Ceramics Preferred to Silk of the Highest Quality

When foreign envoys arrived in the Ming court to pay tribute, they received many goods as forms of reward. This gave rise to the unique phenomenon of using political relationships of tribute and rewards to conduct international trade. Ceramics were among the most coveted items as a reward. Some nations declared that they valued ceramics more than top quality silks. Some nations' envoys even traveled to the Longquan area in order to purchase ceramic wares directly and resell them in other markets. Longquan wares have also been discovered among goods recovered from sunken ships, further demonstrating their popularity during this period. Many nations also started to imitate the ceramic wares of the Longquan kiln, adding local characteristics to ornament their industry's wares

Floral-rimmed small dish with incised floral design
Jingdezhen ware with Xuande mark
Ming Dynasty

Dish with impressed fish design Sankampaeng, Thailand

Large dish with incised floral design Sisatchanalai, Thailand