Fine china for fine dining
Exquisite tableware is the best accompaniment to fine dining. For the last 60 years, Tatung chinaware has had an important place on dining tables.
The company’s history can be traced back to the early years following the handover of Taiwan to ROC rule at the end of World War II. Before the founding of Tatung Chinaware, Taiwan lacked refined porcelain products. This was due to a lack of the necessary technology and raw materials. At a family gathering, founding chairman Liao Changgeng put forward the idea of raising capital and setting up a porcelain factory.
The factory at Zhuwei, in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District, is where Tatung Chinaware got its start. “At that time we obtained technical guidance from Japan for only one NT dollar,” says Peter Liao, the second-generation heir to the company. By happenstance, there were ties of friendship with the Japanese ceramics manufacturer Sango (now part of the Seiko Epson group), who assisted in constructing the factory.
After importing Taiwan’s first tunnel-type biscuit kiln, reduction firing kiln, and decorating lehr in 1960, Tatung created the first fully integrated modern chinaware factory in Taiwan, and began mass production of high-quality porcelain, marking a major milestone in the development of Taiwan’s ceramics industry.
With technical assistance from the Japanese, Tatung imported clay and kaolinite from the UK, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, as well as china stone, silica sand, and feldspar from Japan and Korea. On August 10, 1963 they produced the first fully vitreous ceramic product made in Taiwan. “Based on what I’ve heard from the older generation, that was really a euphoric time. Dealers came cash in hand to the factory to compete to purchase our products,” says Liao with a smile.
In 1966 Tatung built a second factory in Xiangshan Township, Hsinchu County (now a district of Hsinchu City). “This was done in order to access the rich supply of natural gas in the area,” explains Liao. Ten years later, they built their third factory in the county’s Xinpu Township. “That was a period of rapid growth for Tatung Chinaware.” Total factory floor area more than doubled, from 25,000 to 53,000 square meters. “In February 1985 the company was granted the right to use the CNS mark on ceramic tableware for daily use, becoming the first firm in this line of business to do so.” In that glorious era, Tatung Chinaware became a trusted brand among Taiwanese citizens, and it was popular as a gift item or a prize in raffles. The festive, auspicious designs and colors on Tatung’s “Wanshou” (“Long Life”) series symbolized wealth and prosperity, and these were often the most sought-after collectibles for occasions such as weddings and housewarmings.
Tatung Chinaware offers a wide variety of products. Among them, their all-white tableware offers a clean, pure look rather than colorful patterns. When it hit the market it created a sensation, and it still remains popular today.