Xing Kiln Museum

Xing Kiln Museum

The Lincheng Xing Kiln Museum is located within the Kongshan White Cloud Cave tourist area. Established in September 2009, it is currently China's only thematic museum dedicated to the Xing Kiln. The museum covers a construction area of nearly 1,500 square meters and houses a collection of over 604 items across more than 30 categories, including three first-class cultural relics and eleven second-class cultural relics. It has become a window for showcasing ceramic culture and a base for science education. The Xing Kiln site was first discovered in Lincheng County in 1980 and was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in 1996.

The Xing Kiln was one of the earliest kilns in ancient China to produce white porcelain. Its production began in the late Northern Dynasties, rapidly developed during the Sui Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, becoming the production center for early Chinese white porcelain. The white porcelain of the Tang Dynasty Xing Kiln featured unique shapes, exquisite craftsmanship, and massive production and sales volumes. It had a profound impact on both China’s material civilization and global cultural heritage. The successful firing of Xing Kiln white porcelain ended the dominance of celadon that had prevailed since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, establishing the coexistence of the "southern celadon and northern white" systems—two competing and complementary styles—in the history of Chinese ceramics. The history of Xing Kiln production spanned from the Northern Qi, Sui, and Tang dynasties through the Five Dynasties, Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, with continuous inheritance and a long legacy.

The Xing Kiln spanned multiple prefectures and counties, forming an extensive kiln district. Sites in Neiqiu, Lincheng, and Xingtai were all integral parts of the Xing Kiln. The main ruins are located at the foothills and plains where the Taihang Mountains meet the eastern parts of Neiqiu, Lincheng, and Xingtai counties, as well as within the urban area of Xingtai. These are distributed along the ?? River and Liyang River basins west of the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, concentrated in a narrow strip approximately 60 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide, extending from south of Xishuangjing in Lincheng County to north of Xijiaogu in Xingtai County.

Further Reading:

· China's National Third-Class Museum