Liyang Kiln Site

Liyang Kiln Site

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

The ancient Liyang porcelain kiln site, located 21 kilometers southwest of Jingdezhen City in Jiangxi Province, is distributed on the western slope of Ciya Mountain and the southern slope of Duijiu Mountain between Pengjia Village and Liyang Village in Liyang Township. The production period spans from the Five Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, making it a relatively concentrated area of porcelain production outside the urban area of Jingdezhen.

The Liyang ancient porcelain kiln site covers a large area and was used for firing from the Five Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, making it a relatively concentrated area of porcelain production outside the urban area of Jingdezhen. The site has yielded one late Yuan Dynasty dragon kiln and one early Ming Dynasty gourd-shaped kiln, both of which have been excavated.

The Liyang ancient porcelain kiln site is located 21 kilometers southwest of Jingdezhen City, with the ruins spread across the western slope of Ciya Mountain and the southern slope of Duijiu Mountain between Pengjia Village and Liyang Village. This porcelain kiln site covers a large area and was in use from the Five Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, making it a relatively concentrated production hub outside the urban area of Jingdezhen. A late Yuan Dynasty dragon kiln and an early Ming Dynasty gourd-shaped kiln have been discovered and excavated here. In May 2013, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

The ancient Liyang porcelain kiln is situated on the southern slope of Duijiu Mountain in Liyang Village. It is 24.3 meters long, with the largest width of the kiln chamber measuring 4 meters. Inside the kiln, undisturbed saggars are stacked in neat, columnar formations, and the kiln walls are well-preserved. This represents the first time archaeologists have discovered an unopened Yuan Dynasty porcelain kiln. Notably, the structure of this dragon kiln is rather unique: it has a deep and large firebox, outwardly arched side walls, slightly inward tapering near the firebox, and a rounded tail end without the smoke vents typically found in dragon kilns. These features are all characteristic of the typical Ming Dynasty gourd-shaped kilns. The discovery of this late Yuan Dynasty dragon kiln at Liyang reveals the transitional process from dragon kilns to gourd-shaped kilns, holding significant academic value in the history of ceramic kiln development.

The early Ming Dynasty gourd-shaped kiln is located on the western slope of Ciya Mountain in Pengjia Village. It is 10.9 meters long, with the maximum width of the kiln chamber being 3.4 meters. The kiln door, firebox, and kiln bed are relatively well-preserved. The gourd-shaped kiln was a popular type of kiln for porcelain production in the Jingdezhen area during the Ming Dynasty. Its design is illustrated in the ancient text "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature), and similar examples have also been found at the Ming Dynasty Imperial Kiln Site in Jingdezhen and the Hutian Kiln Site.

Excavated porcelain artifacts include celadon from the Five Dynasties, qingbai porcelain from the Song and Yuan Dynasties, blue-and-white and underglaze red from the Yuan Dynasty, as well as blue-and-white, Longquan-style glaze imitations, Ge-style glaze imitations, black-glazed, and white-glazed ceramics from the Ming Dynasty. The vessel types include bowls, plates, stem bowls, stem cups, jars, ewers, incense burners, and cups.

In May 2013, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

The excavation of the Liyang ancient porcelain kiln site reveals the transition in kiln types from dragon kilns to gourd-shaped kilns in the Jingdezhen area from the late Yuan Dynasty to the early Ming Dynasty.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units