Why is Blanc de Chine linked with Dehua porcelain?

Blanc de Chine refers to white porcelain made in Dehua County in Fujian Province. French traders started using the phrase during the 1800s after large quantities of Dehua porcelain reached Europe through shipping networks connected with Canton and earlier Dutch trade routes. Blanc de Chine translates into English as “White from China.” Most examples date from the late Ming dynasty through the Qing dynasty. Dehua porcelain stood apart from blue-and-white export ware produced in Jingdezhen. Dehua artists focused on creamy white glaze, religious figures, incense holders, libation cups, brush washers, and animal sculptures. Guanyin statues became one of the best-known forms. Some reached heights above 50 centimetres, needing careful firing methods inside dragon kilns built along hillsides. Museum studies show kiln temperatures often passed 1,200 degrees Celsius. Such heat gave Dehua porcelain strong vitrification and a glass-like finish. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London holds major Blanc de Chine collections dating from the 1600s.