porcelain”.

However, production of quality porcelain about par with the Chinese wares wasn’t developed until 1708 when the chemist and physicist Von Tschirnhauser and the alchemist Johann Bottger succeeded in producing a hard paste porcelain. Because of this, Augustus II, King of Poland, founded the initially European hard paste porcelain factory at Meissen in 1710. For almost a decade the formula for this porcelain remained a jealously guarded technique within the confines of the walls of the Abbrechtsburg Castle.
However, after the Arcanum and kiln technology became noted in the mid-18th century, porcelain factories started out to spring up around Europe. Around the year 1704, a couple of Europeans succeeded in making porcelain after a lot of trial experimentation, and they started to build porcelain factory. In 1712, a Jesuit who visited Jingdezhen China delivered a letter explaining the way of making the genuine Chinese porcelain. This letter was widely spread to Europe and the pottery by this technic became very famous. People started called the pottery name and material as ‘Fine China/Fine Bone China’ due to the porcelain and its recipes origination, that is China.
Jingdezhen, Chinese porcelain
Jingdezhen is the famous place for ancient porcelain and it is still regarded as the China’s “porcelain capital”. The world’s best collections of antique porcelain are exhibited in Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum. Many the Yuan, Ming, and Qing porcelains are also called national treasures in China.

Exotic Beauty “Amazonia” collection

Amazonia Collection

Sponsored by the botanical drawings of the explorer and naturalist, Alexander Von Humboldt, Villeroy & Boch has introduced an exotic beauty ‘Amazonia collection‘ bearing a brilliant design to the high-class dining ware needs. Each piece has exclusively unique paintings with bright coloursAmazonia Gifts and patterns discovered from tropical region ‘Amazon’. It features wondering creatures including tropical plant, flowers and beautiful creatures. Amazonia Collection is not only just a luxurious crockery, but it creates a story with unique shapes and designs that nowhere you can find. On the premium bone porcelain, each and every piece is delicately drawn by hand and carefully treated to give the perfect quality and beauty. Are you dreaming about Amazing table setting? Amazonia provides you with the answer that makes the dream comes true. Amazonia represents rich and intense botanic colours, delicate touch of gold embellishment, vivid, colourful images of hummingbirds, orchids, butterflies and passionflowers.

 

 

The vividity and depth of colours and patterns create a 3D effect on fine bone china. The each scene of each piece brings to life, merely the collection itself is breathtaking and flamboyant. It takes you on a fantastic journey to a world of tropical botanic land. Like Amazonia Fruit bowl, teapot, flower vase and coffee cup & saucer, they come in a perfect gift box so the collection is ideal for a gift, especially for wedding or anniversary.

 

 

 

 

What is Yoga

What is Yoga? – academic study and school

What is Yoga? In today’s society, Yoga is known as a decent exercise, stretching, or one type of alternative medicines. Originally, Yoga was designed to eliminate a so-called “Turbulence of Mind” and it connotes “balance”, “harmony” and “unity”. Ancient Yogi (trainees) practised three primary disciplines including Asana, Pranayama and Medication. Asana is “postures” and Pranayama is “breathing”. They strictly controlled over themselves at minimum rules based on “Yama (Do-Not-Do)” and “Niyama (Must-Do)”. It is overall Yoga system as well as traditional Yoga according to the 8 Angas of Yoga that Patanjali who was is called a “Yoga Saint” created.

8 Angas of traditional Yoga

  • Asana (postures)
  • Pranayama (breathing)
  • Pratyahara (control of sense)
  • Dharana (concentration)
  • Dhyana (meditation)
  • Samadhi (transcendence)
  • Yama (abstinence)
  • Niyama (offer)

 

3 Primary Disciplines

The reason why Yoga draws public attention is explained on its scientific attribute. Out of 8 Angas of Yoga, these three primary disciplines are the most commonly performed by the current trainees as practical ways of Yoga training.

1) Asana (postures)

It helps to increase the immune system and self-regenerating of the cell by stimulating functions of individual muscles or body parts, nerve, and hormone. This way, it works with chronic symptoms including chronic fatigue, gastroenteric trouble, backache, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It also works with typical female symptoms like obesity, insomnia.

2) Pranayama (Breathing)

It helps to stabilise peace of mind through cleaning the nerve system, which enables improve the controllability of autonomic nerve. Hence, it gives a great help for the nervous disorder.

3) Meditation

It contributes improving mental strength such as the faculty of memory, concentration, creativeness and judgment. It can finally lead you a productive life and get a peaceful mind, which is people’s basic orientation.

 

Yoga School

There is a wide variety in Yoga School originated since ancient time, but the traditional Yoga classifies into five schools in general; Hatha-yoga, raja-yoga, jnana-yoga, karma-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. However, there are other schools such as tantra-yoga, mantra-yoga and so on, but they have different ways of approaching how to reach to their goal “Yoga.”

 

Above five schools refer to the ontology that Samkhya Philosophy advocates. In Samkhya philosophy, it promotes two ultimate realities – “matter” and “self (spirit)”. It says to know requires a mind, to move or to act requires knowledge. And For knowing acquires through 5 human senses; see, hear, taste, feel, smell. For working, eyes, ears, mouth, skin and nose are the reason to exist.

How to discipline in modern Yoga training school

  • raja-yoga (mental): breathing, meditation training, meditation lectures and meditation camp
  • jnana-yoga (5 senses): Yoga and talk about natural health, printing and publishing editorials and journals
  • karma-yoga (5 sensory organs): Keeping regular hours, Practising Niyama, overcome constitution through orthosis
  • hatha-yoga (body): All yoga training program
  • bhakti-yoga (perfection of the body): Develop Yoga methods for disabilities, Donation

We will go further more about what is Yoga and how to train the Yoga in today’s school.