Ancient Kiln Site of Langya Tiedian

Ancient Kiln Site of Langya Tiedian

The Ancient Kiln Site of Langya Tiedian is located in Tiedian Village of Langya Town and on the surrounding hillsides, and is one of the representative kiln sites of the Wuzhou Kiln system. During the 1981 cultural relics survey, 16 ancient kiln sites were discovered within the Langya Town area, most dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty. There are currently three surviving kiln sites in the Tiedian Kiln Site Cluster. They are designated as Kiln Site No. 1 (divided into Kiln A and Kiln B), Kiln Site No. 2, and Kiln Site No. 3. Kiln Site No. 1 mainly produced opaque glaze porcelain and also celadon. Kiln A is 50 meters long and Kiln B is 40 meters long; both run from north to south, are dragon kilns, higher in the south and lower in the north, with the kiln head at the north end and the kiln tail at the southern end. The kiln beds are built on the western side of the ridge, and based on the accumulation analysis, there is less accumulation on the eastern side and more on the western side, about 50 centimeters thick. The opaque glaze porcelain of Tiedian features double glazing: the first layer is applied by dipping, with a relatively thin glaze, which is then dried in the sun before a second layer of opaque glaze is applied, and then fired in a single firing process. This is a type of two-liquid phase separation glaze, also known as kiln-transmutation glaze or flower glaze. This kind of glaze has an elegant, fluorescent-like blue sheen, with very few glaze bubbles or residual crystalline phases. The glaze appears sky blue or moon white, giving a jade-like texture that is both translucent and beautiful. The glaze is rich and lustrous, further enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the ware.