The earliest underglaze blue on white ceramics was in the Tang Dynasty.

They were produced in small numbers but at several kiln sites, including Gongxian as with these two examples.

The blue in the Tang Dynasty used a domestic cobalt-based pigment and an imported pigment, both being in very short supply.

In the Song Dynasty underglaze blue ceramics were still made, but again in very small quantities.

Domestic cobalt-containing minerals were the primary component of the blue decoration during the Song Dynasty.

The Yuan Dynasty was a pinnacle of blue underglaze decoration. The ruling Mongols opened trade routes, allowing blue cobalt ores to be imported in large amounts. From Central Asia, this blue was referred to as Muslim Blue 回教青 or Samarra Blue 麻里青.