The emergence period of Xuanzhou kiln

The word "Xuanzhou Kiln" first appeared in Lu Tao of Jingdezhen recorded by Lan Pu in Qing Dynasty. It is a pity that the origin of Xuanzhou kiln is unknown in this book. As a famous kiln recorded in historical materials, the ancient Xuanzhou kiln, like other kilns in China, is a national kiln. The history of naming porcelain kilns after the country can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. This naming convention continued until the Song Dynasty, but there was no such case before and after. A large number of archaeological excavations have fully proved this fact. Archaeological data show that kilns named after the state can be located anywhere in the state.

Xuanzhou Kiln is a national kiln. According to the naming rules, it is obviously not later than the Song Dynasty. In this regard, when I visited Dongmendu kiln site for the second time, I collected a regular script specimen engraved with "Xuanzhou Imperial Kiln". From the shape analysis of the fragment specimen, it should be a pot-shaped object, and the specimen is obviously the product of the late Five Dynasties. At present, among more than ten specimens preserved in China, the latest one is from the Northern Song Dynasty, so it can be concluded that Xuanzhou Kiln was built before the Northern Song Dynasty and may reach the Tang Dynasty, but it will never be later than the Yuan Dynasty or later.

Xuanzhou kiln, as a famous kiln in southern Anhui, can't be just a single kiln, but a kiln group. Only in this way can it conform to the naming relationship of national kilns and be symmetrical with it. However, many kiln sites in southern Anhui are closely related to Xuanzhou kiln. In this sense, a comprehensive study of them is the fundamental purpose of our study of Xuanzhou kiln today, in order to understand the development history of Xuanzhou kiln and determine its historical position.

For thousands of years, in the long-term labor production, our ancestors gradually mastered the technology of firing ceramics. With the continuous progress of human society and the increasing demand for ceramics, the ceramic industry has achieved an unprecedented development scale. After entering the bronze culture period, it coexisted and developed with the metallurgical industry, learning from each other's strengths and forming their own unique styles.

Southern Anhui was located in wuyue in ancient times, and the porcelain produced here has obvious characteristics of Wuyue culture in terms of technology, modeling, glaze color and decoration methods, so the porcelain products here are collectively called Yueyao system in ceramic archaeology.

Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, due to years of war in China, northerners have moved south in history. When I visited the porcelain kiln site, I paid attention to visiting the villagers near the kiln site, and learned that quite a few villagers in Dongmendu, Xiqin, Yaotouling and Luochong moved here from the north. The arrival of northern immigrants not only brought the folk culture of the north, but also brought the pottery-making technology of the north to this area. Therefore, from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, the porcelain in this area showed the characteristics of glaze decoration of northern porcelain. In this long time, the porcelain produced not only has the delicate style of southern porcelain making, but also has the rough characteristics of northern porcelain glaze decoration method. The continuous development of this porcelain-making technology, which was traced back by later generations, provides more detailed physical information, and is also a clear sign that it is different from other kiln furniture products.

There are many mountains and rivers in ancient Xuanzhou, and the Yangtze River, Qingyi River and Shuiyangjiang River in the region form a convenient transportation network. The mountainous area here is rich in kaolin, porcelain stone and clay and other resources needed for porcelain making. Abundant fuel provides superior conditions for firing ceramics, and these unique conditions, such as political stability and economic prosperity, promote the vigorous development of porcelain industry. Xuanzhou kiln started to burn in this environment. Its rise quickly spread to various kilns in southern Anhui, which was caused by historical development and also met the needs of sustainable development of commerce and economy. Xuanzhou Kiln in the south of the Yangtze River is recorded in the history of China ceramics.