Zhaizi Kiln Site

Zhaizi Kiln Site

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

Discovered during the city’s first cultural relics survey in 1957, it is mainly distributed on the highlands between Zhaizi and Dazhang Village in Zhaili Township, Zichuan District, covering an area of approximately 220,000 square meters. Beneath the plow layer at the kiln site lies a deposit of ceramic fragments about 40–100 cm thick. Through years of land leveling and partial excavations, a large number of pottery shards have been unearthed, all glazed in celadon. The types of vessels are simple, mostly everyday utensils, including mainly bowls, jars, and high-footed plates. The bowls have deep bodies, straight mouths, and unglazed lower outer belly sections, with some decorated with lotus petal patterns. The jars have four loops, curved bodies, flat bottoms, and gray bodies, with the lower outer belly sections left unglazed. The high-footed plates are bean-shaped, with the lower parts unglazed. These artifacts generally feature heavy forms, primitive craftsmanship, and impure glaze colors. The kiln furniture mostly consists of three-legged supports, reflecting early firing characteristics. The kiln site was active from the Northern Qi to the Tang Dynasty and is currently the only known northern celadon production site discovered in China. It was designated as a municipal-level key cultural relics protection unit in 1984.

Shandong, Zibo City

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units