▁competition ▁to ▁Chinese ▁imports . ▁ ▁Chinese ▁production ▁could ▁adapt ▁to ▁the ▁prefer ences ▁of ▁foreign ▁mark ets ; ▁larger ▁cel ad on ▁d ishes ▁than ▁the ▁Chinese ▁market ▁wanted ▁were ▁fav oured ▁for ▁serving ▁pr inc ely ▁ban qu ets ▁in ▁the ▁Middle ▁East . ▁ ▁Cel ad on ▁war es ▁were ▁believed ▁there ▁to ▁have ▁the ▁ability ▁to ▁detect ▁poison , ▁by ▁swe ating ▁or ▁breaking . ▁ ▁The ▁Islam ic ▁market ▁was ▁apparently ▁especially ▁important ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁years ▁of ▁Chinese ▁blue ▁and ▁white ▁por cel ain , ▁which ▁appears ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁mainly ▁export ed ▁until ▁the ▁M ing . ▁ ▁Again , ▁large ▁d ishes ▁were ▁an ▁export ▁style , ▁and ▁the ▁dens ely ▁painted ▁decor ation ▁of ▁Y uan ▁blue ▁and ▁white ▁borrow ed ▁heavily ▁from ▁the ▁arab es ques ▁and ▁plant ▁scroll s ▁of ▁Islam ic ▁decor ation , ▁probably ▁mostly ▁taking ▁the ▁style ▁from ▁metal work ▁examples , ▁which ▁also ▁provided ▁shapes ▁for ▁some ▁vessels . ▁ ▁This ▁style ▁of ▁orn ament ▁was ▁then ▁conf ined ▁to ▁blue ▁and ▁white , ▁and ▁is ▁not ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁red ▁and ▁white ▁painted ▁war es ▁then ▁preferred ▁by ▁the ▁Chinese ▁themselves . ▁ ▁The ▁c ob alt ▁blue ▁that ▁was ▁used ▁was ▁itself ▁imported ▁from ▁Pers ia , ▁and ▁the ▁export ▁trade ▁in ▁por cel ain ▁was ▁handled ▁by ▁colon ies ▁of ▁Muslim ▁mer ch ants ▁in ▁Qu anz hou , ▁convenient ▁for ▁the ▁huge ▁J ing de z hen ▁pot ter ies , ▁and ▁other ▁ports