Mao Wanli Kiln Site

Mao Wanli Kiln Site

The Mao Wanli Kiln Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Mao Wanli Kiln Site is located in Mao Wanli, Qiujiashan, Datangwu Village, Jinhua Town, 18 kilometers south of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou.

The site of the impressed-pattern pottery and proto-porcelain kiln at Mao Wanli includes areas such as Qiujiashan, Shizishan, and Wugongtui, covering an area of about 20,000 square meters. Discovered during a survey in 1956, a large number of impressed hard pottery artifacts, proto-celadon shards with yellowish-green glaze, red-fired earth blocks, and glaze slag were found. The cultural layers are richly deposited, widely distributed, and well preserved. Nearby, several other impressed-pattern pottery and proto-porcelain kiln sites have also been discovered, including Dafen Mountain, Meiyuan, Anshan, and Houshan.

The Mao Wanli Kiln Site mainly produced impressed hard pottery and proto-celadon. The area closer to Xijiavillage primarily yielded impressed hard pottery. This type of pottery used clay high in iron content as raw material, and depending on firing temperatures, the body color ranged from reddish-brown, dark yellow, to dark gray. The decorative patterns were stamped onto the surface, mainly including rice-pattern, grid, checkerboard, and thunder motifs. Made using the coiling method and fired at high temperatures, the pottery was hard and produced a clear ringing sound when struck. Kilns in the direction of Datangwu mainly produced thin-glazed yellowish proto-celadon. The bodies were made from porcelain clay, appearing gray-white, and were relatively solid and dense. The production technique involved wheel throwing, resulting in regular shapes, thicker bottoms, thinner and more uniformly structured walls. The outer surface was plain, while the interior had spiral patterns. Except for the base, both the interior and exterior were coated with a thin yellowish glaze. Fired at high temperatures, some were likely fired in the same kilns as the hard pottery. The main forms of impressed hard pottery included jars, vats, and tripods. Proto-celadon items mainly included bowls, cups, goblets, tripods, and ewers.

The unearthed impressed pottery had body colors predominantly purple-brown, followed by gray-brown, which is related to the local purple-gold clay used for the clay blanks. Surface decorations included rice-grid, square-grid, mesh, fabric, mat, and thunder patterns. These bold patterns harmonized with the wide shapes of vessels like jars and pots, creating an aesthetically pleasing effect. In addition, a type of proto-porcelain with a thin yellowish glaze on the surface was discovered. These pieces had relatively white bodies, linked to the local production of white clay. The porcelain bodies were solid and compact, the vessels thin, the walls even, and the bases thick. The interiors featured fine spiral patterns radiating from the center of the base, and the outer bottoms showed cut marks. This product represents an intermediate stage between pottery and porcelain and is referred to by archaeologists as "proto-porcelain."

The discovery of the Mao Wanli impressed-pattern pottery kiln site provides strong evidence that Zhejiang is the birthplace of porcelain. In 2006, the Mao Wanli Kiln Site, as an ancient site from the Zhou to the Warring States period, was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Jinhua Town: Located in the southern mountainous area of Xiaoshan District, Jinhua Town borders Shaoxing City to the east, Zhuji City to the south, the Puyang River to the west—across which lies Puyang Town—and Linpu Town to the north. It is 17 kilometers from downtown. The town covers a total area of 87.1 square kilometers, governs 55 administrative villages, 399 villager groups, 14,515 households, and has a total population of 47,069. It is one of Xiaoshan District’s larger towns in terms of area, population, and resources. The town has 25,302 mu of arable land, 69,766 mu of forested land, and a labor force of 26,709 people, accounting for 57% of the total population. Jinhua Town is a... [More detailed information about Jinhua Town++]

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units