Yue Kiln Celadon of Shanglin Lake

Yue Kiln Celadon of Shanglin Lake

Yue Kiln Celadon of Shanglin Lake is a protected geographical indication product.

　　The Yue Kiln site at Shanglin Lake is located by the lake within Kuanyan Town, Cixi City. The celadon produced by the Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln was first fired during the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, reached its peak in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and ceased production in the late Northern Song and early Southern Song Dynasties, spanning over 1,000 years in total. It is one of the longest-lasting, most influential, and richest in heritage ancient kiln systems in Chinese history. According to experts, the Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln was the first "official kiln" in Chinese history. The earliest mature celadon was successfully fired in the dragon kilns of the Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln, which is why Yue Kiln celadon is also known as the "mother of porcelain." This place is not only the birthplace of Chinese celadon culture but also the starting point of the "Maritime Porcelain Road." Today, around Shanglin Lake lie more than 120 ancient kiln sites and countless fragments of broken porcelain, making it the world’s largest open-air museum of celadon. In 1988, the Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln site was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.

　　In 2001, Cixi resumed the production of Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln celadon. In recent years, it has successively researched, developed, and produced over 10,000 replicas across five series, including figurine ewers, chicken-head pitchers, octagonal bottles, reversed-flow ewers, flat-mouthed peony bottles, proto-porcelain jars, and ceramic bowls. Additionally, four craft pieces have won national and provincial awards.

　　"The Yue Kiln opens in the autumn wind and dew, seizing the emerald hues of a thousand peaks." The Yue Kiln celadon of Shanglin Lake in Cixi, Zhejiang, which had lain dormant for over a thousand years, is now shining brightly again. At the recently held Hangzhou West Lake Expo, the first batch of over 50 pieces of celadon caused a sensation and were snapped up immediately after the exhibition ended. The first batch of these 50+ pieces of celadon includes seven varieties: figurine ewers, chicken-head pitchers, octagonal bottles, reversed-flow ewers, flat-mouthed peony bottles, proto-porcelain jars, and ceramic bowls. With unique designs, the figures on them wear tall hats and wide sashes, their expressions and gestures vividly lifelike, and both their styles and finishes have reached the standards of the heyday of ancient celadon. The Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln is located by Shanglin Lake in Kuanyan Town, Cixi City. It originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, and reached its peak in the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was the first "official kiln" in Chinese history. This place is not only the birthplace of Chinese celadon culture but also the origin of the "Maritime Porcelain Road." In 1988, the Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln site was approved by the State Council as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. There are currently over 120 Yue Kiln sites. In recent years, experts and scholars from home and abroad have frequently visited the Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln site for research, and studies on celadon culture have gained increasing attention. Taking advantage of this momentum, Cixi City has researched and developed Yue Kiln celadon craftsmanship, making the restoration of Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln celadon a key effort in unearthing national cultural treasures and promoting the development of the tourism industry. (Ningbo)