Contemporary wares in Southeast Asia

The 6,000-year-old legacy of antique ceramic production in Southeast Asia that began in the prehistoric period, continued in the twentieth century at modern factories and private pottery groups throughout the region. Today, the manufacturing process is refined through the discovery of additional materials, improvements in techniques, mechanization, and increased knowledge of clay and glaze chemistry. However, the basic principles of pottery and the prime stages of production - selecting the raw materials, shaping and firing the form - remain essentially the same today as in ancient times.

Types of modern ceramic factories in Southeast Asia vary from small village workshops making folk pottery for daily use by the local population, to large mechanized factories producing copies of ancient ceramics and antique-style wares.