Baishewu Kiln Site

Baishewu Kiln Site

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

Era: Song Dynasty

The Baishewu Kiln Site is located on the red-earth hillside southwest of Nanbaishewu Village, Nanfeng County, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province. There are 32 ancient kiln sites and over 20 kiln accumulation mounds, stretching over 2 kilometers. The area around the kilns is scattered with porcelain shards, kiln tools, pads, saggers, charcoal ash, and other relics, indicating abundant remains. The kiln sites are distributed across areas such as Wazi Mountain, Fujia Mountain, and Duimenpai. The site dates from the Song to Yuan Dynasties. In May 2013, it was designated and announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units. Baishewu Kiln was one of the “Five Famous Kilns of Jiangxi” during the Song and Yuan periods (including Jingdezhen Kiln, Jizhou Kiln, Hongzhou Kiln, Ganzhou Qilizhen Kiln, and Baishewu Kiln). It originated in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, flourished in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, and declined in the early Yuan Dynasty. It has a history of over a thousand years. Baishewu Kiln is renowned for producing white porcelain and bluish-white porcelain, along with some white porcelain with a slight yellow tint, coarser clay bodies, and a small amount of qingbai (bluish-white) porcelain. The craftsmanship is exquisite, earning it the reputation of “jade among ceramics.” Most of the kiln’s products were daily-use items, but there were also refined and high-end pieces, such as lotus-petal wine warmers, curved chrysanthemum-rimmed carved dishes, and tea cups. Other items included celadon lamps, powder boxes, porcelain pillows, molded figurines, Buddha statues, ritual vessels, and tomb artifacts.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units