| dc.description.abstract | A Study of Tang Ying, a Ceramic Official and a Tax Outpost Supervisor
ABSTRACT
In the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, imperial kilns, which ceramic officials supervised, were established to produce ceramic crafts with refined quality. In the Qing Dynasty, a ceramic official was responsible for the supervision of ceramic crafts firing as well as the delivery of and funds raising to produce ceramic crafts. Tang Ying (1682-1756) was the most renowned and outstanding Ceramic Official. Being a bondservant (booi aha) in the Imperial Household Department, he had served three emperors: Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. Therefore, he knew the imperial preferences very well. During his office at Huaian Custom Post and Jiujiang Custom Post, he dedicated himself to the understanding and operation of porcelain affairs. He did not only help the emperors reform kiln management but also left us with precious crafts, earning high acclaim from them. In addition to achieving exemplars in firing porcelain crafts and kiln management systems, he also contributed significantly to the development of imperial kilns during the regime of Emperor Qianlong.
This thesis examines how Tang Ying helped Emperor Qianlong reform kiln management, dedicated himself to the affairs to achieve outstanding accomplishments. It also explores the other two disciplines of Tang’s careers. First, it is his loyalty, dedication, and administration ability. He was assigned the posts of supervisors in Huaian Custom Post, Jiujiang Custom Post, and Yue Custom Post, being a administration personnel of tax (his major office), as well as a porcelain official (his minor office). Working as a tax outpost supervisor for about two decades (1736-1756), it showed the emperors’ trust.
The other features of his career were his versatility. He demonstrated talents in literature, art, Chinese traditional opera, and painting. He indulged himself in the landscapes of his office places, injecting his powerful feeling of nature into his works. He closely associated with literati, esquires, ceramists, fishing people, and woodcutters, leaving us with lyrical and sincere records, represented in poetry and Kunqu opera. In his poetry and essays, he expresses his gratification of the imperial grace, the Confucian thinking of dedicating himself to the wellbeing of the emperor and people, and his intimate relationship with the emperors.
Keywords: Tang Ying, kiln affairs, ceramic official, porcelain crafts of the Qing Dynasty, tax outpost supervisor, bondservant (booi aha) | en_US |