Chinanews.com, Hangzhou, December 10th, title: Zhejiang Cultural Observation: Why is it said that Shabu Kiln rewrote the history of Zhejiang ceramics?

　　Reporter Tong Xiaoyu

　　There is a millennium kiln site in Huangyan, Taizhou, Zhejiang.

In the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty, it represented the superb level of Zhejiang's porcelain industry.

These two pieces of information may not be known to most people.

　　On December 10, "Transition·Transformation - Huangyan Shabu Kiln Archaeological Achievements Exhibition" opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

More than 140 pieces of porcelain exhibited on site reproduced the splendor of Shabu Kiln.

　　Shabu kiln is not well-known, but the archaeological community has a high opinion of it: Shabu kiln has rewritten the history of Zhejiang ceramics.

　　A history of ceramics, half in Zhejiang.

Zhejiang has always been famous for producing celadon, and Yue Kiln and Longquan Kiln are two peaks in the history of China's porcelain industry.

What is the origin of Shabu Kiln?

How does it rewrite the history of Zhejiang ceramics?

　　The first appearance of Shabu Kiln has a "protagonist aura".

In 1956, the Shabu celadon kiln site group was discovered, which broke the traditional understanding of "Taizhou without porcelain" in ceramic circles.

Porcelain with carved flowers on both sides produced by Shabu Kiln Photo by Tong Xiaoyu

　　After archaeological excavation, it was found that the Shabu kiln site has 7 kiln sites, including Zhujialing kiln site, Fenghuangshan kiln site, and Xiashantou kiln site, with a total area of ​​about 70,000 square meters and rich relics.

　　However, the status of the Shabu Kiln site cannot be established only by overturning cognition.

　　Xie Xiying, librarian of Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and head of the Huangyan Shabu Kiln Archaeological Excavation Working Group, said that the Shabu Kiln Site Group is an important zone for the technical convergence and transition of Yue Kiln and Longquan Kiln porcelain industry, filling the gap in the development history of celadon. ring.

　　The Yue kiln was produced from the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty to the early Southern Song Dynasty, and the kiln sites are mainly concentrated in Shangyu, Yuyao, Cixi and other places in Zhejiang.

In the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, Yue Kiln began to decline.

Longquan kiln porcelain production began in the Northern Song Dynasty, and gradually expanded in the late Northern Song Dynasty. The kiln industry flourished after the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty, declined after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and ceased firing after the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty.

　　For a long time, people believed that Longquan Kiln was directly inherited from Yue Kiln.

However, archeology found that there may be a "transfer station" between the Yue Kiln and the Longquan Kiln, and the Shabu Kiln served as a link between the past and the future.

Sauce-glazed porcelain unearthed from the kiln site Photo by Tong Xiaoyu

　　This point is reflected in the porcelain unearthed from the Shabu Kiln.

　　For example, in the early part of the middle period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Shabu kiln porcelain was mostly in the style of earthen kiln, without decorative patterns.

In the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty, a large number of Yue kiln-style porcelain appeared, such as Kongming bowls, holding pots, and multi-tube lamps.

In terms of decoration and glaze color, the quality has improved by leaps and bounds.

　　Xie Xiying said that Shabu kilns in this period were superior in terms of output, firing level and decoration technology.

At that time, Longquan kiln had not yet risen.

　　How high was the firing level of the Shabu kiln at that time?

Xie Xiying discovered a 72.32-meter-long kiln at the Zhujialing kiln site.

In Shanglin Lake, Cixi, the kilns used for firing secret color porcelain are mostly more than 40 meters long.

The longer the furnace, the harder it is to control the temperature.

This also shows that Shabu Kiln has an experienced master craftsman.

　　From the end of the middle period of the Northern Song Dynasty to the early period of the late period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Shabu Kiln began to innovate and reached the peak of production history. It began to produce large-scale utensils with rich patterns and exquisite carvings, such as dragon patterns, phoenix patterns, parrot patterns, and baby play patterns. A large number appear in the heart of the market.

　　From the late Northern Song Dynasty, Shabu Kiln began to produce porcelain with double-sided carved flowers, that is, carved flowers on the inside and folded fan patterns on the outside. This is a typical pattern of Longquan Kiln from the late Northern Song Dynasty to the early Southern Song Dynasty.

It can be seen from this that the Shabu kiln played a role as a link between the Yue kiln and the Longquan kiln.

　　Another significance of Shabu Kiln is that it reveals the cultural exchange of North and South porcelain.

For example, some sauce-glazed porcelain was unearthed from the kiln site.

This kind of deep-glazed porcelain is generally considered to be a product of the Ding kiln in the north, and it has never been found in the Zhejiang area before.

The appearance of the double-sided inscribed flower celadon produced in Shabu kiln in the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty is similar to that in Shaanxi Yaozhou kiln.

　　This is a testimony to the technical exchanges between the northern and southern kilns, which shows that Shabu Kiln was one of the national ceramic technology exchange centers in the Song Dynasty.

　　Shabu Kiln, which was originally "unknown", has been clearly presented to the world bit by bit due to the efforts of archaeologists.

A 72.32-meter-long kiln discovered by Xie Xiying at the Zhujialing kiln site Photo by Xie Xiying

　　Xie Xiying said that when mentioning Zhejiang celadon in the past, people would only think of Yue Kiln and Longquan Kiln.

Because the style of Shabu Kiln was close to that of Yue Kiln in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, and closer to Longquan Kiln in the late Northern Song Dynasty, it is considered to be derived from the two.

However, if you study carefully, you will find that in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, although its appearance belonged to the Yue kiln, the glaze was still different.

Shabu kiln is also an important stroke in the evolution of Zhejiang celadon in the Northern Song Dynasty.

　　To his delight, his younger brother discovered fragments of Shabu kiln porcelain during the archaeological arrangement of the Northern Song Dynasty Dongchengzhou Bridge site in Kaifeng, Henan.

This shows that during the Northern Song Dynasty, the scope of influence of Shabu kiln porcelain may be greater than we imagined.

　　Xie Xiying also said that these conclusions only apply to the present.

With the deepening of archaeology, some achievements may be overturned in a few years.

But he is willing to be that explorer and revealer forever.

　　In the reporter's view, this is where the value of archaeologists lies: to verify the known, explore the unknown, and subvert cognition.

This is precisely the embodiment of the continuous progress of civilization.

(Finish)