Despite most factories in Jingdezhen being modernized, 虽然景德镇多数工厂 都已现代化 a careful search in the hills around the city 但细心走访城市外缘的山坡 reveal a group of men who still operate the same type of production-line which 500 years ago allowed Jingdezhen to dominate the international ceramics trade. 仍可遇见坚持以5百年前让景德瓷称霸国际的 传统技艺古法烧制陶器的人
Each piece was, and still is, carefully handcrafted 他们坚持每件作品 都以手工精心打造 so a high degree of uniformity is achieved in particular styles. 如此才能维持一贯的独特风格
The fact that the process has resisted the trend to mechanization 抗拒工业化机械生产的潮流 in an industrialized world adds to the artistic value of the pieces produced here. 使此地的陶瓷 具有更高的艺术价值 For a product which is still hand-made, however, the output is prolific. 但就手工艺品而言 景德瓷的产量算得上相当高
The Jingdezhen kilns differed from their predecessors and offered a notable advantage: 景德窑和先前的陶窑截然不同 它有独到的优点 they were a new type of efficient egg-shaped kiln that allowed for exact temperature control so potters could achieve very precise color. 这种蛋型新窑能精确控制温度让陶匠烧出想要的色泽 These kilns produced the first examples of blue and white porcelain 14世纪中叶 during the mid-1 4th century, under the patronage of the Mongol court. 景德窑生产了第一批青花瓷当时是由元朝宫廷提供赞助
Its a little known fact that the famous blue floral decorative style on Ming dynasty porcelain was not originally Chinese at all,鲜少有人知道明朝青花瓷上著名的花卉图案并非源自中国 but a style imported from the middle east. 事实上它是辗转由中东传来 In fact the Chinese originally called the color ''Mohammedan blue'', 中国人最初称它“回青” after the Mohammed, the prophet of Islam. 而穆罕默德正是回教的先知
And the Mongols were very interested in trade, 蒙古人热衷贸易 and particularly with West Asia. 尤其喜欢和西亚作生意 And as you can see this very rich, cobalt blue decoration is a direct result of that trade 这种纹饰繁复的钴矿深蓝正是与西亚贸易的结果 because the cobalt was imported from Iran. 因为钴料是从伊朗进口的 They used stem cups like this for drinking some of the different types of wines they introduced to the Han Chinese. 人们用这种高足杯品尝由西方引进的 各式各样的美酒 They had a whole range of wines - fermented mare's milk, honey wine, grape wine, rice wine... 发酵后的马乳，蜂蜜酒 葡萄酒，米酒 And that was what these pieces were used for. 这就是高足杯的功用
