Avalon's New Mekong River Adventures

Luxury river cruise specialist Avalon Waterways has announced the delivery of a new river cruise ship, the Avalon Angkor, as it launches a dedicated Vietnam, Cambodia & China brochure with a fascinating choice of river cruises and tours in the region.

The new brochure will go on sale on November 24, including a tour of Vietnam & Cambodia with a Mekong river cruise as well as two China tours, including a Yangtze River cruise. Tour and cruise departures are from April 2012 to March 2013.

Due for delivery in 2012, Avalon Angkor (above) has been specially designed to be the first ship in the industry to cruise all the way from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, avoiding more than 7 hours travelling time by coach. Built by local craftsmen with a colonial design, the boat is the first Avalon vessel to be launched outside of Europe but will feature all the modern amenities the company is renowned for.

Accommodating just 32 guests in 16 deluxe staterooms over two decks with a Sun Deck, this small and intimate ship will feature the standard spacious 172sq ft staterooms as on all Avalon ships. The floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors provide an open-air experience without losing any space in the stateroom and are the best way to enjoy the passing scenery.

All Avalon cruises are fully packaged with flights, transfers, airport taxes, port charges and gratuities, as well as a private door-to-door transfer service (within 75 miles of your chosen international airport), local guided sightseeing and a full board cruise with complimentary wine served at dinner.

For more info and booking details, be sure to check out the UK's luxury river cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Luxury Goes Exploring With Regent

Demonstrating the line’s claim that ‘luxury goes exploring’, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has revealed their new programme from November 2012 to June 2013 featuring new ports of call, new itineraries and unique and adventurous sailings as they launch the latest edition of their impressive Cruise Atlas.

Regent is once again raising the bar on its already extensive all-inclusive offering, adding a 1-night pre-cruise hotel package on ALL of its 2013 cruises. The new 2012/2013 itineraries can be viewed online now at www.rssc.com and are already available to book as of this month. All past guests will automatically also receive a copy of the new Atlas.

Highlights of the programme include:

· Seven Seas Voyager sailing a new 17-night cruise from Hong Kong, with visits to Hiroshima (Japan) and Inchon (S Korea), as well as overnight stays in Keelung, Osaka and Beijing and a two-night overnight stay in Shanghai, departing February 27, 2013. Fares for a Deluxe Balcony suite start from £7,679 per person.

· Seven Seas Voyager sailing a new extended ‘World Voyage’ from the Mediterranean through the Indian Ocean, Asia and Australia, exploring the wonders of Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. Ranging from 7 to 143 nights, guests can choose an individual sailing, an extended combination of sailings, or construct their own combination. Fares for a Deluxe Balcony suite on a 54-night sailing from Bali to Singapore start from £20,239 per person.

· Seven Seas Mariner returning to South America, offering a selection of single voyages of 12, 14, 22 or 24-night voyages that can be combined to create longer cruises or a 72-night full circumnavigation of the continent.

For the latest info and to book, see this link with luxury cruise experts The Cruise Line Ltd.

Royal Caribbean's China Tie-Up

Royal Caribbean International has entered into a strategic relationship with the Xiamen municipal government and China World Cruises (CWC) in China that involves chartering Legend of the Seas for a total of four months in 2012.

During the four months, Royal Caribbean will operate and market 21 three- to eight-night sailings from Xiamen, as well as Shanghai, Tianjin and Hong Kong, to ports of call in Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and Korea.

The inaugural, five-night charter sailing will depart from Hong Kong on March 20, 2012, while the first departure of guests from Xiamen will be on March 26.

Costa's New Japan itineraries

Costa Cruises is offering three new itineraries to popular Japanese destinations and will introduce new cities in 2012 after resuming its itineraries in the area this weekend.



Costa Classica (above) left Shanghai on August 26 for a four-day cruise calling at Fukuoka (Japan) and Cheju (South Korea) before returning to Shanghai.



This decision demonstrates Costa’s confidence in Japan’s tourism market and its support of the revitalisation of the local tourism industry. As the first international cruise company to enter the Chinese market, Costa has been operating cruise itineraries from China to Japan for more than five years.



From August to October this year, Classica will operate a total of 12 cruises to Japan and South Korea, with the wide selection of itineraries including Japan's Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kagoshima. Four-day cruises visit Fukuoka and Cheju; a six-day cruise takes in Pusan (South Korea), Fukuoka and Kagoshima; and a five-day cruise visits to Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Cheju.



In 2012, Costa will further expand its operations in Asia and the Far East with the deployment for the first time of the Costa Victoria (75,200 gross tonnage and 2,394 total guests), which will replace Classica (53,000 tons and 1,680 guests). Victoria will also offer 246 veranda cabins and increase its offer in the area by about 40%.



New destinations in Japan include the tropical paradise of Hososhima/Miyazaki; Wakayama, which boasts the largest hot spring resort; Osaka, Japan’s second largest city; the popular sightseeing cities in the Kanto Area; Yokohama and Tokyo, the capital city.



According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (www.jnto.go.jp), a joint statement from the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization has reaffirmed that operations can continue normally into and out of Japan's major airports and sea ports.



For more info, visit www.costacruises.co.uk or, for bookings, contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Viking's China River Tours Go To 'The Roof of The World'

Here's an interesting press release this weekend from top river-cruise operator Viking, whose latest programme of cruise-tours through China now has three highly enticing possibilities.

Imperial Jewels of China, Shanghai to Beijing; from £2,245/12 Days

See all of China’s key highlights in just 12 days. Explore cosmopolitan Shanghai and, in Beijing, imperial treasures like the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Cruise the wildly beautiful Three Gorges region of the legendary Yangtze, and admire the engineering marvel of the Three Gorges Dam. You also visit Xian, home of the famous Terra Cotta Army.

Roof of the World, Beijing to Shanghai, plus Tibet; from £2,850/16 Days

Discover the many faces of China on this fascinating 16-day adventure. See the imperial treasures of Beijing, Xian and Shanghai and enjoy a 6-day Yangtze River cruise. Then experience the Tibetan plateau, known as the “Roof of the World”. Spend three spiritually enlightening days in Lhasa, visiting Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace and more.

China’s Cultural Delights, Beijing to Shanghai; from £2,695/17 Days

This 17-day odyssey explores China’s cradle of culture with an epic 11-day Yangtze cruise between Chongqing and Nanjing. See all the wonders of Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and the Three Gorges, plus visit the birthplace of porcelain, the elegant classical gardens of Suzhou, a sacred Buddhist mountain and much more.

For more information, visit www.vikingrivercruises.co.uk or contact the river-cruise specialists at The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

Celebrity's First Asia Season Now On Sale

Celebrity Cruises has announced its first-ever season sailing in Asia in the winter of 2012/13, and the series of voyages on Celebrity Millennium is now on sale, visiting nine countries new to the brand, including Vietnam, Thailand and China.

Celebrity's inaugural Asian season will consist of a series of 14-night open-jaw cruises between Singapore and Hong Kong and includes overnight stays in Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Halong Bay (Vietnam) and Hong Kong. The season also will include two 14-night sailings round-trip from Singapore with overnight stays in Bali (Indonesia) in January 2013.

At either end of Millennium’s Asia season will be two trans-Pacific sailings. The westbound cruise will coincide with the total solar eclipse in November 2012. Guests will be able to view the eclipse while at sea when sailing from Fiji to New Zealand. In April 2013, the ship will reposition from Hong Kong to Shanghai on a cruise featuring overnight calls in Hong Kong and Beijing (Tianjin). Millennium will then continue eastbound across the North Pacific to Alaska and will call at various ports in China, Japan, and Russia.

Guests can also take advantage of one of Celebrity's signature cruise-tours, which combine a cruise with a five-night pre or post-cruise escorted land package out of Hong Kong. They will feature trips to Xian and Beijing to view the famed Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall of China. All of these packages are escorted by a local tour director and include hotel accommodations, transportation, select activities, breakfasts and some additional meals.

While sailing, a variety of shore excursions are available. A number of overnight stays in port will offer the opportunity to enjoy two or three-day excursions, with examples including a two-night/three-day overland experience from Bangkok to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat (Cambodia). The tour focuses on the temples of Angkor to see the best examples of stone carvings recovered from temples across Cambodia.

During cruises that include an overnight stay in port at Halong Bay (Hanoi), an overnight shore excursion offers a visit to the Old Quarter of the city; an opportunity to witness unique Vietnamese performing arts at the Hanoi Water Puppet Theatre; dinner at a traditional restaurant; and an overnight stay in a leading hotel.

For more info, see www.celebritycruises.co.uk or contact the cruise agent specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

Costa Reports Big Growth In Med For 2011

Costa Cruises is reporting a big increase in its Mediterranean capacity for 2011, with its fleet making 2,800 calls in 92 Mediterranean destinations and almost 9 million passenger movements.

Italian ports will benefit most from the traffic, with almost 4 million passenger movements, some 50 per cent more than last year. Costa’s ships will carry more than one third of the 11 million passengers expected in Italy’s ports in 2011.

After Italy, the Mediterranean countries expected to see the most Costa passenger movements are Spain and Greece – each with more than a million – and France, with more than half a million. Of the 92 Med ports, 21 will be in Italy, 17 in Spain, 11 in Greece and 9 in France.

Costa’s 2012 programme was presented on February 15 this year, almost a year ahead of the cruise departure dates, in its annual brochure: over 250 destinations and more than 130 different itineraries with comprehensive details about shoreside excursions (there are typically 7 to choose from in every port of call) as well as a vast array of shipboard services and amenities .

For more information, visit http://www.costacruises.co.uk/ or The Cruise Line

Costa's New Itineraries For 2012

Costa Cruises is pleased to announce its extensive range of vacation options for 2012, with more than 250 destinations going to more than 130 itineraries, and with around seven shore excursions on offer per port of call.

Sailing around the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, China and the Far East, United Arab Emirates, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Caribbean, South America and a new Round-the-World cruise, Costa has increased its total capacity by 12 per cent in 2012, compared to 2011.

Costa is synonymous not only with convenience and accessibility – thanks to a choice of around 60 ports of embarkation worldwide – but also with value for money, in particular the ProntoPrice formula, with greatly discounted rates exclusively available to early bookers.

There will be more than 2,200 shore excursions to choose from in 2012, with around 300 eco-tourism excursions that minimise the impact on the ecosystem, visiting parks and local communities.

For more information, view http://www.costacruises.co.uk/ or contact the UK's leading cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Low-Carbon Cruising, Anyone?

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Sailing ships have a lot less impact on the environment. So, for minimum impact, why not try a low-carbon sailing cruise? Also, with their shallower drafts, these smaller cruise ships can drop anchor off tiny islands and communities unvisited by the larger vessels, thus bringing low impact tourism and economic benefits to the smaller communities.

There are hundreds of unique options, everything from riverboat cruising down the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia to whale-watching vessels off Iceland. If you get that Columbus feeling, you can even take part in trans-ocean voyages or sail down the Nile on Bales’ six- cabin Edwardian yachts (left).

Bales’ four dahabiyyas are beautifully crafted 19th century-style river sailboats that revive the elegant days when aristocrats and sophisticated travellers cruised the Nile. Fitted out in colonial style with oriental and Egyptian touches, they have six individually designed cabins, thus producing very low impact on the environment and very few carbon emissions.

Bales Worldwide offers luxury holidays to more than 50 countries, including Canada, China, Egypt, Ecuador & Galapagos, India, Jordan, Peru and Tanzania.

For more information on Bales Worldwide, visit http://www.balesworldwide.com/ or for more on Nile cruising, contact adventure cruise specialist the Cruise Line Ltd.

Uniworld voted into "World's Top Cruise Lines"

By guest blogger Steve Newman.

Conde Nast Traveler has just announced their prestigious 2011 Gold List winners for the world's finest hotels, resorts and cruise lines and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises was included in the "World's Top Cruise Lines" category.

There is a total of 13 lines on the Gold List, with Uniworld being the only cruise line focusing 100 per cent on river cruising. The List is based on data collected from Conde Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Survey by more than 25,000 of their readers.

"I am deeply honoured that Uniworld has been recognised once again in Conde Nast's prestigious Gold List. For the last several years, we have been consistently included on this list, and this reaffirms our commitment to delivering the best river cruise experience possible to our guests," said Matt Clapson, General Manager of Uniworld UK. "I am also very proud to be included in a list of well-respected cruise lines such as Crystal, Silversea, Seabourn and Regent."

Uniworld features elegant, boutique hotel-style ships designed for the experienced traveller, with an average capacity of 134 guests, expertly planned itineraries with custom-blended, included shore excursions, world-class cuisine and award-winning hospitality from an all-English speaking staff, with a ratio of one staff member to every three guests.

The company offers more than 500 departures on 35 itineraries sailing on 9 rivers in 16 countries throughout Europe, Egypt and China (above).

To find out more, visit http://www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk/ or call UK cruise specialists The Cruise Line Ltd.

Oceania Savings on selected Far East Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Oceania Cruises has savings of up to £5,281 off selected Far East cruises in 2011, with up to 63% off original fares and prices now from just £1,172 per person, including all meals, complimentary bottled water and soft drinks and no charge for their speciality dining.

Take One: 15th January 2011, Singapore to Hong Kong

Oceania has savings of up to £2,624pp off its 15-night cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong (above) on mid-sized ship Nautica. Prices now from £1172 (was £3,124) rising to £1,875 (was £4,499) saving up to £2,624pp for a Veranda suite. Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining; prices exclude flights.

Take Two: 15th February 2011, Far East cruise

Oceania has an amazing 63% saving off this 24-night voyage from Bangkok to Beijing, departing on February 15 on Nautica and calling in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, China and South Korea. Prices are from £1,875pp for an inside stateroom (was £5,124), including port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. For those booking a Penthouse Suite, the saving increases to £5,249 per person with a fare of just £3,750pp (was £8,999). Prices exclude flights.

Take Three: 26th March 2011, Hong Kong to Dubai

Try 25 nights of luxurious cruising on Nautica from just £1,953pp for an inside stateroom (was £5124), saving 62% of the original fare. The voyage embarks in Hong Kong and makes calls in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and India, before disembarkation in Dubai on 20th April. Other staterooms available in various categories, up to the Penthouse Suite for £3,906 (was £9187). Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. Prices exclude flights.

For more details, contact http://www.oceeaniacruises.co.uk/ or visit specialist cruise agents The Crusie Line Ltd.

New Brochure from Swan Hellenic

By guest blogger Steve Newman

The winter 2011-2012 season brochures are going on sale now and Swan Hellenic’s latest features cruises throughout northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Black Sea, North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Following particularly successful sales for Far East cruises this year, the cruise line will return to the region in late 2011 with ports of call throughout India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and the Philippines , including a return to Yangon in Myanmar.

New ports, all accessible only by smaller ships like Swan Hellenic's Minerva, featured in the brochure across Europe, Asia and Middle East include the wildlife conservation reserve of Sir Bani Yas island in the United Arab Emirates, the Vietnamese coastal city of Qui Nhon, and the French fishing town of Port Vendres close to the Spanish border. The 320-guest ship (above) is also small enough to transit the Corinth Canal in Greece, the Kiel Canal in Germany, the Yangon River in Myanmar and the Saigon River in Vietnam.

One of the highlights is an insight into the tribes, religions and cultures of Indonesia and South East Asia, with a 22-day ‘East of Java’ cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong and ports of call that Semarang in Java, Bali, Lombok, Komodo, Sandakan in Malaysia for a visit to an orangutan sanctuary, and Manila in the Philippines, before arriving in Hong Kong. Prices are from £3,345 per person for a 22-day fly-cruise in January 2012.

Brochures can also be viewed online at www.swanhellenic.com/2012brochure.

Swan Hellenic will be exhibiting at the Cruise Show in Birmingham on October 16-17. and at London's Olympia on March 26-27 2011.

Treasures of the Far East.

By guest blogger Steve Newman

It’s that time of year when the annual intake of new students leave home for university and college. This regular migration often leaves their parents with empty houses, a taste of freedom and some spare time and cash. If you're one of these sudden empty nesters, why not take a cruise and spend some time on yourselves for a change?

From only £1,209, Costa Cruises suggest you take their Treasures of the Far East voyage - the ultimate trip to the Oriental Far East - on a 14-night cruise of the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and China.

Enjoy leisurely days at sea onboard the elegant Costa Classica, free of the “are we nearly there yet?” whines and potter to your heart’s content through the streets of Hong Kong or take the world famous Star Ferry over to Kowloon (above). Then wander around the likes of Manila, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City. Other highlights include the tropical island retreat of Hainan – known as China’s Hawaii – and the untamed jungles of Kota Kinabalu and Borneo.

With its two restaurants and seven bars, Classica is one of the best-loved ships in the Costa fleet, perhaps because of its welcoming and surprising personality or the recently refurbished furnishings, or perhaps simply because it is a modern and comfortable ship on which to travel in total relaxation.

A relaxing break or a snack at the Alfresco Café will immediately put you in the holiday mood. Shaded by a large white sail, it provides a magnificent terrace overlooking the sea, where you can eat outdoors and enjoy the unique view afforded by your cruise.

Departing Hong Kong on November 20, 2010, the price is based on a cruise-only basis, including all meals, entertainment and activities. Flights and transfers can be added for an additional charge.

For more information, go to http://www.costacruises.co.uk/

Women's Hair Ornaments and Their Social Connotations in Old China (down)

Hair ornaments worn by women of wealth also took the form of gold flowers encrusted with jewels depicting flowers or animals.

The elaborate "buyao" hairpin was an exquisite hair ornament denoting noble status, which was often be encrusted with jewels and featuring carved designs, the main feature of a "buyao" was its pendants that flatteringly framed the wearer's face and "danced" as she moved, hence the name buyao, which literally means "shake as you go". This ornament was generally made of of gold in the shape of a phoenix or dragon and adorned with pearls and jade.

Among popular decorative patterns used on women's hair ornaments in old China were auspicious birds and beasts, such as the dragon, phoenix, crane, deer and the 12 animals of the Chinese "zodiac." The deer was considered a propitious animal because its pronunciation in Chinese is the same as that for six, which implies success. Hairpins in the design of a mandarin duck denoted married bliss. Patterns of flowers and fruit-bearing trees featured the peony, lotus flower, plum, guava and asphodel. The five petals on a plum represent blessings, high-salary, longevity, luck and wealth.

Designs of women's hair ornament in old China always depicts auspicious objects, among them there are musical instruments, chess pieces, calligraphic characters, and the "four treasures in a scholar's studio" ,which comprises the calligraphy brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper.

But to the women in ancient China the chignon was far more than just a hair ornament. The chignon ceremony, which bestowed a hairpin upon a young woman when she reached the age of 15, was a rite of passage signifying that she had reached marriageable age.

A hairpin also functioned as a love token. When Chinese lovers of ancient times were forced to part they would often split a hairpin, both keeping a half with them at all times until they were reunited.

(finished)

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

River v Ocean Cruising

It's a question I hear time and time again - what's the difference between river cruising and it's Big Brother ocean variety?

It goes hand in hand with the alternative version (usually from die-hard big-ship cruisers), why would I want to down-size to a river-boat?

Both are valid queries, but both can be met with an equally emphatic response: river-cruising IS a very different animal to the ocean-going variety, but it also affords a rich and diverse experience that big-ship folk ignore at their peril!

To take the first issue, the difference between the two, requires a lengthier reply, though.

The differences between the two types of cruising are significant but well worth detailing. The obvious issue is one of size - river-boats rarely hold more than 150 people (although the new Victoria Jenna on the Yangtze in China will hold an amazing 378 passengers), and there are far fewer public rooms.

Fewer rooms means less space and fewer frills in terms of big-ship glamour and glitz. You won't find fancy casinos, high-tech Spas (although, again, the Jenna is an exception), elaborate theatres and multiple dining venues. If you're looking for expansive pool facilities, water-slides and rock-climbing walls, this isn't the right choice for you either.

But you will find plush, comfortable surroundings, well-fitted cabins, high-quality fittings and furnishings, and an overall commitment to service and attention to detail normally found only on the more deluxe, smaller-scale ocean vessels.

There is also a substantial difference in pace, both in terms of your actual travel and also of the onboard ambience. River-boats typically procede at a very leisurely speed, sometimes not much above walking pace, and the need for periodic negotiations of locks and other river traffic means you can't count on vast changes of scenery as you can in places like the Baltic and Alaska.

But this also lends itself to a more relaxing and comfortable vibe, with no discernable hustle and bustle, no need to go dashing from one show to another or requirement for lengthy daily activity programmes.

River-cruising really allows you to unwind, decompress from the real world and chill out, in a comfy environment that provides no great demands of time or choice.

Finally, and this is an important distinction as cruise ships get ever larger, it is an immensely personal experience, both in terms of your fellow passengers and the destinations you visit.

The slow pace affords plenty of time to get the know the people around you, with plenty of opportunity for conversation and social intercourse, while at the same time providing an almost slow-motion tableau of scenery and cities.

Cities are also the bread and butter of the typical river cruise, especially in Europe, with the river routes offering all manner of wonderful urban backdrops (as well as fabulous rural scenes).

In France, you can take in the likes of Lyon, Tournon, Viviers and Avignon ; in Germany, you can enjoy a cruise that includes Frankfurt, Mainz, Nuremberg and Heidelberg; further along the Danube, the routes takes in Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Bratislava; and in Russia you can cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg, and unveil some marvellous mysteries along the way.

And that's before you consider the alternative destinations of the Nile, China and Myanmar, all of which can add the a taste of the exotic to the river-cruise experience.

River-cruising is probably not ideal for families with younger children, but for those with children of senior school age (especially those learning a language), it can also be a wonderful opportunity, and for the river-cruise exec who recently stated that his product was not for "the 40-somethings," that is a shocking undervaluing of the possibilities.

Put simply, river-cruising is for those who really like to get under the skin of a destination, to take their time and savour a country, a city or a countryside. It is highly personable and often provides memorable dining. And it reconnects us with our fellow traveller.

There are other reasons why you might want to give river-cruising a try - notably the chance to avoid any vestige of seasickness! - but I'll save those for another day and another argument.

Pottery Art in China with A Long History I --- Preface

"Tao (pottery)", according to the figure described in oracle bone inscriptions, it implies a person who was squatted and sit on the ground, with a tool just like a wood stick modeling clay. Through sintering adobes will form into ceramics, which we called pottery today.

Archaeological discoveries have proved that as early as in the Neolithic Age (about 8000-2000 BC) the Chinese people had invented pottery. The agricultural production emerged in later primitive society had bought a relatively more fixed life to the ancestors of the Chinese people, which also produced the demand for pottery objectively. So, in order to improve the quality of life and make their lives more convenient, gradually Chinese people invented pottery through the burning of clay.

The word first appeared on pottery, it was found on a ceramic flake left by Shang Dynasty, and which is the only piece so far, while there are many pieces of ceramic flakes without words on. With a long history of pottery, China has left a great number of ceramic heritages, among these historic treasures, the oldest pottery was been produced out in BC 9,000 (with carbon isotope C14 detection).

The original pottery were been burned into in open-air, and these primal pottery are rough and fragile. About BC 8000, people started to put the ceramic model into pottery kiln, and with the method of controlled burning to improve the pottery, quality, through this method the pottery produced became not only more strong but also more beautiful, and turned into one kind of artworks.

Before the Shang Dynasty, the main colors of the pottery are only three: red, gray and black. Later based on the development of enamel coating technology, the color of pottery became more abundant and bright. In the Tang Dynasty, faience ware, also called painted pottery or colored pottery, one kind of Tang handicrafts was created out, among which, the Tang tri-colored pottery is the most well-known typical work.

On the basis of the high-level ceramic technology accumulated long-term, China produced porcelain ware in the world, which has become an important medium of the exchanges between the East and West cultures and economy, and people in the West just called porcelain as CHINA namely the country of China, it can be also said to describe China with Chinese porcelain (china). In Western languages the word “china”, whose meaning also includes pottery. In the history of the development of Chinese ceramics, the pottery was appeared before porcelain, and the porcelain was took birth from pottery.