Porcelain

Porcelain is a very specific kind of ceramic produced in the extreme temperatures of a kiln. Porcelain, of course, originated in China; which is how China gets its name. Early in the 16th century BC during the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC－1046 BC), the ancient prototypes of porcelain had already appeared in China. In the Tang Dynasty (618－907), the skill of making porcelain was perfected, while in the Song Dynasty (960－1279), the art of Chinese porcelain reached its peak and became popular and famous throughout the world. In 1708, the German Physicist Tschirnhausen invented European porcelain, thus ending the Chinese porcelain monopoly.