Baiyang Lake and Lidu Lake Yue Kiln Sites

Baiyang Lake and Lidu Lake Yue Kiln Sites

The Baiyang Lake and Lidu Lake Yue Kiln Sites are protected cultural heritage sites of Zhejiang Province.

The Baiyang Lake and Lidu Lake Yue Kiln Sites are located by Baiyang Lake and Lidu Lake in Guanhaiwei Town, Cixi City, Zhejiang Province, approximately 2.5 kilometers west of the central Yue Kiln production area at Shanglin Lake. The site consists of two kiln complexes—Baiyang Lake and Lidu Lake—with dense distributions at Shima Lane in Baiyang Lake and Fengshu Bay and Lizishan in Lidu Lake. In 1982, they were respectively designated as county-level protected cultural heritage sites of Cixi.

The Baiyang Lake Kiln Complex is situated on the western shore of Baiyang Lake and the nearby hillsides at the junction of Du Lake and Baiyang Lake. It comprises 12 kiln sites dating from the Tang to the Northern Song dynasties, with relic remains spread across an area of about 27,270 square meters. During the second phase of rescue excavations at Shima Lane in 1999 and 2002, an early Northern Song Dynasty dragon kiln, a building foundation, and a glaze jar were uncovered, yielding a large number of celadon samples from the late Tang, Five Dynasties, and Northern Song periods. The cultural content of these relics is consistent with that of the contemporaneous Shanglin Lake kiln sites, and the stratigraphy is even richer.

The Lidu Lake Kiln Complex is located on the gentle slopes along the western shore of Lidu Lake, consisting of 15 contiguous kiln sites from the Tang and late Northern Song dynasties. The area where ceramic fragments are scattered spans about 42,000 square meters, with the thickest accumulation reaching up to 5 meters. Among the discoveries are a small number of Tang Dynasty lidded jars marked with characters such as “文” (Wen), “上” (Shang), and “大” (Da), as well as plum blossom dot motifs, and kiln sites mainly producing pot-shaped products—all of which are unique compared to other nearby kiln sites.

The preserved products from the sites—such as their body clay, glazes, shapes, decorations, and firing techniques—are in direct lineage with those from the Tang to the late Northern Song Dynasty products of the Shanglin Lake Kiln Complex. They form an important part of the Yue Kiln production zone centered around Shanglin Lake and hold significant value for studying the evolution of the ceramics industry and related topics during the rise and decline of the Shanglin Lake Yue Kilns. On May 8, 1982, the Cixi County People’s Government designated the densely distributed kiln sites at Lizishan, Fengshu Bay, and Shima Lane as the first batch of protected cultural heritage sites in Cixi County. In 2011, the Baiyang Lake and Lidu Lake Yue Kiln Sites were announced as protected cultural heritage sites of Zhejiang Province.

Guanhaiwei Town: Located in the eastern part of Cixi City, Guanhaiwei Town covers a total area of 150.20 square kilometers with a population of 200,000, including 50,000 migrants. It serves as the eastern wing of Cixi’s “one body, two wings” urban development strategy, and is recognized as a municipal, provincial, and key town for comprehensive reform in small towns within the province.

Guanhaiwei Town has favorable conditions for economic development, and has seen substantial progress in both its economy and various social programs. In 2001, the town achieved a gross domestic product of 2.064 billion yuan, per capita GDP of 13,760 yuan, and fiscal revenue of 114 million yuan. Guanhaiwei... More details about Guanhaiwei Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Zhejiang Province