JINJI'AO CELADON KILN SITE

Jinji'ao Celadon Kiln Site

The Jinji'ao Celadon Kiln Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Cixi City.

The Jinji'ao Celadon Kiln Site is located on the southern slope of Langwang Mountain in Changlong Village, Kuangyan Town, Cixi City. It was discovered during a 1982 cultural relics survey and was designated as part of the third batch of cultural heritage protection units by the Cixi County People’s Government in August 1986.

Judging from the artifacts scattered on the surface, the kiln site dates back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The kiln bed faces south, with the artifacts spread across an area of 2,000 square meters. The depth of the deposit reaches 1 meter, and some parts are overlaid by layers of Tang Dynasty kiln porcelain fragments. The site features a rich variety of ceramic wares, including four-handled jars, wide-mouthed pots, chicken-head ewers, bowls, bowls, cups, basins, trays, washbasins, plates, inkstones, spittoons, vases, and compartments. These clearly demonstrate the evolutionary development of the ceramics: bowls, basins, and trays evolved from flat bottoms to false ring feet, and further to false ring feet with a concave string pattern around the foot edge. The clay body evolved from being coarse and sandy to finer and denser. Glazing techniques progressed from partial glazing to exposed bases, and then to full glazing. The glaze evolved from being opaque and uneven to glassy, lustrous, and uniform. The glaze color is mainly celadon, but also includes blue-yellow, blue-green, and black glazes. Surface decoration is relatively simple, primarily featuring coarse string lines, with brown stippling and wave patterns also present. String lines are commonly found along the rims, shoulders, and bases of vessels, while brown stippling is frequently seen on rims and handles—this was a popular decorative style during the Eastern Jin period. Kiln furniture consists of two types: supports and spacers, with spacers often being zigzag-shaped. There were three main firing methods: first, using zigzag spacers for stacking; second, using clay dots as spacers for layer firing; third, end-to-end firing (mainly used for jars and bowls). In addition, small items were often placed inside jars and bowls to increase the number of pieces fired at once. These practices illustrate that kiln technology at Jinji'ao during the Eastern Jin Dynasty had already achieved significant innovation.