CHINESE TABLE SERVICES

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A complete Chinese dinner service for ten persons consists of 148 pieces. This may be either of porcelain or silver, the latter being used only by wealthy families, while the porcelain is perhaps the more serviceable. Pewter articles were once used a great deal but they are now being rapidly displaced by the porcelain variety. Porcelain produced in Kiangsi Province is the best, because of the excellent quality of the clay available in the vicinity of Poyang Lake where more than a dozen varieties can be found. The town Ching Te Chen in Kiangsi, is responsible for nearly half of the porcelain in China. Its products are exported through the port of Kiukiang-hence they are called Kiukiang porcelains.

Ching Te Chen was one of the most important centers of the Chinese ceramic industry as far back as 200 A.D., and has since that date made the most beautiful china for the Imperial family. The famous "rice" pattern had its origin there.

The porcelain made in Kwangtung Province and exported through the city of Canton known as Canton porcelain. This is, however, a grade inferior in quality to the Kiangsi product. There are two distinct styles of table crockery in use. The new style is thin, shallow and round in shape. The decorations consist generally of Chinese figures, flowers and birds, or landscapes. White on both surfaces is the common type, although the colored variety is always obtainable. The old style of porcelain is thicker, deeper and usually hexagonal or octagonal in shape. The outer surface is usually dark blue or imperial yellow, and covered with antique Chinese designs, while the inner is generally of light blue color.

Excellent copies of the old porcelain are now made in Kiukiang. These are extremely effective as table decorations and are much admired by foreigners.

Silver table sets are only seen in wealthy families. Each set consists of two wine pots and individual wine cups, soup spoons, pairs of chopsticks, a small dish for nuts or watermelon seeds, and another for soya bean sauce, In addition to these a tiny tray is provided for the wine cup and soup spoon, and a dainty rest for the chopsticks. A table decorated with beautifully colored porcelain dishes and a well-made set of the above silver articles presents a display at once highly attractive and ornamental.