QuDouxian Dehua Kiln Site

QuDouxian Dehua Kiln Site

The QuDouxian Dehua Kiln Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The QuDouxian Kiln site dates back to the Song and Yuan dynasties. It was named after the local villagers' commemoration of the "KuiDou Palace" located beside a small path on the southern slope. The site is situated on the southwestern slope of PoZhai Mountain in BaoMei Village, LongXun Town, Dehua County. It was first discovered during an archaeological survey conducted by the East China Cultural Relics Work Team in 1953. In 1956, Mr. Chen Wanli from the Palace Museum in Beijing and others revisited the kiln. Since then, relevant central, provincial, regional, and county-level authorities have conducted multiple follow-up inspections. In 1961, with the approval of the Fujian Provincial People's Committee, it was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

In April 1976, the Fujian Provincial Museum, the Department of History at Xiamen University’s Archaeology Program, and the Jinjiang Regional Cultural Relics Management Committee jointly organized an excavation. The kiln site spans approximately 300 meters from east to west and about 150 meters from north to south. A total of 6,793 ceramic artifact samples and over 800 production tools were unearthed. Most of the samples are fragments, with only a small portion being intact. The remains are those of a slope-built, multi-chamber dragon kiln (commonly referred to as a "chicken coop kiln"), stretching 57.1 meters in length, 1.4–2.95 meters in width, divided into 17 chambers. It faces south with a 15-degree westward orientation, and has a slope between 12–22 degrees.

The kiln head firebox and firing chamber of the QuDouxian Kiln are well-preserved. The firebox is semi-circular and narrow, featuring five vent holes at the junction with the firing chamber. The kiln body is spacious, with rectangular chambers and fire channels along both sides. Between each chamber is a dividing wall (also called a fire shield), which blocks some of the upward heat flow, maintaining positive pressure inside the chambers and facilitating even atmosphere and temperature. The base of the dividing walls is equipped with vent holes. The kiln floor is sloped and compartmentalized but not tiered. A layer of fine quartz sand is spread on the kiln base, upon which kiln shelves or supports are placed.

Fourteen kiln entrances still remain, with 11 on the eastern side and 3 on the western side. Protective walls are built on the outer sides of the kiln body between every two entrances to safeguard the kiln walls. The roof of the kiln has completely collapsed, but based on the excavated mold bricks, it is inferred that the roof was arched.

It is neither a traditional dragon kiln nor a stepped kiln, but rather a unique type of kiln furnace—known as a multi-chamber dragon kiln (commonly referred to as a "chicken coop kiln")—that emerged as a transitional form from the dragon kiln to the stepped kiln.

The unearthed tools for daily life and production include copper gong molds, small plates, straight-line pattern basins, lotus petal pattern bowls, entwined vine pattern boxes, military water flask molds, as well as turntables used for forming and trimming clay blanks, iron kiln knives for breaking open kiln shelves, and various kiln furniture such as kiln shelves, support rings, lotus petal bowls, supports, base pads, and ring supports.

The unearthed artifacts include more than ten types such as bowls, plates, dishes, teapots, jars, bottles, basins, cups, boxes, and stem cups. The glaze colors can be divided into two types: one is a nearly shadow-blue white glaze, clean, moist, and highly glossy; the other is a pure white glaze, clean and lustrous. Decoration methods include stamping, incising, appliqué, and relief carving. Patterns feature string patterns, scroll motifs, basket weaves, cloud designs, straight lines, bamboo textures, coin motifs, and lotus petals, as well as depictions of flowers like lotus, plum blossom, sunflower, chrysanthemum, and peony. Some pieces are also adorned with auspicious characters such as “Fu” (blessing), “Shou” (longevity), “卍” (swastika), “Pan” (a Buddhist term), “Golden Jade,” “Golden Jade Fills the Hall,” “Longevity and Prosperity,” and “Longevity on a New Voyage.” Some items also have inscriptions at the base indicating the owner’s surname or commemorative messages, such as “Zheng,” “Zeng,” “XianJun,” “The Moon Reappears Full on the Thirtieth Night,” “Only Skin,” “Be Careful,” and “Back.” Among these, the characters “卍” and “Pan” are closely related to China’s long-standing Buddhist culture.

Artifacts unearthed from the QuDouxian Kiln, such as military water flasks, boxes, small bottles, flying phoenix bowls, ewers, string-patterned basins, stem cups, and porcelain pots, have been found abroad.

In January 1988, with the approval of the State Council, the QuDouxian Kiln site, along with kiln sites from the Song to Ming dynasties in four towns—LongXun, XunZhong, SanBan, and GaiDe—was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Provincial-Level Archaeological Site Parks in Fujian Province

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units