The ceramic industry of Jingdezhen in China can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. Up to the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has become a mature and professionally divided work site handicraft model. Because it has the heritage of the official kiln culture, its status has never changed even though dynasties have changed; it has always been emphasized and supported by the government. However, the competitiveness of Jingdezhen ceramic industry today is far below that of the other ceramic industry community areas in China. In order to clarify the nature of problems of the industry, this study uses the concept and theory of ¡§entrepreneurship¡¨ as well as establishment of the analytical framework to seek the historical context of Jingdezhen ceramic industry development from tradition to the modern. This study also compares it to the 18th Century rise of the English ceramic industry ¡§The Potteries.¡¨ This study finds that development of the Jingdezhen ceramic industry has not been like ¡¥The Potteries¡¨ ceramic industry of England because the social environment and industrial economic system is not conducive to the appearance of entrepreneurs, who can use entrepreneurship to optimize the internal and external conditions of the industry to create success. Such research results can not only help readers understand the current industrial situation in Jingdezhen, but can also help the government or corporate units to reevaluate the appropriateness of their developmental strategies.

Jingdezhen, bourg de la province reculée du Jiangxi, a révolutionné l’histoire de la céramique en proposant au monde dès la dynastie des Song une porcelaine par nulle autre égalée. Développant une industrie porcelainière organisée à tous les points de vue, elle en est arrivée à devenir la capitale de la porcelaine. La place qui fut accordée à la porcelaine de Jingdezhen dans les régions importatrices — Asie, Proche et Moyen-Orient, Afrique orientale, Europe et Amériques —témoigne de l’estime qu’elle gagna. Cet objet, entre art et artisanat, s’immisça dans divers aspects de la vie des populations concernées et influença ces dernières de manière plus ou moins évidente. Après un brillant passé, Jingdezhen dut faire face à une période de crise à partir de la fin de l’empire. Pour tous, sa gloire fait partie de l’Histoire. Pourtant, face à de nouveaux défis, la ville s’inscrit encore de nos jours dans sa destinée de capitale de la porcelaine. / Jingdezhen, a small town in the remote province of Jiangxi, revolutionized the history of ceramics by offering the world an unrivalled kind of porcelain since the Song dynasty. While developing a very well-organized porcelain industry it succeeded in becoming the porcelain capital. The place that was given to the porcelain of Jingdezhen in the areas where it was exported to — Asia, the Near and Middle East, Eastern Africa, Europe and America — is a testimony of the esteem it gained there. This ware, between arts and crafts, interfered in various parts of the concerned populations’ lives and influenced them in a more or less obvious way. After this brilliant past, Jingdezhen had to face a tremendous crisis since the end of the empire. One would say its glory is now over. Nevertheless, facing new challenges, the town is nowadays still living according to its fate as the porcelain capital.

The people making ceramics were considered as "artisans" (gongjiang) in traditional China. Classifying ceramics as an "art" (meishu) and potters as "artists", was a new development in the twentieth century. This thesis examines this process by comparing the experience of artisans from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, in which the imperial kilns (yuyao) were located, and from Shiwan, Guangdong province, where only civilian kilns (minyao) were found. / This thesis argues their different historical background led to the differences in their different experience. The reputation of Jingdezhen's world famous "imperial kilns" lasted into the twentieth century, and so, as Jingdezhen was subject to industrial development and technological upgrading, Jingdezhen's craftsmen came from the new technical schools which were founded to revive the ceramic industry. In Shiwan, by contrast, apprenticeship to reputable craftsmen continued to serve as artistic credential, and was made use of by patrons, commentators and publicists in promoting Shiwan's artistic tradition. / 黎麗明. / Adviser: David Faure. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 178-192) / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Li Liming.