Chinese Handicrafts --- Porcelain

Porcelain has been in use for over 4000 years in China. It is made from special white clay and fired at a temperature of 1280 degrees C. There are a couple different ways in which these items are decorated. The most common today is molded, decorated and glazed. Others are molding, enameled,than re-fired. The third type is underglaze in blue and red. The Chinese have always been extremely proficient at porcelain work and have produced numerous pieces that look like coral, glass, stone and many other materials.