Exquisite craftsmanship and design were hallmarks from the outset of a product always in global demand, Deng Zhangyu and Ma Zhenhuan report.

How would a celadon craftsman in Longquan, Zhejiang province, have spent his day hundreds of years ago when the jade-green porcelain produced there was the center of a global frenzy?

He likely had to keep working day and night to produce as many pieces as possible to meet orders from Persia, Japan and India. Most probably, he had to ask family members and relatives to help with the heavy workload.

Ceramics recovered from shipwrecks in ancient ports worldwide are testament to the large quantities of celadon exported to other parts of Asia, Europe and East Africa, according to Liu Ying, director of the Celadon Museum in Longquan.