陶瓷之谜第 1 课

Venice, Italy in the year 1295. 1295年，意大利的威尼斯
Marco Polo returns to his family home after spending 24 years in the fabled land of China, 马可波罗终告返乡
之前他在神秘的中国 羁留了24年
where he learned the secrets of the orient in his position 他在那儿研究东方的奥秘
as advisor to the great Mongol ruler of China, Khubilai Khan. 并在伟大的蒙古统治者 元世祖忽必烈手下担任顾问

His relatives had given him up for dead. And so when the shabby Polo showed up at the family door, looking more like a Mongol than Venetian they would have nothing to do with him! 他的亲戚认定他早已命丧他乡 因此 当酷似蒙古人的马可波罗 衣衫褴褛地出现在自家门口时 亲戚们竟想把他赶走

But their memories were quickly refreshed when his saddlebags revealed secret treasure - gold, diamonds, jade... and a strange white translucent incense burner. 但当马可波罗从鞍袋中 取出宝物时 亲戚们便立刻认出他来
黄金，钻石，玉器 还有一只白色透明的奇特香炉
They'd never seen anything like it. 他们从没见过这样的东西

When pieces of Chinese porcelain like this one, were first seen in the West, they were so rare and exquisite that they very quickly became more valuable than gold. 中国瓷器首次现身西方时 由于十分精致罕见 很快便变得比黄金更为昂贵
Why? 为什么呢？
Because Europeans really had no idea how porcelain was made. 因为欧洲人不知道 瓷器是如何烧制而成
It was to become a mystery that would baffle and enchant the West for centuries. 这个谜困惑了西方世界 数百年之久

In China, porcelain is not called by its appearance, 中国人称其为“瓷器” 并非取其外观
but by the sound it makes when its struck 而是缘于敲击时所发出的声响

The clearer the sound, the higher the quality. 声音愈清脆，表示质地愈佳
So where do we get this word porcelain? Where does that word come from?'' 那么它的名称 Porcelain是怎么来的呢？