How much do you know about the overseas transportation of pottery and porcelain in ancient China？
2 min readBefore the Han Dynasty，China already traded silk for products from West Asian countries.In the 2nd century B.C.，Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty went twice on diplomatic missions to the western regions and established ties between China and a number of countries west of the Pamirs. Large quantities of silk fabrics flowed along the road leading to Central Asia.It is an east-west caravan road of 7，000 kilometers，famous as the Silk Road.China’s pottery and porcelain were transported west along this road.
Up to the 16th century，the Silk Road was China’s main caravan route for the export of porcelain to the West.However，Chinese sea navigation also goes far back into history.During the Han Dynasty，sea travels between China and Japan became more frequent，and in the South，sea navigation developed between Chinese and Indian Ocean ports.Since the early Tang Dynasty，around the 7th century，Chinese pottery and porcelain has exported by sea in large quantity，and the Tang court appointed ar official at Guangzhou to be in charge of sea navigation and foreign trade.At the same time，overseas merchants who visited the Tang Empire purchased large quantities of pottery vessels and porcelain and shipped them abroad.Since the Tang Dynasty，the sea route continued to expand to various countries in Asia，Africa，Europe an other regions.Later，people called this route as”The Pottery and Porcelain Sea Route.
Pottery and porcelain are easily broken.In ancient China，horses and camels were the main means of transport along the Silk Road，and in addition，the road transportation couldn’t assure the safety of pottery and porcelain.Therefore，many famous kilns were built along the coastal areas for sea shipment，and the main ports included Guangzhou，Quanzhou，Xiamen and Macao.
