Eggshell porcelain find alters timeline

Through microscopic observation, composition analysis, scanning electron microscope energy spectrum and other technical means, archaeologists found that its black color coating technology was quite different from that of the painted pottery of other cultures in the Neolithic period.

Before the discovery at Qujialing, the earliest known high-temperature black glaze pottery, or primitive porcelain, dated to about 3,500 years ago in the Fubin culture.

"The eggshell pottery of the Qujialing culture has pushed back the high-temperature black glaze technology in China at least 1,000 years," professor Cui said.