The Concept of the Five Famous Wares of the Song Dynasty —A Modern Invention

The concept of the five famous wares of the Song dynasty is a fundamental theory that has influenced both researching and learning about Chinese ceramics. Archaeological excavations carried out since the 1950s and particularly during the past two decades have provided modern scholars with many and precious pieces of information that have deeply changed our understanding of the history of Chinese ceramics. They have also undermined the concept itself, but when discussing Ding, Ru, Jun, Guan or Ge experts seldom resist the temptation to remind that it is one of the five famous wares. The aim of this paper is to trace back when and how this definition was coined, by combing through Chinese sources.