The Chinese produced earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain pottery and they used their ceramics for a variety of utilitarian, architectural, and ceremonial purposes. | The shape and decoration of ceramics produced for religious use in China were influenced by Chinese ceramics produced for export. | As a result of trade relations, Chinese ceramic production changed and Chinese influenced the ceramics production of other countries. | Chinese burial ceramics have the longest and most varied history of production and were frequently decorated with written texts that help scholars date them. | Before China had contact with the West, the meaning of various designs used to decorate Chinese ceramics was well understood. | Ceramics made in imperial factories were used in both religious and non-religious contexts. |