About 6,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, Taiwan had already developed the ceramic making, and it was not until the 17th century when the Dutch and the Spanish established Taiwan as an international trading hub and Taiwan entered a new stage in its history, that the culture of ceramics in Taiwan began to undergo significant changes.
Looking back at the development of Taiwanese ceramics over the past 400 years, there were dramatic changes in the mid-17th century, early 20th century, and mid-20th century respectively. These were all important turning points in Taiwan's history, indicating that the development of Taiwanese ceramics was deeply influenced by social, cultural, and economic factors.
This gallery will explore the relationship between ceramics and Taiwan from the 17th century onwards, starting with the overall development of Taiwanese ceramics from a social and economic perspective. It will then present the importance of ceramics in Taiwanese culture from the perspectives of Taiwan's folk beliefs, traditional life, and traditional architecture.