As we all know, there are many historical relics made up of pottery remained from the ancient times. When foreigners come to learn Chinese in China, one important kind of pottery is the “colored pottery”. The pigments are hematite powder and manganese oxides. By using the brush-like tool, people draw all kinds of patterns and designs on the ceramic surface. After they are burned in the kiln, the pottery with black, red and white on the basis red color are formed.

The colored pottery technology was one of the principles in original crafts of the Neolithic Age in China. It was formed during the period of Yangshao Culture seven thousand years ago. Students who study Chinese in China should also know that it was the most powerful branch with the longest duration in the period of the Neolithic Age in China.

The colored pottery technology in Yangshao Culture was the sample of colored pottery technology in China because it reached a very perfect degree. The colored pottery bowl with human face and fish veins unearthed in Shanxi province in 1950s is a representative of the colored pottery technology in Yangshao Culture.

This colored pottery bowel is as high as 16.5 centimeter. The circumference of the bowel mouth is 39.5 centimeter. It is a red pottery made up of fine silt. Inside the bowel, there are two pairs of symmetrical patterns with human face and fish veins. The human face is round, the lift side of the face is painted black and the right is painted as a black arch. Some students who study Mandarin in China may be told that it shows the customs at that time.

There are two distortional fish veins beside the mouth. The fish head coincides with the human mouth, adding two pairs of small fish and forming a combination of the fish and human. When foreigners come to learn Chinese in China, they should know that this theme is related to the totem worships and economy life in ancient times. The fish decoration was the reflection of their life and symbolized people’s expectation to be wealthy.

In brief, from this colored pottery bowl with human face and fish veins, we can see that the pottery technology at that time was developed in a high degree. It also shows the life in ancient times.