Lingwu Kiln Site

　　The Lingwu Kiln Site is situated in the desert, 3 kilometers south of Huihuanxiang Village, Ningdong Town, Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The site spans 300 meters from east to west and 200 meters from north to south. Scattered across the surface are various porcelain fragments, kiln tools, and kiln bricks, with the faint outlines of several kiln remains visible. In the gully between the northern and southern hillsides, there is a deposit layer of porcelain shards over 1 meter thick.

　　According to exploration and surveys, several kilns are buried within this site, all oriented toward the northeast. Some kiln entrances face each other, and their interior shapes vary slightly. The kilns are all horseshoe-shaped in plan, consisting of a kiln entrance, firebox, kiln bed, and flue chamber, each about 3–4 meters in length. The kiln structures were built with bricks and stones laid in staggered courses. The kiln entrance is 50 centimeters wide, and the firebox has a semi-circular plan. Due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures during firing, the interior walls have formed a thick, attractive layer of brown kiln glaze. The floor of the firebox is paved with coarse sand, and the coal ash soil above is scattered with small items such as porcelain hooks and supporting pegs, mixed with unburned coal chunks and cinders. Four or six pillars stand on the kiln bed, each 1 meter tall, with well-preserved tops resembling cave-like structures. At the rear of the kiln are two square chimneys, separated from the kiln bed by a partition wall with 4–6 elongated flue holes in the middle.

　　The kiln interiors are strewn with numerous porcelain kiln tools, including saggars for firing vessels, supporting pegs in various glaze colors, as well as trumpet-shaped top bowls, ring-shaped spacers, and temperature-testing firing cones—offering a dazzling array of types and functions. Inside and outside the kilns, remnants of broken bowls, jars, and other vessels can be found, along with dark brown unfired plain clay bowls and plates. These have been softened and deformed by the damp soil but can be reshaped after slight drying.

　　The Lingwu Western Xia porcelain firing methods include top bowl inverted firing, rough-rim stacking, support ring upright firing, and spacer luted firing.

　　The products of the Lingwu Western Xia porcelain kilns are diverse in type and form, including household utensils, stationery tools, entertainment items, and building materials. Glazes are primarily black, brown, white, and celadon, with a small number of turmeric-glazed printed bowls and dishes. Household items include bowls, plates, pots, jars, basins, cauldrons, and lamps. Bowls come in varieties such as high-footed bowls, flared-rim bowls, hexagonal bowls, curved-belly bowls, and sloping-wall bowls; plates include flared-rim plates and hexagonal plates; basins are either plain or feature fish motifs; jars are divided into earless, single-eared, and double-eared types, mostly melon-ribbed. The feet of bowls and plates are deeply cut, with inwardly sloped or stepped inner walls, thinly glazed, and often half-glazed on the exterior. White-glazed bowls and plates have sandy circle marks at the base. Stationery items include inkstones and ink droppers.

　　Spinning whorls, porcelain hooks, and porcelain bells are common household items among nomadic peoples, and replacing metal with porcelain was an innovation of the Western Xia people. Various animal sculptures reflect the living customs of nomadic tribes. Entertainment items include porcelain xun flutes and gaming pieces, which come in black and white, mostly flat round bisque-fired forms, with a few having curved surfaces. Some bear decorations and were all made using molds.

　　The discovery of the Lingwu Huihuanxiang Western Xia Kiln Site further confirms that the Ciyao Fort area was the largest and longest-operating kiln site for porcelain production during the Western Xia period in Ningxia, as well as a key production hub for the ceramic industry in the northwest region. Although fewer carved and incised floral products have been found, the quality of the body, glaze color, and craftsmanship sufficiently demonstrate the kiln’s highly advanced porcelain-making techniques. These uniquely regional porcelain products provide important physical evidence for studying the ceramic heritage and living customs of the Tangut people.

　　In May 2006, the Lingwu Kiln Site was designated as part of the sixth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.