"Goddesses inhabit the rooms inside; a perfumed haze covers their bodies of jade: the plaintive music of a flute pursues the limpid sound of the zither." Tao Fou (8th century)
The Mongol occupation of China lasted only a short time. Subjected to popular uprisings from 1348, within less than a century their rule came to its end. One of the rebellion leaders, Zhu Yuanzhang, proclaimed himself Emperor of the Ming under the name Hongwu and set up a capital at Nanjing ("Southern Capital"). The rule of the Ming, which was absolutist, would last 276 years and see the reign of 17 sovereigns.
Yong-Le, one of the greatest of the dynasty's sovereigns, left Nanjing for Beijing ("Northern Capital") in 1417, where he had the most fantastic Imperial City of China built. Of the original 5,200,000 m2, there remain today 720,000 m2 of this "Forbidden City," which was accessible only to its inhabitants. Yong-Le's reign was thus marked by major undertakings in urbanism and architecture - many of the buildings have since been restored - not only in the capital, but at Suzhou (the Venice of China), a site offering the most beautiful gardens in all of China, to which the mandarins enjoyed repairing.
The monumental sculpture of the period seems decadent in comparison to that of the Tang (by which it was inspired): it emanates vigor rather than spirituality, as can be seen in the figures, personages and animals, along the alley leading to the Ming tombs, near Peking (Beijing). The glazed earthenware statuettes of dragons, phoenixes, and riders adorning the temple and palace rooftops are of greater interest.
Craftsmanship, less popular for some time, met with new enthusiasm in the early 15th century. Lacquerware - carved, painted, and gilt - together with ivory figurines (kouan-yin), tapestries woven in silk, goldsmith objects, hard stones and, especially, cloisonné enamels, all bear witness to the Ming taste for color and luxury.
The history of ceramics in China now became inseparable from that of its porcelains, with the most beautiful of these wares produced by the royal manufactory of Jingdezhen (Jiangxi): pieces with painted decors in underglaze blue or red, or in enamelled colors. The most typical shapes were flared, narrow-mouthed and gourd. Other objects soon became widespread as well: ink stands, brush holders, water pots, decorative animal figurines, and still more. The famous "blue-and-white" porcelains would come to their fullest and most diversified blossoming during the period from the 14th to the 17th century. The related polychrome porcelains in the "contrasted color" style were of extremely delicate facture and are considered, by Chinese critics, to be the most precious wares of all: the outlines of the decor motifs are done in underglaze blue prior to their enamelling.