On "China", descriptions vary and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Pottery in general is just that, about 20% fact, 70% opinion and 10% that is left in between.

In Europe the general consensus is that a fellow named Bottger came up with the first known formula. There are varied stories as how. He was a chemist for the elector of Saxe-Coburg and one story has him tossed in jail for failing to please his boss, another has him going to China. The real truth will never be known, but he gets the credit. The color "Bottger green" is named after him. He achieves "soft paste" in a working format ca. 1700-05, according to what is known. This is what is accepted.

I have always had a few problems with the history. The Dutch were the first in the China trade and had a virtual monopoly on both spices and porcelain for a long period. They just had to know how to make a good porcelain a good 50 years before anyone else, yet they made delft, an imitation. This took me a while to understand, but the answer is simple. There is no coal in Holland. As it was not in there financial interest the Dutch neglected to let on. Coal is the key and why the European industry starts where it does is the result of the Ottoman seige of Vienna. Historical fact - the Turks used coal in their braziers. They also knew how to dig and shore up a coal mine while Europe was still using coal holes that were quick to run out. I am the only one with this opinion, but I think the need for "white gold" is the precursor to the industrial revolution.