LI Jiazhi, DENG Zequn, WU Rui

(Shanghai Institute of Ceramics ,Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract: It is generally believed that the production of Yue ware began and developed in the Eastern Han and the Two Jin Dynasties, flourished in the Tang Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty , stopped after the Southern Song Dynasty .Its sytles of products were different in different times , but they could be traced to the same origin .It is obvious that Yue ware went through its beginning , development , flourish and decline in one thousand years production history .Although the rise and decline of Yue ware production was related to politics , economy and other factors at that time , its technology should play a very important role in the process of the rise and decline .According to the research on the sherds excavated in various production places of Yue ware in successive dynasties , its rise and decline were discussed from its scientific and technological viewpoint in this paper . There didn' t exist great change in raw material for Yue ware throughout its production process .The contents of Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂ were highter .As a result bodies presented grayish white to varying degrees and glazes presented green with yellow or gray tinct .Furthermore the content of CaO was higher and those of K₂O and Na₂O were lower , there only existed thin glass glaze .Such glaze could not have jade -like appearance effect .The firing temperatures of Yue ware varied from the low temperature 1050 ℃ to the high temperature 1310 ℃.In the Eastern Han Dynasty the newly -originated dragon kilns were small .They were only about 10 meters long .The firing temperatures could be as high as 1300 ℃.But in the Song Dynasty the length of the dragon kilns were raised to 50 meters or so .Its firing temperature could only maintain 1100 ℃.Such firing temperature exerted an unfavorable influence on Yue ware .The chemical compositions for the bodies and glazes of Yue ware and its firing process as well as the rise of other famous wares in the Song Dynasty played very important role in whole process of the rise and decline of Yue ware .

Keywords: Yue green ware , rise and decline history of Yue ware , science and technology of ancient ceramics