Jiulong Kiln Ceramics

Jiulong Kiln Ceramics

　　 Jiulong Kiln ceramics have a history of over a thousand years. Excavated pieces reveal hard textures, exquisite craftsmanship, and intricate designs. In particular, the celadon known as "Pearl Light" was renowned both domestically and abroad at the time, being exported to Japan and throughout Southeast Asia. After the reform and opening-up, locals in Songxi, building upon the nearly lost techniques of "Pearl Light Celadon," developed the Jiulong Kiln series of celadons described as "ice-like yet jade-like, with the color of a thousand emerald peaks." They produced over 300 varieties across three major series: celadon, black-glazed Jian ware, and ice-crackle ware.

　　 The Hui Chang Kiln primarily fired celadon, with a small amount of black-glazed pottery. Products included bowls, plates, saucers, bottles, jars, teapots, incense burners, cups, and lamps, with bowls, plates, and saucers being the main items. The ceramic bodies were dense and hard, with gray or light gray body colors, and a small number had iron-black bodies. Glaze colors were mostly bluish-green or yellowish-green, with a few in brown-yellow or pale blue. The body and glaze were generally well-bonded, exhibiting a transparent glassy texture. Decorative techniques favored carved and incised patterns such as entwined vines, lotus flowers, peonies, banana leaves, and scenes of children at play. Common motifs included incised vine scrolls on the inner walls of vessels—also called daylily patterns—for their vine-like or cloud-like forms symbolizing longing for loved ones. The outer walls often featured comb-tooth patterns resembling hair-combing combs, as well as carved lotus petal designs, occasionally interspersed with playful babies dancing vividly. Small bowls of this type were the tea cups highly favored by Zen Master Pearl Light.

　　 Impressions were mainly found on large plates and the interiors of large bowls, where the character "吉" (auspicious) was stamped in relief. Recently, the character "张" (Zhang) has also been discovered, likely representing the surname of the kiln owner. These large bowls and plates measured 25–30 centimeters in diameter. Some lotus-patterned bowls had raised lotus engravings on their interiors. Hui Chang celadon bore strong similarities to early Longquan products, embodying the style of "Yue ware." The firing techniques were also consistent with early Longquan Kilns, employing stacked saggars and stacked firing on kiln shelves within dragon kilns. Research suggests that a single dragon kiln could hold twenty thousand pieces, with one firing cycle taking seven days and monthly production reaching approximately one hundred thousand pieces. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Songxi County had fewer than ten thousand households and a population of only 20,000–30,000. Celadon products were primarily transported via the Songxi waterway to Fuzhou Port, then shipped by sea to the Penghu Islands and onward to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

　　 During Japan’s Kamakura period (1185–1291, roughly corresponding to China’s Southern Song to early Ming dynasties), a large number of "Pearl Light Celadons" were excavated from sites such as Karatsu City in Saga Prefecture, the seabed of Hakata Bay in Fukuoka City, and areas near Kannonji and Dazaifu in Fukuoka Prefecture. Japanese scholar Kazunori Kamei described them as: "Thirteenth-century celadons featuring lotus and vine scroll patterns sculpted in semi-relief around the vessels."

　　 *Northern Fujian Ceramics* states: "The Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, a hub for maritime trade of ancient Chinese ceramics, yielded numerous celadons from Fujian kilns during archaeological excavations in the 1970s. These included carved, printed, and unglazed ring-foot celadons, with body, glaze, shape, and craftsmanship closely resembling those of Northern Fujian kilns—many originating from Songxi, Pucheng, and Nanping in Northern Fujian." "The Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, a vital shipping route for vessels traveling from the southeast coast to Southeast Asia, have also produced artifacts since 1974, including carved vine and dotted-pattern celadons from Northern Fujian kilns, along with large plates stamped with the character '吉' (auspicious) on their interiors." The text further notes: "In December 1977, 829 bundled bowls were unearthed in the ancient beach of Fengxian County, Shanghai, packed in baskets. Most were plain celadon, some featured carved or floral patterns, and a few bore ring marks from stacked firing on their interiors. These ceramics were likely shipped from southern Zhejiang and northern Fujian kiln sites to Shanghai during the Song Dynasty, temporarily stored on the beach for further transport before being buried due to some sudden incident." Judging by their craftsmanship, these were likely products of the Songxi Kiln.