瓷器是中國古代最伟大的发明之一，而浙江又是瓷器的故乡，从夏商时期创烧原始瓷器，经历周至东汉初期的发展，在东汉中期前后创烧了成熟瓷器，并由此迎来了中国瓷器发展的又一波高峰，以致唐代之前的浙江制瓷史，几乎等同于中国的制瓷史;而后大量输出到海外市场，成为丝绸之路上最大宗商品。

一部陶瓷史，半部在浙江。

Ceramic was one of greatest inventions of ancient China. Zhejiang was a birthplace of ceramic. In the Xia and the Shang dynasties， Zhejiang produced proto-porcelain. Thanks to the development of proto-porcelain from the Shang Dynasty， the Zhou Dynasty to the early period of the Eastern Han Dynasty， Zhejiang was able to produce fine porcelain in mature technology in the middle period of the Eastern Han， which was a peak in the history of ceramic history of China. Porcelain making in Zhejiang before the Tang Dynasty is considered adequate and comprehensive enough to represent nearly the whole history of porcelain making of the nation. After the birth of the Tang， porcelain was shipped in large quantities from China to overseas markets. In fact， porcelain was the biggest commodity on the Marine Silk Road. It is correct to say Zhejiang accounts for half of the ceramic history of China.