The earliest ceramics were created as imitations of jade, often referred to as "false jade," using ordinary materials to pursue an ideal of infinite perfection. This intent led to the ultimate expression of craftsmanship and the necessity of its transmission. To ensure perfection at every stage, each craftsman held a specific role, often dedicating their entire life to it. ​ Sometimes, even on a single piece, one artisan would paint plum blossoms while another painted bamboo. To this day, Jingdezhen artisans remain exceptionally skilled in creating flawless finished products through a purely handmade assembly line, rather than using ceramic art as an expressive medium. This meticulous craftsmanship has established Jingdezhen's unparalleled reputation for quality. ​ We also visited lacquerware and curium porcelain, which became the origin of the Japanese style of object mourning and wabi-sabi around 1578, when people began to accept imperfect porcelain and curium porcelain (the predecessor of kanji).