Chinese ceramics as global commodities: a thousand years of production and trade of Chinese ceramics in the Western Indian Ocean

Abstract

This paper analyses the production and distribution of Chinese trade ceramics from AD 800 to 1900 to understand how these ceramic products became global commodities and how their production and exchange in the Western Indian Ocean evolved. Through a comparative examination of 15 well-identified product types of Chinese ceramics from 216 sites in the Western Indian Ocean, their production kilns, market circulations, and trading quantities have been identified and statistically analysed. The results suggest that the global status of Chinese ceramics in trade from China to the Western Indian Ocean depended on quality, aesthetics, utility, and the ability to navigate challenges such as logistics, production, and market barriers, highlighting the significance of market-adaptive designs in achieving global commodity success.