Former Site of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory

Former Site of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory

The former site of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory, also known as the former site of Hong Guan Kiln, is located at No. 1 Xincun, Yuci Road, Bali’an Community, Laimenmen Subdistrict, Zhuzhou City. It was established in 1958. The predecessor of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory was the Liling Artistic Porcelain Factory, which was personally approved and funded by Zhou Enlai in 1958 under the instruction of Mao Zedong. In October 2019, it was included in the eighth batch of the National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units list.

The site covers a total area of approximately 100,000 square meters, with a total construction area of 50,000 square meters. Its main heritage structures include: raw material warehouses, clay preparation workshops, forming workshops, painting workshops, decal workshops, kiln workshops, inspection and packaging workshops, finished product warehouses, hardware workshops, the remains of a dedicated railway transport line, and office buildings.

The former site of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory is a model for inheriting and developing contemporary underglaze polychrome art and a precious living fossil of Hunan’s modern ceramic industry. With a long history, the factory has created countless glories and legends. Since 1958, it has produced custom-made daily-use porcelain for national leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao, as well as display porcelain and specialized porcelain for important national venues such as the Great Hall of the People, Zhongnanhai, and Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. It also crafted state gift porcelain presented by Chinese leaders to world figures including U.S. President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

The former site of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory is exceptionally well-preserved, with complete remnants and an intact porcelain production process—features that are extremely rare nationwide and of great historical value. The “Mao Porcelain” specially made for Mao Zedong by the Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory is known for being “as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, as thin as paper, and as resonant as chime stones,” reflecting the highest craftsmanship and technical standards of China’s porcelain industry during a specific period. It holds significant scientific and artistic value.

On October 7, 2019, the former site of Liling Qunli Porcelain Factory was included in the eighth batch of the National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units list.

Further Reading:

· Tenth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units