In the later Wu Kingdom under the rule of Sun Quan and his descendants in the Three-Kingdom period the Wu area was primarily well developed, bringing about a remarkable change in the local social and economic life. Agriculture improved considerably. The Tai Lake valley had become an abundant area in the eastern Wu, with “countless patches of fertile fields”. Rice could be harvested twice a year, yielding three hu per mu (1 hu = 225kg) . As a sideline, mulberry planting and silkworm breeding were increasingly widespread .
Pottery making was an important aspect of the development of handcrafts in Sun’s Wu Kingdom, particularly the blue pottery. Judging from the unearthed kilns, tools and products, blue pottery making was then a specialized technique. Both the quality and scale took a lead in all of China. From two tombs of that period, jars , bowls , etc., all well designed and made ,indication the high standard at that time .
The Sun’s Wu Kingdom also kept frequent contacts with foreign countries , enhancing China’s prestige overseas . Prior to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, “Wu Kingdom” was another name for China in Japan.
In the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties, handicraft also made outstanding achievements, particularly in the sections of metallurgy, ceramic, shipbuilding , papermaking and textile . Technologically, the greatest achievements consisted of the improvement of steel smelting technology and the application of the “quenching method” . During the Southern Dynasties , Tao Hongjing , a man from Molin county in Danyang prefecture , invented the steel filling technique , an important ancient Chinese iron smelting technique . The so-called steel filling technique involved mixing pig iron and wrought iron , heating and beating the mixture repeatedly and finally forging it into a fine quality steel . This teel was used to make swords and farming tools , which played a very significant role in developing production .
During the Six Dynasties period, the pottery craft, particularly, blue pottery making in the Wu area , was famous . Dingshu Town in Yixing County was the place to produce the blue pottery. The quality of its shell, glaze, pattern and its firing technique all had improved remarkably. Not a few blue pottery vessels have been excavated from ancient tombs in the Wu area . The celadon wine vessel shaped like a god , unearthed from the Zhous tomb in Yixing , was very delicately made . The celadon jars shaped as persons and flying birds , unearthed from some tombs in Suzhou , were also delicately made and very elegant . Especially the blue pottery Boshan incense burner , unearthed from an ancient tomb dating back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the suburbs of Zhenjiang , had smooth , blue-green glaze and a lid shaped as ranges of mountains , making the object even more elegant and lively .
