Site of the Kiln Cluster on Dayao Road

Site of the Kiln Cluster on Dayao Road

The Site of the Kiln Cluster on Dayao Road is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Site of the Kiln Cluster on Dayao Road is located in Nanchang District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. It consists of brick and tile kiln ruins dating from the Ming to the Qing dynasties. Originally, there were 108 kilns situated along Dayao Road on the east bank of the Grand Canal and on the south bank of Bodu Port, stretching approximately 1.5 kilometers. This site was one of the major ancient production areas for bricks and tiles in China. In May 2013, it was approved and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

The Dayao Road Kiln Cluster is located at the end of Nanchang Street, right next to the canal. The history of brick firing here began during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty and continued until the 1950s, spanning nearly 600 years. At that time, there were 108 brick and tile kilns along the canal, and the phrase "ten li of kilns along the lower canal" described the scene of continuous flames and smoke, marking an unprecedented boom. The soil quality outside Wuxi’s southern gate was excellent, firewood was readily available, and river transport was convenient, all of which contributed to the flourishing of this ancient industry of brick-making.

The bricks and tiles fired in these kilns were of high quality, used either for civilian or official purposes. Some of the sturdy blue bricks used in the ancient city walls of Nanjing were made in Wuxi. Over time, the manual kilns have become a thing of the past. Today, only about 40 brick kilns remain along Dayao Road, with just 19 of them being relatively well-preserved. Nevertheless, this site remains the largest preserved cluster of brick kiln ruins in the Jiangnan region.

In 2008, as part of the development of the Nanchang Street Historical and Cultural Block in Wuxi, the kiln cluster was incorporated into the area. Built upon the foundation of an old factory, it was expanded into the Wuxi Kiln Cluster Ruins Museum, which includes three representative brick kilns: Chen’s Big Kiln, Chen’s Small Kiln, and Liu’s Outer Kiln. Equipped with lighting and sound effects, the museum aims to recreate a piece of history. The brick firing process is quite complex, involving 16 steps from mud molding and firing to kiln unloading. A single ordinary brick requires 15 days of intense heat and 7 days of slow firing to be completed — such resilience and perseverance are forged in this very process.

The kilns in Dayao Road all belong to the type known as small-mouthed, domed, downdraft kilns. Once the kiln roof is sealed, the flames move downward and exit through various flues, ensuring even firing of the brick and tile molds throughout the kiln. This minimizes defects such as over-fired tops and under-fired bottoms, resulting in uniformly high-quality bricks and tiles.

Bricks and tiles are the product of the spiritual fusion of earth, water, wood, and fire. The history of tiles can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, while bricks appeared later, originating in the Warring States period, initially used for tombs. From the Wei-Jin period through the Tang Dynasty, bricks began to be used above ground, but mainly for structures like Buddhist pagodas. During the Song Dynasty, the lower parts of building walls started to be constructed with bricks, while the upper sections remained rammed earth. It wasn’t until the Yuan Dynasty that bricks became fully integrated into Chinese architecture, being widely used in walls, floors, bridges, archways, and more.

The emergence of beamless hall architecture during the Yuan and Ming dynasties pushed the use of bricks and material mechanics to the extreme. The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty stands as the largest brick structure in China. Brick carvings represent a unique art form among bricks, rich in cultural significance, and traditional architecture provided them with expressive space. A handful of yellow earth ultimately evolved into culture — firing is just a process, but the wisdom condensed within it must not be overlooked.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units