Since Ming Shiwan broke the single export of daily-use pottery. Many art, garden-building and industrial pottery were exported to overseas constantly, especially the garden-building pottery, which was extremely popular among the Southeast Asia people. And now Shiwan tiles have been completely kept at the temples of nearly one hundred places during Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao. The decorative pottery has no way to calculate. Shiwan Gongzai" was made by chance at a craftsman's pleasure, and most of Gongzai were used for self-appreciation and gifts to friends. Gradually, it became a valuable merchandise exactly because of the vivid image to attract people purchasing. The earliest and biggest buyers were the Netherlands and the East Indian Company. And from early to middle Qing a lot of Shiwan art pottery were exported by East Indian Company from Guangzhou and now they are dispersed at those European museum.



Jade vase (Ming)


Colored-glaze unusual strength Man (Yuan )
More kind and subject of Shiwan pottery came forth after Ming dynasty, even some daily working and living scenes of common people, such as fishing, cutting, farming, reading, feeding, drinking, playing and patting the mosquito, digging the ears. Also kinds of familiar things, i.e. flowers, birds, bugs, fishes, beasts, fresh vegetable, Buddha, the eight immortals, god of longevity, some moral conceptions got the thorough representation, whatever justice or depravity, safety, respect or loving, in Shiwan pottery art. Here is an example that in late of Qing was an image of European aggressor used as the out-appearance of a chamber pot made out to express common people revolting aggressors. Therefore, it was said that those subjects of Shiwan pottery were a concentrated and complete book, which showed Chinese folk-custom culture.


Shallot-shaped vase with plain carving(Ming)
Kuanyin Buddha(Ming)