Chinese Porcelain in Western Mongolia (the Qing Dinasty)

Abstract

The paper examines Chinese porcelain collected at the Chinese fortress in the Khovd city, Shar Sum monastery and two archaeological sites in the Barun Khurai Depression in southwest Mongolia. Th e sites were built for Chinese military administration and Mongolian Buddhist clergy during the Qing period. Th e study concludes that the decorative motives of the porcelain refl ect the tastes of the mentioned categories of Mongolian population and is predominantly related to Tibetan Buddhism elements of the Chinese folk culture. Th e discovered material also indicates originally “non-Han” components of the Chinese history. Th e results of the study play an important role in understanding stylistic preferences in Chinese porcelain outside China. It also serves as a reference for a better evaluation of Chinese porcelain export trajectories within Central Asia and in the territories up north.