LIAO

907 - 1125

The Liao were Khitan Mongols. Before 936 A.D. they lived in the area between present days Beijing and the sea south of the Great Wall. In 946 A.D. they establisdhed the Kingdom of Liao over a wide area of North China.

The dynasty was contemporary with that ruled by the Song, in Kaifeng.

Liao ceramics are unique in form, glaze and design but are of an original Chinese technique though some forms show Tang influence. Liao ceramics are often monochrome white and black - similar to Cizhou wares of the Yuan dynasty while other might bear a strong resemblance to Tang sancai lead glazes; the most differences are in the shapes found typically based on leather shapes and metal.

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The text is based on, CHINA - a Country Study by Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, Edited by Robert L. Worden, Andrea Matles Savada and Ronald E. Dolan. Research Completed July 1987. This version and Webpage © Jan-Erik Nilsson, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2002