Liling 醴陵市

Setting and landscape

Mountains, hills and low uplands make up most of the land, and plains cover only about 16 per cent. The Lu River, the Zhaoling (昭陵河) and the Jian (涧江) are the main rivers, all part of the Xiang system. Its non-metal mineral deposits include porcelain clay, pottery clay and fire clay, and chilli peppers and watermelons are listed as local specialities.

History

The name Liling appears in the Records of the Grand Historian (史记): under Empress Lü (吕后) of the Western Han, Liu Yue (刘越) was made Marquis of Liling and built a marquis's town in what is now Gucheng village in Guoci subdistrict (国瓷街道). A county of Liling was created in the Eastern Han, merged into Changsha county in 607 and re-established in 621. Liling is also the home town of Li Tian (李畋), honoured as the founder of firecracker making, a trade that still thrives here. It came under Zhuzhou in 1983.

Food and local products

The firing technique of Liling underglaze five-colour porcelain (醴陵釉下五彩瓷) was added to the national intangible-heritage list in 2008. According to the national heritage centre, a piece passes through nearly a hundred steps, all by hand, using local clays, glazes and pigments; painters work with self-made underglaze colours, outlining in double lines and filling with graded washes so that the picture sits under a smooth glaze. The ware won a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. A Liling factory, Qunli (群力瓷厂), also made tableware for Mao Zedong, later known as "Mao porcelain" (毛瓷).

What to see

In 2013 the State Council listed four Liling sites as national key protected sites: the Lujiang Academy (渌江书院), the Lujiang Bridge (渌江桥), the Weishan Liling kiln site (沩山醴陵窑) and the Former Residence of Li Lisan (李立三故居). The academy dates from 1175 and moved to its present site in 1825. The bridge crosses the Lu River with an approach to Zhuangyuan Isle (状元洲) in the stream; a bridge here was first built in the Southern Song, and the present 186.7-metre, ten-arch stone bridge dates from 1925. The Liling Museum (醴陵市博物馆) occupies the old Altar of Agriculture (先农坛).

Highlights

• Liling underglaze five-colour porcelain 醴陵釉下五彩瓷: Firing technique on the national intangible-heritage list since 2008; gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.
• Lujiang Academy 渌江书院: Founded in 1175, on its present site since 1825; national key protected site since 2013.
• Lujiang Bridge 渌江桥: Ten-arch stone bridge of 1925 over the Lu River, linked to Zhuangyuan Isle; national key protected site since 2013.
• Former Residence of Li Lisan 李立三故居: National key protected site since 2013.
• Weishan Liling kiln site 沩山醴陵窑: Kiln site listed as a national key protected site in 2013.