Blanc de Chine, which is French for white from China, is the name the West hundreds of years ago gave to the white porcelain creations produced in Dehua, Fujian Province on the southeastern coast of China.
Historically, the craftspeople of Dehua created a range of white wares and other ceramic products that were widely exported along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
Today, porcelain production remains a pillar industry there, employing about one third of the county's total population of 350,000.
Dehua is one of China's leading ceramics producers, along with Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province, a city known as the "porcelain capital," and Longquan in Zhejiang Province, famous for producing its signature jade green porcelain.
Hundreds of Dehua's pure white ceramics are currently on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing, showcasing the preservation and development of this time-honored art form.
(Text and photos by Wei Yao)
