1. There are three types of porcelain, namely hard porcelain, soft porcelain and bone china. Hard porcelain comes from East Asia, mainly China, and first appeared in China in the 7th and 8th centuries. Soft porcelain is a product of early European imitation of Chinese porcelain, fired at 1200 degrees Celsius. Bone china originated in the United Kingdom. It is made of 50% animal ashes mixed with 25% porcelain stone and kaolin. It is hard, white and clear.