Rizhao Black Pottery

Rizhao Black Pottery

Rizhao black pottery is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Rizhao black pottery is the most famous and typical pottery of the Longshan Culture, hailed by historians as a "treasure of primitive culture."

　　 Rizhao has a long history, and its pottery culture boasts a profound heritage. At the Longshan Culture site, dating back approximately 4,500 years, the unearthed relics were primarily pottery. The pottery mostly consists of sand-tempered ware with a dark, translucent surface and fine clay pottery that is jet-black and glossy, along with some polished black pottery. The surfaces of the vessels are mostly plain, though some are adorned with string patterns, incised lines, and perforations. All types of black pottery items are exquisitely crafted and aesthetically pleasing. In particular, the eggshell-thin black pottery cup with a high stem and openwork design is unglazed yet jet-black and shiny, with an extremely thin body and hard texture. Its walls are no more than 1 millimeter thick at the thickest point and as thin as 0.2 millimeters at the thinnest, weighing only 22 grams. The craftsmanship is so refined that it is considered unparalleled, making it a treasured cultural relic now housed in the National Museum.

　　 Rizhao's black pottery is a traditional form of Chinese ceramic art. This type of pottery is entirely pitch black and gleaming, possessing a unique aesthetic appeal that carries the rustic beauty of primitive simplicity. It is precisely this unadorned beauty that aligns with today’s fashion of returning to simplicity, making it a cherished artwork for both appreciation and collection.

　　 　Liangcheng Town is one of the important birthplaces of Longshan Culture, home to a wide variety of black pottery artifacts. The production of black pottery in Liangcheng has a history of over 4,000 years and has never ceased throughout the generations, showcasing a long-standing pottery culture. In the early 1980s, the Ceramics Department of the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology invited Li Yanxiang from Qianbianzhuang Village in Liangcheng Town to lecture on the carbonization method of black pottery production and to conduct research on eggshell pottery. In 1990, Liu Jiadong of the Liangcheng Black Pottery Factory, together with the School of History and Culture at Shandong University, researched Liangcheng's Longshan black pottery, white pottery, and red pottery, developing new products. The resulting black pottery products won the gold award at the first International Arts and Crafts Expo. In 2005, Liangcheng Town was named the "Hometown of Black Pottery."