Jian Ware Culture Exhibits and Kiln Sites 建盏文化展示与窑址开放点

About Jian Ware Culture Exhibits and Kiln Sites

The Jian kiln, also recorded as the Jian'an or Wuni kiln, spread in a ring around Houjing and Chizhong villages in Shuiji town, over an area of roughly 120,000 square metres. Ten kilns were built up the hillsides in the sloping dragon-kiln form; the No. 3 kiln at the Daluhoumen ground runs 135.6 metres and could take more than 100,000 vessels in a single firing. Production started in the late Tang and Five Dynasties with celadon and brown-glazed wares, and the black-glazed bowls known as jian zhan appeared in the early Northern Song. Other kiln grounds, among them Luhuaping, Yingzhangqian and Niupilun, lie on the surrounding hills. The State Council listed the site on 25 June 2001 in the fifth batch of major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level, and in 2022 it was named a provincial archaeological site park.

The ware is classified by its glaze effects, which include plain black wujin, hare's fur, oil spot, partridge feather, yaobian and mixed glazes; the hare's-fur bowl, named for fine streaked crystals in the glaze, is the best known and was prized in Song tea competition. The technique fell out of use and was recovered only in the modern period: a research group formed in 1979 produced a Song-style hare's-fur bowl in 1981, after which oil-spot, partridge-feather and yaobian glazes were fired again. Traditional making is described as thirteen main steps, from selecting and crushing the porcelain stone through throwing, trimming, biscuit firing, glazing and kiln loading. Jian kiln jian zhan firing was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011, and in 2016 the ware received geographical-indication protection with its production area defined as the present administrative area of Jianyang District. Display in the district includes a jian zhan cultural and creative park, where the Chunzhan Jian Kiln Culture Museum shows more than 400 pieces.

What to look for

• The Daluhoumen kiln ground at Shuiji, where the No. 3 dragon kiln measures 135.6 metres along the hillside
• The named glaze effects that define the ware: wujin black, hare's fur, oil spot, partridge feather and yaobian
• Modern revival pieces, which followed the 1981 recreation of a Song-style hare's-fur bowl
• The Chunzhan Jian Kiln Culture Museum in the Jianyang jian zhan cultural and creative park, with more than 400 works on display
• The thirteen-step making sequence, from crushing porcelain stone to throwing, trimming, glazing and kiln loading

Location & getting there

Getting to Jian Ware Culture Exhibits and Kiln Sites

Confirm the venue or campus, reservation channel and exhibition calendar. A museum name may cover more than one building.

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