Dapu Gaobei Porcelain

Dapu Gaobei Porcelain

　　Dapu Gaobei Porcelain: Produced in Gaobei Town. It includes celadon, thin-bodied porcelain, underglaze blue-and-white, and underglaze polychrome. Notable products are the mottled green bamboo-joint tea sets, mottled green bamboo-joint pen holders, and mottled green bamboo-joint cups, whose glazes vary in depth, all quite elegant and understated. The thin-bodied porcelain, described as "white as jade, thin as paper, bright as a mirror, and resonant as chime stones," is known as white jade porcelain — exquisitely delicate and graceful, refined and elegant. Underglaze blue-and-white porcelain vases and underglaze polychrome porcelain vases feature vibrant colors, exquisite craftsmanship, some as green as jadeite and others as white as mutton fat. This type of porcelain originated in the Song Dynasty and has a history of over 700 years.

　　 Dapu is known as the "Hometown of Ceramics," and Gaobei is both the earliest ceramic production site in Dapu County and a distribution hub for surrounding towns and villages, thus earning the titles "Porcelain Capital" and "City of White Jade."

　　　　Ceramic production in Gaobei began as early as the late Song Dynasty and has continued to develop steadily, while also influencing the ceramic industries of nearby areas such as Guangde, Pingyuan, Yinjiang, and Zhourui. Since the reform and opening up, Gaobei’s ceramic industry has gained even more vitality. Advanced new techniques and high-tech methods have been adopted in production, firing, and coloring, further improving product quality, quantity, and craftsmanship. The impact and sales of Gaobei ceramics have expanded significantly, generating considerable economic and social benefits. Gaobei ceramics have long enjoyed a prestigious reputation both domestically and internationally. In October 1986, when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited China, she specially dispatched British journalists to Dapu to purchase 45-piece sets of "Liuting Brand" blue-and-white tableware and "Sailboat Brand" blue-and-white tea sets produced by Chishan Porcelain Factory as souvenirs and gifts for the visit. Gaobei ceramics have also been selected as state gift porcelain and used in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People and the State Council Office. Dapu’s thin-bodied porcelain is a unique and renowned product of Guangdong Province, hailed as the "Flower of Guangdong Porcelain." Currently, the main products include six major categories: daily-use ceramics, craft and decorative ceramics, architectural ceramics, industrial and sanitary ceramics, and pottery. Ceramic products are mainly for export, shipped to over 100 countries and regions as well as 29 domestic provinces and cities. Gaobei Town is home to 512 ceramic enterprises, with an annual output of 2.48 million pieces and an output value of 120 million yuan. Ceramic-related economic income accounts for 56.8% of the town’s total industrial and agricultural revenue. As Gaobei is the central ceramic town of Dapu, more than 10 state-owned porcelain factories, including Overseas Chinese Porcelain Factory, Chishan Porcelain Factory, and Dapu Porcelain Factory, are located here.