Author(s): Songcheng Tang

Abstract: In recent years, research on the cross-cultural dissemination of Chinese porcelain has grown significantly both in China and abroad, producing an increasing number of scholarly contributions. Cultural Representation Theory, as an important analytical perspective, is frequently employed to reveal the processes of identity construction and ideological formation underlying material culture. By reviewing studies on the development of porcelain cognition in English-speaking countries, scholars can better understand how porcelain has continuously transformed its meanings through historical trade circulation, social representation, museum exhibitions, and media discourse. Such research also helps illuminate the mechanisms of cultural interaction and cognition embedded in these processes. Based on academic studies published between 2020 and 2025, this review finds that research in English-speaking countries has gradually shifted from traditional art-historical approaches toward issues of identity, power, and cultural imagination, emphasizing the symbolic role of porcelain in shaping the image of the “Orient.” In contrast, Chinese scholarship tends to focus on cross-cultural communication and the construction of national image, exploring strategies for international communication and the cultural value of porcelain. Overall, research in English-speaking countries demonstrates stronger theoretical and critical orientations, while Chinese scholarship shows a more practice-oriented focus. These two perspectives are therefore complementary in terms of both analytical frameworks and research methods. This study not only expands the application of cultural representation theory in the field of material culture studies but also provides practical insights for the international communication of Chinese cultural products and for China’s broader cultural outreach strategy.

Keywords: porcelain, cultural representation, perception in English-speaking countries, cross-cultural communication

Article Info: Received: 13 Feb 2026; Received in revised form: 11 Mar 2026; Accepted: 15 Mar 2026; Available online: 19 Mar 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.112.31