Sancai Tiles and Their Export Markets

Three colour work

Sancai, or three colour, handpainted ceramic tile is the peak expression of coloured glaze ceramic art and a classic form of traditional Chinese ceramic culture. The colour is intense and the drawing is deliberately unpolished, which is what gives the work its character.

Export history

Sancai handpainted ceramic tiles began to be exported to Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries as early as the nineteen eighties. In the nineties large quantities were exported to the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia, where the work found a receptive audience.

Production largely goes abroad

Domestic production of handpainted ceramic tiles is now mainly for export, with annual exports reported at more than one hundred thousand pieces, while domestic sales account for less than ten percent of output. Hand made work of this kind is a small category at home, and much of its audience is overseas.

What that means for buyers

Because the workshops already work to export, packing, sample routines and freight options are built around overseas orders rather than added afterwards. Our own pieces ship to the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.