Ancient Shouzhou Kiln Site

Ancient Shouzhou Kiln Site

The Ancient Shouzhou Kiln Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancient Shouzhou Kiln Site is mainly distributed in Shangyao Town, Datong District, Huainan City, and includes five protected areas: Guanzuiwen, Gaokiln, Hospital Inpatient Department, Songshulin, and Chexiaowan. The central kiln site covers an area of about 30,000 square meters, with a total area of approximately 160,000 square kilometers. It was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1981 and as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2001. The Shouzhou Kiln was first fired during the Chen Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties and ceased production in the late Tang Dynasty, operating for about 400 years. Its main products included pots, jars, bowls, pillows, ewers, basins, toys, and building materials. The Shouzhou Kiln was one of the seven major porcelain kilns of the Tang Dynasty.

Early products of the Shouzhou Kiln included jars, four-ring bottles, dou vessels, and cups, mostly glazed in light bluish-gray or celadon, with relatively fine clay bodies. These pieces had low water absorption, with glazes in bluish-green tones achieved through reduction firing. The glaze layers were thin and transparent, with the lower belly and base left unglazed. Peak-period products included bowls, plates, cups, bowls, ewers, pillows, and toys. The glazes were fired with oxidation flames, featuring colors such as wax yellow, eel yellow, and yellow-green. A layer of clay slip was applied under the glaze, giving the glaze a glassy appearance. Circular kilns from the Tang Dynasty were discovered at Majiagang and Yujia沟, with kiln walls built from bricks or kiln rods, about 3 meters in diameter. Saggars were stacked vertically, with about 8 cm of spacing between them for airflow. Each saggar held one or several pieces, all fired upright. Early kiln furniture included round, multi-legged supports, but from the early Sui Dynasty onward, three- or four-pronged supports, spike supports, and triangular supports became more common.

Products of the Shouzhou Kiln can be roughly divided into six phases. Taking the third year of the Sui Kaihuang era (583 AD) as an example, the light bluish-gray glazed products fired at the Linquan Temple Kiln belong to the first phase, dating from the Chen Dynasty of the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty. Taking the sixth year of the Sui Kaihuang era as an example, the green-glazed products fired at the Linquan Temple Kiln, as well as the celadon ware unearthed at Guanzuizi and Shangliuzhuang, belong to the second phase, with the later ones belonging to the third phase, dating from the Sui Dynasty. Based on stratigraphic superposition, the blue-glazed sherds unearthed at the Daliuzhuang and Yujia沟 kiln sites belong to the third phase, the yellow-glazed ware to the fourth and fifth phases, and the black-glazed ware to the sixth phase, dating from the early Tang Dynasty to the end of the Tang Dynasty. In 1985, during a city-wide cultural relics survey, well-preserved kiln sites were divided into five protected areas: Guanzuizi Kiln Site, Gaokiln Kiln Site, Baishulin Dongxiaowan Kiln Site, Shangyao Hospital Inpatient Department Kiln Site, and Yujia沟 Kiln Site Protected Area. Each protected area implemented "Four Haves" conservation measures (defined protection boundaries, protection signs, protection teams, and record archives). In 1986, the municipal government built the "Shouzhou Kiln Ceramic Museum" in Shangyao Town, completing the first phase of construction in 1987. In September 1981, the provincial government designated it as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Shangyao Town: Among the towns under the jurisdiction of Huainan City, none can boast a history as glorious as that of Shangyao Town. During the flourishing Tang Dynasty, it was one of the seven major porcelain capitals in China, with the renowned Shouzhou Official Kiln attracting merchants from far and wide, creating a scene of prosperity. To this day, the Ancient Shouzhou Kiln Site remains here, recognized as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. But Shangyao Ancient Town has known both glory and decline. In 2002, the once-flourishing Shangyao Town fell out of the city’s top ten towns, dropping to a surprisingly low rank. This brought shame to the people of Shangyao, but also spurred them to rise again. During an interview in Shangyao Town, Town... Shangyao Town detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units