Note 312 — Chapter XI

Père d'Entrecolles (in his letter dated from Ching–tê Chên in 1712) makes the statement that the district of Ching–tê Chên sent regular supplies of its ware, which he terms porcelain, to the Emperor from the second year of the reign of Tam ou te (sic). Though he gives the date as 422, it is clear that he really refers to the first Emperor, Wu Tê, of the T´ang dynasty (618–627 A. D.). It is not clear how he arrived at the conclusion that the ware in question was porcelain, and as he refers to the Annals of Fou–liang as his authority, we may assume that the Chinese phrase contained the inconclusive term tz´ŭ. or t´ao. He adds that "nothing is said as to the inventor, nor to what experiments or accident the invention was due."