The Ming imperial kilns at Jingdezhen made porcelain only for the court. Pieces of good quality went to the palace. Pieces with even slight flaws were broken and buried. According to The Paper, all surplus pieces and flawed seconds of the imperial kilns were “smashed together and buried on the spot.”
Excavations at Zhushan in Jingdezhen have recovered rejected and spoiled imperial porcelain from the Hongwu to the Wanli reigns. A 2024 report counted the fragments in tons and the restored pieces at 3,168.