Production and Circulation of Proto‐Porcelain in China During the Western Zhou Period: Evidence From Scientific Analysis of Proto‐Porcelain From Zhouyuan and Other Areas

ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyse the chemical composition of proto‐porcelain bodies and glazes from the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in the Zhouyuan area of Shaanxi Province and to explore the characteristics of their chemical composition. The results indicated that the raw materials used for the proto‐porcelain bodies from Zhouyuan exhibited chemical features similar to those of porcelain stone resources that are abundantly found in southern China. Significant variations in the chemical composition of the bodies were observed between the early, middle and late phases of the Western Zhou period. Furthermore, principal component analysis was conducted on the chemical composition data of proto‐porcelain bodies excavated from major archaeological sites and tombs of the Western Zhou period in both northern and southern China. Combining scientific compositional analysis and published archaeological research, we infer a plausible circulation route of proto‐porcelain during the Western Zhou Dynasty: proto‐porcelain manufactured in the Zhejiang–Fujian region was transported northwards via the Hubei–Jiangxi Yangtze River corridor into the Jianghan Plain. The wares then passed through the Suizao Corridor into the Nanyang Basin, before being distributed to northern areas including Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan and Shanxi. This study proposes a plausible circulation system for Western Zhou proto‐porcelain, providing valuable insights into understanding the production and distribution of proto‐porcelain from a new perspective.