A Brief Examination on the Native Place of the Official Craftsman of the Imperial Porcelain Factory in the Ming Dynasty

During the Ming Dynasty, strict management methods were implemented for craftsmen. Those with special skills in the handicraft industry were classified as “artisan households” or “rotating craftsmen”, who were required to serve in the capital on a regular basis. Alternatively, they could be designated as “resident craftsmen” and serve in the capital for extended periods. The court maintained long-term control over these craftsmen, ensuring their generations of service to the imperial court. However, the specific management system for official craftsmen in the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln, as an exemplary institution of court handicrafts during the Ming Dynasty, lacks clear and precise documentation in historical records. As a result, previous understanding of the official household registration system for craftsmen in the imperial kiln during the Ming Dynasty has been relatively unclear. Through re-examining the relevant materials and combining them with dialectical analysis, it is preliminarily confirmed that the Ming court employed a household registration management system for the craftsmen in the imperial kiln that differed from that of other court handicrafts. This institutional arrangement not only reflects the court’s emphasis on porcelain production but also constitutes one of the significant reasons for the continuous innovation and high productivity of the imperial kiln.