Yue Kiln Celadon Firing Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
Yue-kiln celadon began firing in the Eastern Han dynasty; the evolution from proto-porcelain to mature celadon was accomplished in the dragon kilns of the Yue kiln, and for this reason the Shanglin Lake Yue-kiln celadon is also called the 'mother porcelain.' The modeled-form and decorative craft of the Yue kiln was also a process of continuous evolution and progress from the Han to the Song; in the Han dynasty (the inception period) Yue-kiln forms were mostly made by wheel-throwing, and decorative techniques were mostly paddle-imprinting and pinching-modeling, with forms and decoration mainly imitating bronzeware and early pottery. In the Three Kingdoms, Western and Eastern Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties period (the development period), forming methods diversified, mainly wheel-throwing, pinching-modeling, and mold-making, and the forms were also rich. From the Tang to the Northern Song (the flourishing period) was the peak of Yue-kiln development; under the influence of Buddhism, gold and silver ware, and jade, Yue-kiln form and decoration became ever more refined and exquisite. In this period the forms were stable and dignified, the glaze color moist and elegant, earning the praise 'the green of a thousand peaks' and 'like ice, like jade,' and in the same period appeared the Yue-kiln masterpiece 'secret-color porcelain' (mise ci). From the mid-Northern Song to the early Southern Song (the decline period), the form and decoration followed the Tang style but faltered technically. In the late Qing, the Sun family around Shanglin Lake fired Yue-kiln celadon antique wares; firing was suspended for a time in the Republic of China period due to war.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Yue kiln is a long-celebrated kiln among China's porcelain kilns, occupying a certain place in early Chinese porcelain history through the exquisite and distinctive quality of its celadon products. The Yue kiln's porcelain-making skill, decorative craft, and form level were all extremely mature, becoming an object of imitation, reference, and adoption by other kilns. Today, Cixi City has established the Cixi Yue Kiln Celadon Co., Ltd., which continues to make Yue-kiln celadon around Shanglin Lake in Cixi, focusing on form and glaze-color decoration craft, continuing the Yue-kiln celadon culture of a thousand years ago.
Stamping and modelling in the formative phase
In the Han phase forms were wheel-thrown and decoration was stamped from dies and finished by modelling, drawing on bronze and early pottery motifs.
Moulding and modelling side by side
From the Three Kingdoms through the Northern and Southern dynasties, wheel throwing was joined by modelling and moulding, greatly widening the range of forms.
Firing the mishu secret-ware
Celadon fired specially for the court, with a jade-like glaze regarded as the summit of Yue ware technology and a classic of ancient ceramic firing.
Firing archaistic wares after the Sun workshop
The Sun family fired archaistic Yue wares around Shanglin Lake in the late Qing and the kilns fell silent during the warlord conflicts of the Republic era.
The Shanglin Lake kiln sites
The old kilns around the lake, where dragon kilns completed the passage from proto-porcelain to celadon, are the field basis for Cixi's continuation of the tradition.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Shanglin Lake is the core kiln site of Yue-kiln celadon; the Cixi lineage's transmission takes the lakeside kiln yards as its axis, and the Cixi Yue Kiln Celadon Co., Ltd. continues here to make Yue-kiln wares centered on form and glaze-color decoration. The late-Qing practice of the Sun family firing antique wares around the lake left an old thread, and after firing was suspended in the Republic period due to war, the folk-kiln handcraft lineage was never broken. The evolutionary sequence from proto-porcelain to mature celadon yielded by the kiln sites around Shanglin Lake makes this place known as the birthplace of the 'mother porcelain.'
Other submitting regions for the same item: Yue Kiln Celadon Firing Craftsmanship · Yue Kiln Celadon Firing Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In its flourishing period from the Tang to the Northern Song, Yue-kiln celadon left a spirit of stable, dignified forms and moist, elegant glaze color, and the reputation of 'the green of a thousand peaks' and 'like ice, like jade' dates from this time. Its porcelain-making skill, decorative craft, and modeled forms were long adopted by other kiln systems, securing it a place in early Chinese porcelain history. The Cixi transmission unit takes up precisely this thread, making the continued firing of old Shanglin Lake vessel forms the entry point of its transmission.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Jixigui 04-1917
- Chen Pengfei
- Shi Zhen
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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