Black pottery first appeared over 6,800 years ago in China. During the Hemudu period (5500 BC to 3300 BC) shapes and forms did not show noticeable funtional improvement. The development of Shandong or Longshan Culture improved black pottery forms drastically. Pottery associated with Longshan Culture were solid and consistent in texture and the walls were as thin as egg shells. Black pottery of the Longshan Culture is counted as one of its most ingenious artistic achievements.

Black pottery used the fine clay found along the banks of the Yellow River. The craft of making black pottery declined after the Shang Dynasty (16th century to 11th century BC). It was only recently that it has become re-established as a popular handicraft.

黑陶最早出現於6800多年前的中國。河姆渡時期（公元前5500年至公元前3300年）的黑陶形狀和形式並沒有表現出其功能上明顯的變化，而山東文化或龍山文化的發展則極大地改善了黑陶的形式。龍山文化的陶器外殼堅實，質地一致，而外內壁則薄如蛋殼。因此，龍山文化的黑陶被認為是其最顯著的藝術成就之一。

黑陶的原材料為黃河沿岸的細粘土。然而，商代（公元前16世紀至公元前11世紀）後，製作黑陶的工藝匠愈發減少，使這門手藝一度被遺忘。直到最近，它才重新成為一種流行的手工藝品。