Yuan and Ming Blue-and-White Porcelain

Timeline

1. 1371–1374Zhushan, Jingdezhen · JingdezhenIn the early Ming the court established an imperial kiln at Jingdezhen, continuing Yuan blue-and-white firing techniques. Hongwu blue-and-white used mainly domestic cobalt, with greyish-blue tones and simpler, more regular motifs—commonly flowers, cloud-dragons, and interlocking lotus—marking the transition in Yuan-Ming blue-and-white style.
2. 1375–1378Jingdezhen private kiln district · JingdezhenBesides the imperial kiln, Jingdezhen private kilns fired large quantities of blue-and-white bowls, dishes, and jars for domestic use and foreign trade. In the mid-to-late 1370s private-kiln blue-and-white came in diverse shapes, some shipped via Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and other ports to the South Seas, continuing the Yuan export porcelain tradition.
3. 1378–1380Sulu Sea, Philippines · Sulu SeaIn the late 14th century Chinese blue-and-white circulated widely via the maritime Silk Road, found at sites in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the East African coast. By the late 1370s blue-and-white had become a signature ware carrying aesthetic and technical standards in cross-cultural trade.