Site of the Glazed Tile Kiln in Yao'gang Village

Site of the Glazed Tile Kiln in Yao'gang Village

The Site of the Glazed Tile Kiln in Yao'gang Village is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangsu Province.

From March to October 2008, the Nanjing Museum conducted archaeological excavations in Yao'gang Village, Yuhuatai District. A Ming Dynasty glazed tile kiln site was discovered, which is part of the Julushan Glazed Tile Kiln Site mentioned in historical records. This kiln specialized in producing various types of glazed architectural components for imperial constructions such as the Ming Imperial Palace, the Grand Bao'en Temple, and imperial mausoleums. In fact, Yao'gang Village in Yuhuatai District derived its name from the Ming Dynasty kiln site, forming an old place name in Nanjing that has been in use to this day.

After the archaeological excavation, the Nanjing Museum relocated the best-preserved and largest of the glazed tile kilns (Kiln No. 10) in its entirety to the Nanjing Museum for protection and display. This glazed tile kiln has an irregular horseshoe-shaped plan, measuring 12.36 meters in total north-south length, 3.98 meters at its widest point, and 2.8 meters at its deepest point from the surface. It consists of four parts: the kiln door, the fire pit, the kiln chamber, and the chimney. In front of the kiln door, there is a brick-built fireproof wall. The kiln bed is equipped with several flue holes used to control the flame so that the rising flames do not simply pour toward the rear of the kiln chamber, allowing the flames to cover all the items being fired. This ensures more even heating of the pottery blanks, greatly improving the success rate of glazed tile production.

On October 22, 2002, the Site of the Glazed Tile Kiln in Yao'gang Village was designated as part of the fifth batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangsu Province