What is the traditional Chinese name for blue-and-white porcelain decorated with cobalt underglaze?

The traditional Chinese name for blue-and-white porcelain decorated with cobalt underglaze is qinghua porcelain.

Qinghua means “blue flowers” or “blue decoration,” and the term is used for Chinese blue-and-white wares. Artisans painted cobalt designs onto an unfired ceramic body, covered the decoration with a transparent glaze, and then fired the vessel at high temperature.

The technique became especially important during the Yuan dynasty and reached extraordinary refinement under the Ming dynasty. Cobalt imported from the Middle East, often called Mohammedan blue in historical sources, could produce a vivid, intense color under the glaze.

Qinghua porcelain commonly features dragons, lotuses, landscapes, flowers, and narrative scenes. It is distinct from celadon, whose identity comes from its pale green glaze, and from famille rose, a later palette using opaque overglaze enamels.