ZHANG Yiwei ¹, XIONG Zhiwei ¹, LI Feng ², ZHONG Tongyao ¹, MA Chunyu ¹, WANG Guocai ¹

(1. Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 333002, Jiangxi, China;2. Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China)

Extended Abstract:[Background and purpose]Focusing on the golden age of Jingdezhen porcelain's global expansion during the Ming and Qing dynasties, this research investigates its international influence across artistic, economic, and cultural dimensions through three analytical lenses: The expansion of traditional international trade routes, the globalization of ceramic production technology, and the high-quality development of the global ceramic trade system. Jingdezhen porcelain, through its continuously enriched and innovated forms, motifs, and glazes, has served as dynamic mediators of transcultural exchange. These material embodiments not only captured the evolving dynamics of intercultural synthesis between Eastern and Western civilizations but also systematically materialized the philosophical ideals of perfection and harmony intrinsic to Chinese civilization. As transcultural signifiers, they established enduring spiritual archetypes that transcend temporal and spatial boundaries, while simultaneously epitomizing the profound Chinese ethos and intellectual legacy through their sophisticated material-semiotic systems. Adopting a globalization perspective, the study critically examines historical evidence and scholarly interpretations regarding ceramic trade patterns, porcelain artistic characteristics, aesthetic evolutions, and cultural dissemination mechanisms. Through deconstructing Jingdezhen porcelain's historical agency in shaping global trade networks, restructuring worldwide ceramic industry patterns, and transforming lifestyle and aesthetic paradigms, this work systematically elucidates the endogenous dynamics and cultural logic underlying Ming-Qing ceramic industry development. The findings aim to establish an interpretative framework for cross-civilizational dialogue through material culture studies, providing concrete historical references and Chinese exemplars for contemporary civilizational exchanges.[Methods]Three methods are mainly used in this research: including Cross-national Documentary Comparative Analysis, Consumption Data Tracking Research, Cross-cultural Symbolic Contrastive Study. The comprehensive methodological framework is to investigate the international influence of Jingdezhen porcelain during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Through cross-linguistic excavation of historical sources, it systematically integrated domestic archival materials such as History of Chinese Ceramics and Porcelain and the Creation of the Modern World Economy with foreign records including Appreciation of Western Antiques and Travels of a Chinese Pilgrim, establishing an empirical foundation for analyzing porcelain's global impact. By combining consumer society historiography with global microhistorical approaches, the research adopted a syncretic quantitative-qualitative methodology, utilizing Silk Road case studies to quantitatively delineate Jingdezhen porcelain's pivotal role in advancing early modern trade globalization while qualitatively examining its sociocultural embeddedness. Furthermore, leveraging cross-cultural theoretical frameworks, the investigation decoded porcelain's transformative effects on transnational ceramic aesthetics, technological hybridization (e.g., cobalt adaptation in Delftware), and quotidian practices across civilizations. This tripartite integration of archival verification, socioeconomic analysis, and cultural semiotics constructed a multidimensional analytical matrix, enabling systematic deconstruction of Jingdezhen porcelain's agency as both economic catalyst and cultural intermediary during proto-globalization, thereby laying robust epistemological foundations for theoretical conclusions about its enduring global legacy.[Results]During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the international trade of Jingdezhen porcelain elevated the Silk Road to new dimensions, diversifying the commodity spectrum and extending the network of trade routes. As a cultural medium of profound symbolic significance, porcelain enriched both the conceptual boundaries and practical applications of the "Silk Road" paradigm. The immense economic and cultural capital generated by Jingdezhen's ceramic trade not only consolidated imperial fiscal systems but also sparked global emulation and technological catch-up efforts, positioning Chinese ceramic technologies as a driving force in proto-industrial globalization. Simultaneously, Jingdezhen porcelain exerted transformative influence on global ceramic trade systems—whether as a critical agent in reshaping global trade power dynamics or as a catalyst accelerating the stratification and specialization of transnational ceramic markets. Through these material-cultural interactions, Jingdezhen porcelain expanded China's cultural soft power within the crucible of multicultural exchange, forging enduring connections between material flows and civilizational dialogues.[Conclusions]As the pivotal export commodity of imperial China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jingdezhen porcelain profoundly reconfigured Afro-Eurasian trade networks through its technical sophistication and cultural codification, exerting transformative impacts on global ceramic industry structures and civilizational exchange paradigms. These porcelain artifacts not only perpetuated the mercantile legacy of the Silk Road but also pioneered transoceanic porcelain trade corridors spanning the Indian and Atlantic maritime systems. Their circulation catalyzed the structural realignment of global ceramic commerce, precipitated the emergence of new financial hubs, and functioned as a critical accelerator in proto-globalization processes. Simultaneously, they reconstituted transcivilizational aesthetic paradigms and material culture practices through sustained Sino-foreign cultural dialogues. The transnational influence of Ming-Qing Jingdezhen porcelain epitomizes the enduring vitality of Chinese cultural production, revealing historical foundations for contemporary cultural confidence. This historical precedent offers strategic reference value for advancing cultural product globalization within China's current Belt and Road Initiative framework, particularly in navigating the interplay between heritage commodification and soft power projection.

Key words: Jingdezhen; ceramics; influence