Yangjia Ancient Kiln Site

Yangjia Ancient Kiln Site

The Yangjia Ancient Kiln Site is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Shandong Province.

The Yangjia Salt Industry Site Cluster is located approximately 2.5 kilometers northwest of Dongyang Village, Fuguo Subdistrict Office, Zhanhua County, and about 500 meters south of the confluence of the Tuhai River and the Taiping River. The Taiping River runs through the eastern part of the site, while the Tuhai River cuts across the western edge. The site lies on a terrace between the two rivers.

The site was discovered in 1950 and has undergone four surveys since 1955. It stretches 650 meters from east to west and 240 meters from north to south, covering a total area of about 156,000 square meters, including 12 salt production sites from the Zhou Dynasty. Most of the collected artifacts are helmet-shaped vessels, filters, gray pottery gui rims, and gray pottery dou rims, all used in salt production. A smaller portion consists of daily-use items such as thick-square-lipped Shang-style gui and cord-marked small-mouthed jars (pots).

The Yangjia Salt Industry Site Cluster mainly dates back to the Warring States period, with some areas dating as early as the early Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods. The cluster is very large in scale and is one of the biggest salt industry site clusters discovered so far in the Yellow River Delta region. It provides important historical material for studying salt production by the Qi State in the northern coastal areas during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

In December 1977, Document No. 122 issued by the Shandong Provincial Revolutionary Committee listed the “Yangjia Ancient Kiln Site” as one of the first batch of provincial-level cultural heritage conservation units. In May 2013, the State Council designated the Yangjia Salt Industry Site Cluster as a national key cultural heritage conservation unit in Document No. [2013]13.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Units