In ancient kiln building customs, when a new kiln is put into operation, it must be chosen on an auspicious day. It is said that the day when the first kiln was ignited was the day when the Lanshi Liyong Zhuangyuan Lunwenxu Ancestral Hall was completed during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. " At that time, the kiln firing was not only very smooth, but also "treasures" were fired from time to time. It is said that a flawless set of "Eight Immortals" was fired, which was praised by the world. Therefore, generations of kiln workers have attributed this to this reason. Connect with auspicious days. When it was first built, in order to avoid perennial flooding, it was located on a high hillside. Because the site was close to the back of the tall temple on the bank of the Dongping River, it had a favorable shape for building the kiln, so a high stone ridge was built at the end of the kiln. According to the ancient tradition of building kilns, the kiln surface was mostly made of mud bricks, which needed to be replaced every year. Moreover, before the Republic of China, all dragon kilns in Shiwan had no chimneys, and only had leather surfaces at the end of the kiln to prevent relocation; In addition, the original kiln building only had a sunflower shed to protect it from the sun and wind and rain. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the kiln entrance was moved upward by about 3 meters. Therefore, what we see now is the result of continuous reforms and repairs from the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the present. appearance. The structure inside the kiln generally remains the same as before. The kiln cavity is like a tunnel, made of small sand bricks, with a coupon roof on top. The inner plane of the kiln is in the shape of a boat bottom, with the head and tail slightly narrow and the middle part slightly wider. The total length is 32.6 meters, the width is 2-2.4 meters, and the height is 1.8-2 meters. The middle section of the kiln is also the highest.
The slopes of the head and tail of the kiln chamber are different, with the first section being the largest. The average slope of the entire kiln is 12 degrees, which means the average rise is 20 centimeters per meter. There are four kiln doors on the west side, generally 0.7 meters wide and 1.4 meters high, for each section to enter and exit the kiln. There were two original kiln doors on the east side, but they are now blocked and not in use. The top of the kiln is about 0.25 meters thick. There are 34 rows of fire eyes (holes for throwing firewood) from the kiln head to the end of the kiln. Each row is 0.85-1 meter apart. Except for the row of three fire eyes near the kiln mouth, the others all have five fire eyes. The spacing is 0.35-9.4 meters. The kiln is a professional kiln of the "Shuixiang Dabanzhang", a famous ancient pottery industry company. It has always been mainly for calcining large pot products for daily use. One kiln can hold about 360 loads of products, the calcining time is 12 hours, and the kiln firing cycle is 3 to 4 days. In the Qing Dynasty, the kiln was the ancestral property of the Huo family, the head of the local Zhengang Society. By the early Republic of China, it was divided into 60 shares. When in use, there were six kiln sections (one section was the six rows of fire eyes), and each share could occupy one section at a time. He turned back every ten times, but the kiln positions were changed in turn. The reason why this kiln has gone through many vicissitudes and still exists today is the result of the continuous use and reform of dragon kilns in the past dynasties. It has very important historical and scientific research value for studying a series of issues such as the specialized production of the pottery industry in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the dragon kiln structure and the evolution of calcining technology. During the heyday of the pottery industry at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were more than 100 dragon kilns in Shiwan. The development and huge scale of the pottery industry at that time laid a solid foundation for Shiwan to become the pottery capital of the South.
Today, when most Gulong kilns have been replaced by modern calcining methods, Nanfeng Zao stands majestically in the new modern pottery capital like the big banyan tree on the stone of her kiln body. As a historical witness to the formation and development of the famous "Shiwan Kiln" at home and abroad, it is a rare and precious historical heritage of the Southern Pottery Capital and has received due attention and protection. It was designated as a municipal cultural relics protection unit in 1962, promoted to a provincial key cultural relics protection unit in 1990, and a national key cultural relics protection unit in 2001.
Nanfeng Ancient Stove
Gaozao is located on the west side of Nanfeng Ancient Stove. It is a dragon kiln of the same period, with a total length of 38.25 meters. It originally had 42 rows of fire eyes, which were changed in the 1950s. Row 33, the rest are similar to Nanfeng ancient stoves. On June 25, 2001, the State Council announced that Nanfeng Ancient Stove and Gaozao Pottery Kiln were among the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
Foshan Nanfeng Ancient Zao Tourist Area is located in Shiwan, the famous pottery capital of Southern China. It is world-famous for its five thousand years of pottery making history. Covering an area of ??about 400 acres, it integrates tourism, sightseeing, production, arts training, seminars, participation, and shopping. The tourist area has three scenic spots: Nanfeng Ancient Stove, Pottery Sculpture Park, and Green Boat Peacock Garden.
In the Nanfeng Ancient Stove Scenic Area, there are nationally protected cultural relics, the Nanfeng Ancient Stove and the Gao Stove, which are known as living fossils of ceramics. For five hundred years, the kilns have been firing and production has been uninterrupted, and they have been included in the auspicious records. Nice World Records, the scenic area also has two provincial-level cultural relics protection units such as the Lin Family Hall and the Gaomiao Side Hall, as well as giant ceramic murals - Ancient Town Taoyuan Historical Paintings, Ruilong Xianbao, Ancient Stoves and Banyan Styles, Antique Laos and other attractions .
Address: No. 5-6 Gaomiao Road, Chancheng District, Foshan City
Type: Museum Characteristic Street
Grade: AAAA
Play time: 2-3 hours recommended
Telephone: 0757-82701118
Opening hours: 8:30-17:00
Transportation: 109, 120, You can get there by taking bus No. 137, Gui 26 or Lin 8 and getting off at Nanfeng Guzao Station.
Ticket: 25 yuan