Essay Correction-please help!!

I have to write a paper (not really an essay, more of a review) on an object from a museum I went to for my history class. However, I'm not a very good writer, and my teacher grades extremely harshly and I need to do well! Can you please read it over and correct it if possible? Thank you!

White Dish-From East to West

When I went to the Museum of Natural History to see the exhibit, “Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World”, I was not sure quite what to expect. I walked through the exhibit slowly, looking at all of the interesting objects. I was looking at an instrument used to tell time based on where the stars were, when a guide came up to me and started explaining how to use it. She was very kind and showed me around the exhibit and told me more about the objects than what was listed on the tags. I believe the most interesting object that she pointed out to me was a white dish, which I probably would not have paid attention to if not for her description. This small, porcelain dish showed so much history about China and trade along the silk road.

The dish was titled ‘White Dish-From East to West.’ It is named this because it clearly states the description, and also because it came from Eastern China to Western countries as it was traded from place to place. The dish itself was small, and had simple designs around the edge. I asked for more details about it. The guide said that the porcelain dish is not glazed as it appears to be. The dish is called high-fire ceramics, meaning it gives off a shine. Like the name describes, the dish is put under a very hot temperature and gives off a glow at the end. The dish itself is made out of a white clay called Kaolin, which is one of only a few things that can be put under high-fire.

I asked about porcelain and the history surrounding it. Porcelain was invented in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 AD to 907 AD), but the idea of ceramics began during the Han Dynasty. “In addition, artisans produced delicate jade and ivory carvings and fine ceramic figures,” (106). This is why expensive dinner plates called china have such a name. Porcelain was valued around Asia and Europe. In Arab and Persian houses, the two most valued things were clay pots and white porcelain. However, porcelain was high in demand and therefore very expensive. Islamic merchants traveled by sea and traded glass and other things for these Chinese ceramics. Other places tried to make porcelain and eventually succeeded in developing new styles and techniques, but never could make the original prize.

I thought that this object was fascinating because of all the history surrounding such a tiny piece of art. Today, people do not spend a lot of time wondering where their dishes come from, but with a little research, a person can learn so much.