Final answer:
Chinese artisans expanded luxury goods by specializing in high-demand products such as silk, cotton textiles, and porcelain, with Jingdezhen becoming a key production center. Wealth distribution changes and aristocratic patronage of the arts led to a surge in luxury item demand and production. Workshops, both private and state-operated, crafted a variety of luxury goods, contributing to the commercialization and sophistication of the Chinese economy and culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chinese artisans expanded luxury goods through various innovations and techniques that increased the quality and quantity of these goods. In the context of a booming economy, Chinese peasants specialized in products for foreign markets, such as cotton textiles and silk - the latter involving the raising of silkworms and the intricate process of silk weaving and embroidery. Notably, Jingdezhen became a mass producer of porcelain, a luxury good highly prized in both domestic and foreign circles.
Southern China, especially around Hangzhou Bay, became renowned for its production of paper and ceramics, driven by the patronage of aristocrats who also engaged in the arts themselves. With the growth of a competitive commercial economy during the Ming Dynasty, there was a significant shift towards commercial agriculture, leading to increased production of luxury goods. The new wealth also enabled commoners to emulate nobility, fostering increased demand for luxury items and services.
Chinese civilization saw an increase in the sophistication of trade and the arts, with artisans earning wages in private and state workshops, crafting goods such as ale, leather, silk cloth, dye, bronze mirrors, iron tools, and lacquerware dishes. The Han Commanderies, for instance, produced luxury items such as silk, lacquerware, and jewelry, which they traded for raw materials. During the Tang Dynasty, the government's demand for foreign luxury goods as tribute further commercialized luxury production.