Jizhou Yonghe Kiln

Author: Gao Liren / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The Chinese porcelain industry, after five centuries of decline, experienced a revival and development during the Northern Song Dynasty, forming distinct kiln systems centered in different regions, each with unique techniques and styles. In the north, there were the Ding Kiln system, Jun Kiln system, Cizhou Kiln system, and Yaozhou Kiln system, while in the south, there were the Longquan celadon system and Jingdezhen celadon system. Starting from the Jingkang Incident in the late Northern Song Dynasty and continuing through several wars between the Jin and Yuan dynasties, large-scale population migration occurred nationwide. This objectively promoted the spread and exchange of porcelain-making techniques. Kilns across various regions gradually diversified their product lines, driving advancements in porcelain technology. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the most successful in absorbing northern and southern porcelain-making experiences was the Jizhou Kiln. Located in the central part of Jiangxi Province, the Jizhou Kiln produced celadon during the early Northern Song Dynasty. From the Southern Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, it fired a variety of products, including underglaze-painted porcelain, black-glazed porcelain with (flame effects), low-temperature green-glazed porcelain, and white-glazed porcelain with printed designs. It integrated the techniques of all kilns, making significant contributions to the history of Chinese porcelain. The Jizhou Kiln was named after the prefecture it was located in, which was known as Jizhou during the Song and Yuan dynasties. It was historically called Luling during the Qin Dynasty and was elevated to a prefecture in the Three Kingdoms period. From the Sui Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, Luling Prefecture was renamed Jizhou, and it was called Jian'an Circuit during the Yuan Dynasty. It was later restored to Jian'an Prefecture during the Ming and Qing dynasties. For millennia, Jian'an has been a key city in central Jiangxi, renowned as the "Land of Literary and Moral Excellence," "Golden Luling," "Southern Jiangnan's Princely Prefecture," and the "Capital of Neo-Confucianism." It is still celebrated for the folk saying, "Two prime ministers separated by a river, a (top scholar) every half mile, a governor every mile, and five scholars in one family." Historically, Jizhou produced numerous cultural and historical figures, including Ouyang Xiu, Zhou Bida, Yang Wanli, Yang Shiqi, Wen Tianxiang, Hu Quan, Xie Jin, and Yang Bangyi, forming the splendid Luling culture.
Yinhe Kiln Site
The Yinhe Kiln Site is located west of Yinhe Town, with hills and ridges stretching southwest from Taliqian to Linjiayuan in the northeast, covering a length of 2 kilometers. From Fushun Temple in the southeast to Yaobeiling in the northwest, it spans 1.5 kilometers. There are 24 relatively regular kiln mounds (commonly known as). From 1980 to 1981, the Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team, with the assistance of cultural relic departments in Jian'an County and City, conducted archaeological excavations at the Yinhe Kiln. They focused on excavating one kiln platform and one workshop, while also conducting surveys and small-scale trench excavations at the remaining 23 kiln sites. Over 4,000 pieces of porcelain, kiln tools, and specimens were unearthed.
I. Site Distribution
Yao (Kiln Ridge) – Located southwest of Songqing Duguan, it yielded black-glazed bowls, black-outside-white-inside celadon bowls with flared rims, milky-white-glazed straight-rimmed bowls, folded-rimmed bowls, dishes, coarse-body celadon jars with brown glaze, and painted jars. Black-glazed bowls were the most abundant.
Mao'an (Mao'an Ridge) – Located west of Xiayao Village, it yielded black-glazed bowls, handle-painted jars, dishes, lid fragments, painted jars, pillows, milky-white-glazed lip-rimmed bowls, folded-rimmed bowls, straight-rimmed bowls, printed bowls, unglazed tall-footed cups, yellow-glazed bowls, green-glazed bowls, lamp bases, toys, and sinkers, as well as kiln tools. Black-glazed bowls were the most abundant, and three fragments of blue-and-white porcelain were also found on the surface.
Niugulu (Niugulu Ridge) – Located between Qiaotou and Yaomen villages, it yielded black-glazed bowls, dishes, handle-painted jars, carved-and-filled-glazed jars, three-legged tripod furnace lid fragments, small cups with stands, painted jars, plates, milky-white-glazed large flat-bottomed printed bowls, green-glazed pillows, toys, copper coins, and kiln tools.
Houbei (Houbei Ridge) – Located south of Mao'an Ridge, it revealed a large pottery jar and remnants of walls, resembling a workshop site, with deposits similar to those at Mao'an Ridge.
Yaomen (Yaomen Ridge) – Located west of Yaomen Xiao Family, it yielded a rich assemblage, with particularly exquisite painted porcelain. This included black-glazed bowls, handle-painted jars, three-lip jars, basins, jars, bottles, dishes, lid fragments, tall-footed cups, powder boxes, milky-white-glazed straight-rimmed bowls, thick-rimmed bowls, folded-rimmed bowls, green-glazed bowls, coarse-body openwork jars, funnels, grinding bowls, toys, and green-glazed roof tiles. Black-glazed bowls, bottles, and painted jars were the most abundant.
Guanjia Tang (Guanjia Tang Ridge) – Located southeast of Benjue Temple Pagoda, it yielded black-glazed bowls, dishes, lid fragments, carved-and-filled-glazed jars, black-outside-white-inside bowls, handle-painted jars, lamps, painted pillows, milky-white-glazed flat-bottomed bowls, thick-rimmed bowls, straight-rimmed bowls, coarse-body celadon jars with brown glaze, sinkers, and kiln tools. Milky-white-glazed printed bowls, thick-rimmed bowls, and folded-rimmed bowls were the most abundant.
Wuhou (Wuhou Ridge) – Located at the southern end of Benjue Temple Pagoda, it yielded milky-white-glazed flared-rimmed bowls, dragon-and-peony meander-pattern printed bowls, thick-rimmed bowls, folded-rimmed bowls, black-glazed bowls, dishes, handle-painted jars, lid fragments, jars, painted jars, green-glazed pillows, sinkers, and inverted firing supports and crucibles. Milky-white-glazed printed folded-rimmed bowls were the most abundant. One bowl has a brown-glazed "Benjue" mark on the inner base, likely from Benjue Temple, making it valuable for studying the pagoda and the history of Yinhe Town.
Zhuposhi (Zhuposhi Ridge) – Located at the southern end of Tianzuli Ridge, it yielded milky-white-glazed printed bowls, small flat-bottomed printed bowls, small flat-bottomed cups, black-glazed bowls, black-outside-white-inside bowls, dishes, painted jars, sinkers, and cylindrical inverted firing supports and crucibles. Milky-white-glazed bowls were the most abundant.
Jiangjia (Jiangjia Ridge) – Located at the southeastern end of Yinjia Ridge, it yielded black-glazed bowls, dishes, painted jars, pillows, handle-painted jars, yellow-green-glazed bowls, milky-white-glazed thick-rimmed bowls, straight-rimmed bowls, folded-rimmed bowls, and toys. The assemblage was similar to that at Mao'an Ridge.
Qiyantang (Qiyantang Ridge) – Located at the northern end of Chuangling Village, it yielded cups, dishes, milky-white-glazed straight-rimmed bowls, folded-rimmed bowls, black-glazed bowls, thick-rimmed large bowls, black-outside-white-inside flared-rimmed bowls, handle-painted jars, cups, three-legged jars, lamp bases, painted jars, bottles, toys, sinkers, and cylindrical inverted firing supports. Milky-white-glazed bowls and dishes, as well as black-outside-white-inside flared-rimmed bowls, were the most abundant.
Songshu (Songshu Ridge) – Located at the southern end of Chuangling Village, it yielded milky-white-glazed bowls, bottles, black-glazed dishes, plates, black-outside-white-inside flared-rimmed bowls, cups, brown-glazed bowls, and kiln tools.
VI. Sculptural Porcelain
Sculptural porcelain from the Yinhe Kiln in Jizhou primarily employed two techniques: (hand-molding) and (appliqué). Hand-molding was a common technique at the kilns, primarily used for toys, decorative items, or architectural elements. The "Tao Lu" records: "The Jizhou Kiln once had five kilns, among which only the one run by the Shu family was excellent. Shu the old man specialized in making toys, and his daughter Shu Jiao was particularly skilled in pottery." The special mention of the Shu family's toy-making expertise indicates that toy production had reached a high level. Hand-molding involved shaping objects by hand, carving, and molding, emphasizing lifelike representations. The coarse and loose porcelain body of the Yinhe Kiln facilitated hand-molding, resulting in works that were rustic, simple, and close to life, often with humorous and exaggerated features. Products fell into two major categories: toys and decorative items. Toys included painted balls, chess sets, whistles, monkeys, horses, dogs, tigers, cats, elephants, chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, toads, and fish. Some toys had multiple functions—for example, geese had air holes in their bellies or backs, making them hollow and capable of producing whistling sounds. Others had holes at the top, suitable for incense holders. Decorative items included Buddha statues, Guanyin Bodhisattvas, Luohans, the Eight Immortals, figurines, and animal statues. These works covered a wide range of themes, including stories from daily life, birds and animals, and mythical beings. They not only had aesthetic value but also reflected cultural aspects such as clothing, customs, and aesthetics, making them invaluable materials for studying social customs and local traditions of the time. Appliqué was also used in Yinhe Kiln products, resulting in some fine works, but their quantity and quality were far inferior to those of hand-molding. It was commonly found on Ming-era ritual vessels like kettles, five-grain jars, granaries, and stoves, as well as on daily-use bottles and jars, limited to (local decoration). Additionally, some architectural decorative elements, such as dragon mouths and upturned corners, were often made using appliqué, though fewer examples have been unearthed. The content of appliqué on ritual vessels primarily included female figures, male servants, Vermilion Bird, Azure Bird, and palace roofs, reflecting the belief in an underworld similar to the human world and the immortality of the soul. These themes were concentrated on the bodies or lids of five-grain jars and kettles, suggesting a deliberate effort to maximize utility by using one vessel for multiple purposes.