There was as well a new maturity in the designs that embellished the pieces. According to legend, the famous Ming dynasty navigator Cheng He, on one of his forays abroad, returned to China with a new material which the Chinese called su-ma-li-ch'ing.
至於瑩潤的白瓷，則以唐代邢窯、北宋定窯最為出名。瓷器藝術發展到明代，除繼承前人技術，繼續創造出甜白、祭紅、霽青、嬌黃等釉色外，最重要的成就，是「青花瓷」技術的成熟。