Shenhou Ancient Town 神垕古镇

About Shenhou Ancient Town

The town grew up in the Song, when an official kiln was set up here to fire Jun ware for the court, and it has been one of China's important porcelain-producing places ever since. Later dynastic upheaval destroyed the settlement; it was rebuilt in the Ming Hongzhi era and then repaired and enlarged repeatedly through the Ming and Qing, so most of what stands today is of Ming and Qing date. Shenhou was designated a Chinese historical and cultural town in 2005, given the title 'Capital of Chinese Jun Ware' in 2003, and named among Henan's first group of 'millennium ancient towns'.

The two things the provincial department singles out are the old street and the Bailingweng Temple, also called the Kiln God Temple, which is a provincial key protected cultural heritage unit. Its buildings include the kiln god hall, a flower opera stage, Daoist rooms and east and west sun-and-moon halls. Other landmarks scattered through the town include Lingquan Temple, the Patriarch Temple, a Guandi temple, Dengyu Stockade and the remains of Jun kilns.

What to look for

• The Bailingweng or Kiln God Temple, the town's provincially protected monument, where the kiln god is worshipped
• Its flower opera stage, a largely timber hip-and-gable building with nine ridges and projecting eaves
• The old street, paved with bluestone flags and lined with old shopfronts and courtyard houses
• The kiln chimneys standing on the hillsides, the porcelain sherds along the roadsides and the structures built out of ceramic pieces
• Lingquan Temple, the Patriarch Temple and the scattered remains of Jun kiln sites around the town

Location & getting there

Getting to Shenhou Ancient Town

Identify the main visitor approach and any separately managed houses, museums or performances. Ask before entering residential spaces or photographing residents.

• Search for 神垕古镇 with 许昌市 and 禹州市.