Why Jingdezhen Also Makes Ru Ware Celadon – The Story Behind It

In the long history of Chinese ceramics, there is one type of porcelain that many collectors consider the most prestigious of the Five Great Kilns of the Song Dynasty.

Its color looks like the sky, like moonlight, or like clouds after the rain. This porcelain is known as Ru Ware Celadon.

According to historical records, Ru ware first appeared during the Northern Song Dynasty.Around the year 1100, it has a history of more than 900 years. The original production area was located in Ruzhou, Henan Province, in northern China.

In the ceramic culture of the Song Dynasty, there were five famous kilns:
Ru kiln, Guan kiln, Ge kiln, Ding kiln, and Jun kiln.

Among them, Ru ware was considered the most prestigious.One of the most fascinating features of Ru ware is its color. Some pieces have a soft tone that looks like the color of the sky, often called sky blue. Others have a gentle tone similar to moonlight, known as moon white. Some glazes resemble the calm gray color of burned incense ash. Another special feature of Ru ware is the crackle pattern on the glaze surface. These tiny cracks form naturally during firing. Instead of being defects, they became one of the most admired characteristics of Ru ware ceramics.

Later in history, because of wars and political changes, the Northern Song Dynasty moved south of the Yangtze River. Along with this migration, many craftsmen from northern China also moved south. Among them were ceramic artisans, and some eventually settled in the city that would later become the world-famous porcelain center — Jingdezhen. Because of this historical connection, even today in Jingdezhen, when ceramic artists create antique-style porcelain, they still refer to this traditional style as Ru Ware Celadon.

From the imperial kilns of the Northern Song Dynasty to the ceramic studios of Jingdezhen today, Ru ware celadon has traveled through more than 900 years of history. It is not just porcelain. It is a color shaped by time.