The Ambient Green Flow is an exhibition focuses on Asian countries which have a long history of celadon making. It should be easily noticed that this exhibition is not simply about ancient vessels or contemporary artwork; it presents celadon wares from both ancient and modern times. Throughout the history, the skills of the making of celadon, a classic single color glaze, have dispersed from China to all around the world. The techniques were adopted first by Goryeo (today's Korean) people, and then by Japanese. These countries have developed amazing ceramic culture and became the leading pioneers of ceramic art in the world. Against this backdrop, the exhibition is intended to show the fullness of celadon in East Asia. Ancient celadon objects from China, Goryeo, and several famous kilns in Japan are exhibited for viewers to have a picture of the history and development of celadon ware. The collections from museums in China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan allow viewers to have a peek into the classic celadon beauty and an understanding that contemporary celadon culture is rooted in traditions.

The Origin and Dissemination of Porcelain
Celadon is believed to first appear during the Shang (1600-1046BC) and Zhou (1045-256BC) Dynasties in China in the form of proto-porcelain (i.e. ash-glazed stoneware fired in a reduction atmosphere). During the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220AD), celadon wares with beautiful hues were produced in the Shangyu area in Zhejiang Province, China. Through the Jin dynasty (265-420), Tang dynasty (618-907), and Five Dynasties (907-960), Yue wares were the representatives of Chinese celadon making reaching its first peak. In the Song dynasty (960-1279), the celadon culture was beaming in every way with the establishment of distinguished kilns, including Ru Kiln and Yaozhou Kiln in the Northern Song dynasty, and Guan Kiln and Longquan Kiln in the Southern Song dyansty. The history of celadon ware had closely connected with the development of ceramics in China. Although Longquan kiln had been on the decline since the mid of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), today it has once become a major location for the creation and production of celadon ware. Goryeo celadon started in the 9th century and was influenced by the style of Chinese Yue wares and Ru wares. By the beginning and the mid of the 12th century, the Goryeo celadon culture developed its unique inlay techniques and designs, and entered its golden age. Xu Jing, a Chinese envoy and scholar of the Northern Song dynasty, wrote his praise of the celadon wares in the Xuanhe Fengshi Gaoli Tujing (which means “an illustrated description of the Chinese embassy to Korea during the xuanhe period”) that, “The color of Goryeo porcelain is so beautiful that the people of Goryeo call it jade. The celadon wares made recently are especially exquisite and with superb hues.” However, starting from the mid of the 13th century, Goryeo celadon was in decline just like the fate of the Goryeo dynasty, which was invaded by Mongolians. It was later replaced by the style of Buncheong ware (gray-green ceramics decorated with powder) in the Joseon dynasty (1392-1897). Today, celadon has become an emblem of Korean traditions and has an esteemed position in the Korean culture.

Japanese began porcelain making when Buncheong potters discovered porcelain clay in the Arita area, Kyushu. Based on techniques and styles acquired from China and influenced by the Korean peninsula, they gradually created their own style. Other than the splendid styles of the well-known Imari wares, Arita wares and Nabeshima wares - produced exclusively for the ruler of Nabeshima-han - are all loved by people today for their low-key and elegant fashion. The bold decorative patterns of flowers, trees, plants, and the scenery on Nabeshima wares are actually influenced by Chinese ceramic techniques.

The Origins of the Ancient Celadon Exhibits
Regarding Chinese ceramics, there is an expression that says “Green wares in the south and white wares in the north.” In this exhibition, 60 celadon pieces are contributed by the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, which is located in the province where celadon is originated. They are proto-porcelain (proto-celadon) and wares from important kilns, including Yue kilns, Longquan kilns, Ou kilns, and Wuzhou kilns, made in the Western Zhou dynasty, the Warring States Period, the Han dynasty, the Three Kingdoms period, the Jin dynasty, the Tang dynasty, the Five Dynasties, the Song dynasty, the Yuan dynasty, the Ming dynasty, and the Qing dynasty. It is hoped that together they may outline the history of celadon in Zhejiang. Yue wares and Longquan wares are particularly in the spotlight, for they exist longer, have bigger kiln family trees, and wider and deeper influence over neighboring countries. The Chang Foundation in Taiwan provides a total of 140 celadon samples from various periods and kilns, including Yue kiln, Ru kiln, Yaozhou kiln, Guan kiln, and Longquan kiln, presenting concretely the different patterns and designs used in different historical stages. In addition, it is commendable that the foundation provides 27 intact Yaozhou wares and Longquan wares for the exhibition. Despite that this exhibition may not be able to present every aspect of ancient Chinese celadon; it may still provide a general idea of the overall development. It is hoped that in the future there will be opportunities displaying Jun wares and pieces from the Tongan and Cizao kiln sites in the Fujian province.
Thirty (30) Korean celadon exhibits are contributed by the Gangjin Celadon Museum and several individuals to showcase the development of Goryeo celadon from the beginning to its flourishing period. Moreover, two essays are presented to confirm that Goryeo celadon is the fruit of frequent political, economic, social, and cultural exchanges between China and the Korean peninsula. The essay prepared by Sung-uk Han states the current status of research on Goryeo celadon wares and gives an analysis of the development and distribution. The other essay, presented by Kee-in Sung, proposes that the shape, pattern, and firing skills of Goryeo celadon not only are directly influenced by the Yue kiln in the Zhejiang province, China; but also have some level of original uniqueness when Goryeo had more exchanges with more kilns in both the north and the south of China, such as Yue kiln, Changsha kiln, Ru kiln, Cizhou kiln, Longquan kiln, Ding kiln, kilns in Jingdezhen, and Yaozhou kiln.The porcelain production in Japan started later than that in China and Korea. It was not until the 17th century was the making of porcelain, including celadon, found in Arita, Kyushu, Japan. This exhibition introduces 53 pieces from the Kyushu Ceramic Museum's ancient celadon collection, revealing the appearance of Arita wares and Nabeshima wares during the 17th and the 18th century; and 2 pieces from the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum—Sanda ware and Seto ware made in the 19th century. Furthermore, the essays written by Tatsuya Mori, Kouji Oohashi, and Yukio Suzuta may help the public to have more understanding regarding the influence of China over Japanese celadon making, the demand for and the production of celadon in Japan from the 12th to the 18th century, and the transformation of celadon style in the 19th century.

artists and locality, and the historical and cultural context, when observing China's celadon creation of the day.
In terms of Korean celadon, 12 ceramic artists present their artwork in this exhibition, disclosing that Korean celadon culture is stepping on the way of innovation. These works of art are of a mixture of styles. Some focus on classic traditions; some on reinterpretation of traditions, and still some on embellishing their works with a bit of celadon features. When it comes to exhibits from Japan, artwork made by 12 Japanese artists—some are royal artisans, and some, Living National Treasure—give viewers a glimpse of the development process of contemporary ceramic art in Japan. These pieces of art are either of neoclassic style with the Song dynasty reminiscence, of a combination of abstract form and modern concepts, or of “traditional modernity”.
Although there are still many questions to be answered regarding the long history of celadon development, the essays presented by some experts in the field along with this exhibition have imparted the value of celadon antiques from Taiwan, China, Korea, and Japan. Chinese celadon wares are of special interest, for China is the origin of pottery and it has thousands of years of history in celadon making. Goryeo celadon and Japanese ceramics, of which skills were obtained from and influenced by Chinese at the very beginning, now both have their own unique styles and demonstrate a high level of artistry.Today, when celadon artists from the above mentioned areas continue to pass on the artistic heritage, they also have smelled new trends of next generation. By tracing the celadon history, exploring the evolution of styles, transiting between aesthetic paradigms, reproducing regional culture, and manifesting features of the time, they have extended the possibilities of celadon and created new languages for contemporary ceramic art, which are exactly the new vision this exhibition intends to portray.