Xiaoguling Celadon Kiln Site

Xiaoguling Celadon Kiln Site

The Xiaoguling Celadon Kiln Site is a cultural heritage protection unit of Cixi City.

The Xiaoguling Celadon Kiln Site is located at the southeastern foot of Xiaoguling on the eastern side of Guyinding Lake in Changlong Village, Kuangyan Town, Cixi City. It faces Liyushan Mountain to the south and neighbors Xiangbishan Mountain to the east. The site is covered with lush trees and blooming flowers, and there is a pond in front, hence it is commonly known as "Dachi Dun" (Big Pond Mound). It was discovered during the 1982 cultural relics survey, and in May of the same year, the Cixi County People’s Government announced it as one of the first batch of cultural heritage protection units.

The kiln bed faces southwest, with celadon shards scattered over an area of approximately 2,000 square meters. The exposed stratified cross-section is 1.2 meters thick. Based on collected samples, the kiln site was active during the Southern Dynasties period. Its main products included bowls, jars, and pots, along with bowls, plates, cups, goblets, inkstones, and tall-footed cups. The body of the ware is grayish-white, relatively thick, contains sand particles, and shows signs of layering. The glaze color is mostly pale blue, but also includes bluish-gray and greenish-yellow, commonly featuring fine crackles. The glaze layer is thin, with rather poor texture, and some pieces show glaze peeling. Fully glazed pieces are relatively well-made, while partially glazed ones are coarser. Decoration methods include both incising and carving, mainly featuring string patterns and lotus petal patterns, as well as wave patterns. String patterns are mainly found on the rims of bowls, bowls, and pots, and on the shoulders of jars. Lotus petal patterns are found on the inner base and outer walls of the ware, in both single and double layers, typically outlined with single, double, or triple lines, and sometimes with four to six lines. In addition, the then-popular brown dot decoration was used, changing from the sporadic embellishment style of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to a more refined style with tightly arranged tiny dots. Some pieces even feature paired dots decorating the rim, inner wall, and inner base.

The firing technique at the Xiaoguling Kiln Site had already seen major breakthroughs — besides using cylindrical padding tools and kiln furniture such as sawtooth-shaped and bowl-covered spacers, some products were fired in saggars. The invention of saggar firing helped increase the quantity of ware per firing, reduce fuel consumption, prevent collapsing due to stacked porcelain bodies, improve yield, and protect the bodies from smoke contamination, ensuring smooth and clean glazes. This provided an optimal firing environment and atmosphere for producing high-quality, premium-grade ceramics. The pioneering use of saggar firing technology at the Xiaoguling Kiln represents a significant technical advancement in ceramic production and an important innovation in kiln furniture. The widespread adoption of this technique provided essential technical support for the prosperity of the Yue Kiln in the Shanglinhu area during the Tang to Five Dynasties periods.