A Brief History of Chinese Porcelain 3: The Tang Dynasty. Yue Kilns of South and Celadon.

China was again unified in year 581, this time by the Sui Dynasty (隋朝, Pinyin: suícháo). Albeit Sui is a short-lived reign which lasted less than four decades, its legacy undoubtedly helped its successor Tang Dynasty (唐朝, Pinyin: tángcháo) became one of the most greatest regimes in China history. The once struggling Northern porcelain industry was able to grow with all its strength and finally obtained achievements that no less than its southern counterpart in the prosperous Tang.

Porcelain makers along southeastern coast of China, more specific in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, had been making celadons (青瓷, Pinyin: qīngcí) since Eastern Han Dynasty, porcelain making industry there reached its peak in the Tang era after hundreds of years of development. As most workshops were scattered in Yuezhou area (越州, Pinyin: yuèzhōu), they are collectively called the Yue Kilns (越窑, Pinyin: yuèyáo). The Yue Kilns is believed producing the finest celadons in the entire south at that time.

Yue Kilns celadons in the early Tang were generally greyish and less dense in body. However, through continuous development of porcelain making skill, Yue Kilns was able to produced thinner, firmer, smoother and more delicate porcelain which were mostly in splendid green during the late Tang. The beautiful Yue Kilns celadons were so well received that the poets at that time wrote poems to express their love to the porcelains.

Yue Kilns celadon remained popular in Five Dynasties period (五代, Pinyin: wǔdài) after the Tang, the high quality celadons were even chosen to be used by several royal families during that period.

Yue Kilns' glory days since Tang finally came to an end in Song dynasty (宋朝, Pinyin: sòngcháo) due to the rise of competitors.