Chinaware of Zhonghe Kiln

Ou Zezhang

This book provides a multifaceted exploration and interpretation of the Song Dynastys Zhonghe wares. Its divided into six sections： Overview， Regional Background， Identification， Deep Insights， Projections， and Appreciation. It systematically presents the development and characteristics of the Zhonghe wares and offers clear explanations of the firing techniques， decorative art， and unique features of Zhonghe Kiln ceramics.

Ceremonial Ware

Zhonghe Kiln was one of the kilns during the Song Dynasty that produced ceremonial ware. Their designs were exquisite， setting a unique and distinguished tone among the Song Dynastys greenish white porcelain.

These ceramics were primarily used for rituals， feasts， festivals， expeditions， and funeral ceremonies. Some signified the users status， rank， and power， while others simply served practical functions for ceremonial events. Major pieces included vases， pots， incense burners， Buddha statues， plum vases， waist drums， and clay figurines.

The best of Zhonghe Kilns ceremonial wares were primarily seen in their pots， incense burners， and plum vases. Overall， the style is elegantly simple， bright， and graceful， fully embodying the charm and high quality of Zhonghe Kiln ceramics. Naturally， the rejected pieces were treated most harshly， being destroyed completely and thoroughly. Hardly any complete pieces remain at the archaeological site.

Burner

One of the ceramic types from the Song Dynastys Zhonghe Kiln， Song Dynasty greenish white porcelain burners can largely be categorized into “sealed lid” and “open top” types. “Sealed lid” burners mostly resemble Boshan burners， and there are also animal-shaped incense burners， aquatic bird burners， and spherical burners. The “open top” burners， evolving from Buddhist ceremonial burners， are among the more delicate and varied designs in greenish white porcelain burners.

As mentioned in earlier chapters， in Zhang Zeduans “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” （housed in the Forbidden City Museum）， theres a scene showing a sign outside a shop reading “Lius Premium Agarwood Selection.” This suggests that the Liu family offered top-grade incense. The Song Dynastys thriving incense trade not only boosted the production of ceramic burners but also popularized various burner designs. Among them were burners replicating the Han Dynastys Boshan design， animal and rare bird-shaped burners， and those associated with Buddhist culture. After the Tang and Song dynasties， the method of burning incense changed. Instead of directly burning the incense in the burner， the heat was often applied indirectly， using charcoal to release the fragrance from incense balls， slices， or cakes. This method of incense burning eliminated sparks and smoky residue， producing a purer and more harmonious scent. At the same time， this method allowed observers to appreciate the shape of the rising smoke， making it popular and widely accepted by the masses. As seen in “Listening to Ruan” by Li Song from the Southern Song Dynasty， the painting depicts a woman placing incense on a burner.

The beast-shaped incense burner is one of the styles produced by the Zhonghe Kiln during the Song Dynasty. These burners often feature the Suan Ni as their design. The Suan Ni， one of the nine mythical offspring of the dragon in ancient Chinese lore， resembles a lion. It enjoys smoke and sitting， which is why its image frequently appears on incense burners， seemingly inhaling and exhaling the smoke. As mentioned earlier， the top-tier and high-quality ceramics from the Zhonghe Kiln that didnt meet standards were treated very harshly. Hence， finding fragments of the finest beast-shaped incense burners and lion-handled pots from the Zhonghe wares of the Song Dynasty is like finding a needle in a haystack. Currently， only one fragment of each of the greenish white porcelain lion and Suan Ni from the Zhonghe Kiln has been found.

As shown in the Suan Ni fragment measures 5.9 cm in height and 4 cm at its widest. The base is curved （a segment of a circle） and has a greenish white glaze. Its evident that this piece was where the Suan Ni connected to its base. Unfortunately， only this fragment remains. Yet， the Suan Nis mouth， teeth， claws， collar， brass bell， chin， and mane on both sides of its face are all intact， showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. The fragment has a creamy texture and thin walls， glazed inside and out， with a brilliant sheen. Its form is lively and can be considered a masterpiece.

There are no fewer than 20 types of burners from the Zhonghe Kiln. Besides the beast-shaped burners， there are suspected waterfowl-shaped burners， spherical burners， cylindrical tripod burners， hoop-footed tube burners， double-lotus pattern burners， trumpet-shaped high-footed stand burners， chrysanthemum pattern burners， lotus petal rope pattern burners， and a refined series of portable burners.

The basic design of Song Dynasty Zhonghe Kiln teapots includes a wide mouth， sloping shoulders， and either a flat bottom or ring foot. One side of the shoulder has a long spout， and the other side symmetrically has a ribbon-shaped handle connected to the rim. The pot body is slender with a slightly bulging belly， commonly seen with lotus petal and melon ridge designs. They come with short necks， long necks， flared mouths， beveled rims， flat rims， plate-like rims， and wide brims. The flared mouth teapot is one of the styles produced by this kiln and is a classic style found in museums domestically and internationally.

Among the diverse ceramics from the Zhonghe wares， the teapot is the most representative. Its design is regular， simple， elegant， and exquisite， a perfect combination of form， clay quality， and glaze color. The Song Dynasty Zhonghe Kiln not only produced a large number of teapots but also showcased a variety of designs and superior quality. From the characteristics and glaze color of the Zhonghe Kiln teapots， its evident they led in the production of greenish white porcelain nationwide during that time.

By the Tang and Song dynasties， the design of these teapots had already been standardized， and they appeared as either wine or tea vessels in peoples daily lives. These teapots evolved from the earlier chicken-head pots popular from the Wei-Jin period to the Tang Dynasty， representing the transformation and refinement of the chicken-head pot in both form and function. The Zhonghe Kiln also produced chicken-head pots for a time， and it seems that this style predates other teapot designs. It inherited traditional design features as an early representative of Zhonghe Kiln teapots. The production of greenish white porcelain teapots from the Zhonghe Kiln clearly reflects the artisans emphasis not only on the glaze but also on the overall aesthetic design of the vessel.

While the design of Zhonghe wares teapots might imitate metalware， their refinement extends beyond just shape， evident even in the smallest details. A crucial factor is the high-quality porcelain clay from the Zhonghe Kiln， known as “white eel mud.” Without this high-quality， high-temperature-resistant clay that retains its shape， it would be impossible to produce the thin body and slender spout of these teapots. Comprehensive analysis of the body， lid， mouth， and neck of Zhonghe Kiln teapots reveals a high similarity to some classic styles found in museums both domestically and internationally. One characteristic is the slender spout that curves upward along the neck， typically of the same height as the teapots neck. The point where the handle connects to the body and where the spout connects to the body are both at the same height. From a side view， the spout and handle are symmetrical.

The greenish white porcelain teapots of the Song Dynastys Zhonghe wares， are a perfect fusion of practicality and aesthetics， very much in line with the aesthetic sensibilities of the Song people. Teapots have two uses： one is for serving or warming wine， referred to as “Zhuzi;” The other is for holding water when making tea， called a “soup bottle.” With the Song Dynasty abolishing the market system and curfew regulations that had been in place since the Tang Dynasty， urban commerce flourished rapidly. The booming commodity economy enriched urban life. Tea drinking and wine drinking became two major pastimes for the Song people， making the demand and aesthetic appreciation for teapots especially significant.

Prunus Vase

One of the ceramic types popular during the Song Dynasty， Mei vases often feature a small mouth， short neck， and round shoulders. The upper belly is plump and round， while the lower belly tapers in， giving it a slender silhouette. Like the aforementioned teapots， prunus vases also exhibit the refined and delicate art style of southern ceramics. It shows a fragment of a greenish white prunus vase from the Zhonghe Kiln with a ring foot and a foot diameter of 10.5 cm. The clay body is pure white， delicate， and hard; the glaze is lustrous and plump; the vessels wall is smooth; the glaze is applied uniformly， extending down to the ring foot， and the inside of the bottom is also fully glazed.

Though the lotus petal pattern prunus vase is fragmented， its remaining pattern， sturdy clay body， and greenish-white glaze with a thick glaze on the inside bottom suggest its a fine piece from the Zhonghe Kiln. It seems to be a high-quality piece of Zhonghe wares. This type of prunus vase with a lotus petal pattern on the base typically features combined decorations. From the base to the mouth， it is adorned with lotus petal patterns， double string patterns， and large areas of intertwined peony or chrysanthemum patterns on the body. The shoulder area features double string patterns， and the upper part has intertwined peony or chrysanthemum patterns.

Zun （Vessel）

As one of the ceramic types produced at the Song Dynastys Zhonghe Kiln， in Wei Renyis archaeological report on the Zhonghe wares， the Zun is one of the vessel types mentioned. Its a fragmented piece with a cylindrical lower body. The middle is cinched with a ring foot. The belly has a diameter of 8.7 cm， and the foot diameter is 8 cm.

Waist Drum

As one of the most distinctive vessel types from the Song Dynastys Zhonghe Kiln， the waist drum was said that it originally came from the Western Regions and was introduced to Central China by Zhang Qian during the Han Dynasty. It was widely used in music and dance from the Wei， Jin， Northern and Southern dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties.

When the waist drum was introduced to Guangxi is unknown. Zhou Quofeis Lingwai Daida records： “The waist drums of Jingjiang have the most resonant sound， originating from Linqi Countys Zhiyou Township. The local soil is particularly suitable， and the villagers create kilns to produce the drums.” The exact location of Linqis Zhiyou Township today is unclear， but a large production existed at Yongfu Kiln in todays Guilin Citys Yongfu County. In addition， in the Liuriver area of Northeastern Guangxi， known for greenish white porcelain wares， both the Teng County Zhonghe Kiln and the Rong County Chengguan Kiln produced them. The waist drum from Teng Countys Zhonghe Kiln is a fragmented piece excavated in 1964 during an archaeological exploration of the Zhonghe Kilns. It is now housed in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum.

Chinaware of Zhonghe Kiln

Ou Zezhang

Guangxi Peoples Publishing House

March 2023

96.00 （CNY）

Ou Zezhang

Ou Zezhang is a researcher at the West River Basin Folk Literature Research Center and a member of the Guangxi Writers Association. His main research focuses on ceramics from the Zhonghe Kilns in Guangxi， greenish white porcelain from the Beiliu River Basin， and historical and cultural studies of the West River Basin.