How did Song and Tang contribute to porcelain production and global trade?

• A. They banned porcelain to protect domestic industries.
• B. Both dynasties refined porcelain; Song porcelain became a major export and cultural symbol.
• C. Porcelain production declined under both dynasties.
• D. Only Song refined porcelain; Tang did not.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how porcelain technology and its reach grew under two dynasties and how that shaped global trade. Both Tang and Song refined porcelain, improving body, glaze, and firing techniques, and they built networks that carried Chinese ceramics far beyond its borders. In the Tang period, porcelain development went hand in hand with expanding long-distance trade along the Silk Road, so high-quality wares—like celadon and white wares—appeared in markets across Central Asia and the Islamic world. The Song period pushed refinement even further, establishing Jingdezhen as the center of porcelain production and linking it to an expanded maritime trade network. This combination—technically better porcelain and broader, more organized trade—made Song porcelain a major export and a powerful cultural symbol of Chinese sophistication in many foreign lands. The other options don’t fit: there were no bans on porcelain, production did not decline under these dynasties, and Tang did contribute to porcelain alongside Song.