The Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Ming Dynasty were two special periods in ancient China. Especially for porcelain, the porcelain in the Southern and Northern Dynasties was still in its infancy, and the development of porcelain in the Ming Dynasty had reached its peak. Regardless of the beginning or the peak, porcelain is not only a living appliance for the ancients, but also a manifestation of culture. The green glazed chicken-head pot in the Western Jin Dynasty is the characteristic of porcelain in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and Chenghua chicken cylinder cup is also the characteristic of porcelain in the Ming Dynasty. Porcelain in both dynasties had the animal of "chicken", and what meaning chicken represented in ancient culture may be reflected in the chicken head pot and Chenghua chicken cylinder cup. The Palace Museum Collects the Eastern Jin Green Glazed Chicken Head Pot The Palace Museum Collects the Eastern Jin Green Glazed Brown Chicken Head Pot, which first appeared in the Western Jin Dynasty. In the early days, the chicken head on the chicken head pot was not connected with the pot body, but was just an ornament. After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the chicken mouth of the chicken head pot had a water outlet, and the chicken tail on the other side became a handle. This process is also the transformation of porcelain from funerary objects to daily necessities in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The first pot of early chickens was used as funerary objects. According to legend, chicken is called "soul-sucking bird", which is a necessity of funerary objects in some areas of southwest China in ancient times. Porcelain-made chicken head pot has a long storage time, which is more in line with people's needs. The green glazed dragon-handled chicken-headed pot in the Southern Dynasties was collected in the Palace Museum, and since then, the chicken-headed pot has become more and more life-oriented, which is also a manifestation of people's ideological emancipation. Chickens are the earliest domesticated animals. With the development of the times, it has been endowed with more cultural connotations. Tao Yuanming wrote in Peach Blossom Garden: Traffic in different buildings, news of chickens and dogs ... chickens represent people's yearning for rural life in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Palace Museum collects the first pot of green glazed chicken in the Western Jin Dynasty. The first pot of chicken in the Palace Museum has been popular in China for hundreds of years since the Western Jin Dynasty, and it was not until the Song Dynasty that the first pot of chicken gradually faded out of people's sight. The disappearance of chicken head pot does not mean the decline of chicken culture, but because monochrome glazed porcelain is no longer respected, but chicken culture can still be reflected in porcelain, such as Ming Chenghua chicken cylinder cup. Specifically, the full name is Ming Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cylinder Cup. Doucai is a new glaze decoration variety of Ming dynasty porcelain, which was created in Xuande of Ming dynasty, and the most respected is Doucai in Chenghua period. Ming Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cylinder Cup When it comes to Chenghua Doucai, it is necessary to say Doucai Chicken Cylinder Cup. It is said that Amin Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cylinder Cup won HK$ 280 million at the 20 14 auction. Although Doucai is a great over-glaze decoration, this chicken cylinder cup does not give people the feeling of "luxury". In the picture, a rooster and a hen are foraging with their chicks, with simple flower patterns, which are no more common than ornamentation, but such cups are priceless. Today's collectors have taken a fancy to the chicken cylinder cup and will not discuss it. What about people at that time? As the ultimate Chenghua emperor, why did he choose chicken as the decoration of Doucai porcelain? Ming Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cylinder Cup Chenghua, collected by London Museum, once lost the status of Crown Prince in childhood. Only a maid-in-waiting named Wan Zhener accompanied him when he was alone. Young Chenghua is very dependent on Wan Zhener. Later, Chenghua became emperor, and this feeling was even stronger. It is said that the Jigang Cup was specially made by Chenghua for Wan Zhener. There are hens and chickens in the picture of Jigang Cup. If the hen represents Wan Zhener, then the chicken is Chenghua. This is a nostalgia for the past and an expression of the emperor's feelings. There is also a saying that a harmonious hen can reflect a calm and comfortable family life, and perhaps this life is also a yearning of Emperor Chenghua. Although the pattern on the side of Chenghua chicken cylinder cup in Ming Dynasty is relatively simple, its value is not low, and it has been worth "100,000 yuan" in Wanli years. Due to scarcity, the value of Chenghua Chicken Cylinder Cup in Qing Dynasty has surpassed that of Song porcelain. In addition to collecting integrated chicken cylinder cups, the Qing emperors also imitated them. For the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, they may like not only the cup of chicken cylinder, but also the connotation of chicken culture.