(Part of the old porcelain kilns are now located under the Yannei Reservoir in Zhaihe Village)
In 1602 AD, the Dutch East India Company captured a Portuguese merchant ship, the "Clark" at sea, and loaded it with There is a large amount of blue and white porcelain from China. Because the origin of the porcelain is unknown, Europeans named this kind of porcelain "Clark porcelain". In the mid-1980s, Amsterdam held a large-scale auction titled "Chinese Porcelain Arrives 400 Years Late". The auction items were all Chinese porcelain salvaged from shipwrecks in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many of them were called "Clark Porcelain". "Blue and white porcelain. In recent years, the "San Diego" in the Philippines sank in 1600, the "White Lion" was buried in the waters of St. Helena Island in western Africa in 1613, the Fosta ruins in Egypt, and the Kansai region of Japan have successively discovered a large number of "Clark Porcelain". What is puzzling is that this kind of porcelain, which is abundant in China, is rarely collected in China. Based on its craftsmanship, style, and decorative characteristics, the archaeological community once speculated that it was blue and white porcelain produced in Jingdezhen or Wuchang during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
From the 14th year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1519) to the 6th year of Chongzhen (1633), 13 people from Jiangxi were in charge of peace. At that time, the maritime trade in Yue Port was very prosperous, and porcelain was a bulk commodity exported to the outside world. In order to benefit the people and obtain huge profits, the appointed magistrates gave preferential tax policies to the porcelain industry, supported it, and organized private production and firing to participate in market competition. Judging from the porcelain specimens collected in Pinghe, although the glaze is different from other kiln mouths, the imprinting or carving techniques and composition are exactly the same as those of Jingdezhen kiln products, which is why they are sometimes confused with Jingdezhen porcelain.
At that time, the development of capitalism in Western Europe was in the stage of primitive capital accumulation, and the West's demand for Chinese porcelain was increasing. According to historical records, the Dutch East India Company alone shipped 16 million pieces from China in the 80 years of the 17th century. Such a large amount of porcelain, of varying grades, was unbearable for the struggling Jingdezhen kilns alone. On the one hand, the operators of the Western East India Company placed their hope on local private kilns with a certain degree of strength. Of course, they also hoped to open kilns near the ports for on-site production to reduce the pain of transportation and a large number of damage during handling. At this time, in the middle of the Wanli year of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620), Jingdezhen's porcelain industry faced a raw material crisis. The kiln workers' struggle against the pottery supervisors developed into a violent struggle that burned down the imperial kiln factory. This, coupled with the political unrest that occurred during the dynasty changes in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, caused the production of porcelain for export in Jingdezhen to be reduced or even stopped. The operators of the East India Company were looking for suppliers everywhere with samples of Jingdezhen porcelain and patterns that Westerners liked. As a result, folk kilns along the coast of Fujian became a production base for mass production of Jingdezhen porcelain substitutes. Folk kilns in Pinghe Nansheng, Wuzhai and other places emerged and developed under this background. According to documentary records: Between 1621 and 1632, the Dutch East India Company purchased porcelain in Zhangzhou three times, with the number often reaching tens of thousands. At the same time, the Japanese also purchased porcelain from Zhangzhou, including a considerable number of Nansheng and Wuzhai kiln products. Archeology The data has been proven.
In the early Qing Dynasty, the Qing government implemented a "sea ban", Yuegang declined, and the Pinghe porcelain industry also declined due to blocked sales. "Clark Porcelain" basically disappeared at home and abroad, leaving future generations with it. A series of distant and beautiful reveries.
Clark porcelain is characterized by wide edges, mostly blue and white porcelain. The rims of plates and bowls are painted with divided and circular landscapes, figures, flowers, fruits, etc.
The production of Clark porcelain can be divided into two periods from Wanli to the early Qing Dynasty and Kangxi period. The former is consecrated blue and white porcelain, while the latter is thin-bodied. The Wanli Clark blue and white plate is painted with Zhejiang materials, with several tones of emerald blue, gray blue and light blue. It uses the water dividing technique to form three to four color levels, which laid the foundation for the maturity of Kangxi blue and white. The painters skillfully use their brushes, no matter hooking, dotting, or dyeing, they can do whatever they want, naturally and freely. All circles are drawn with two strokes, which is also a characteristic of porcelain paintings in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. This kind of blue and white porcelain with floral patterns has a typical European style. It is also the name of Chinese blue and white porcelain in Europe. It refers specifically to this kind of export porcelain that is deeply loved by European princes and nobles.
In 1986, during a census of cultural relics in Wuzhai, Nansheng, Wenfeng, Jiufeng and other towns, nearly a hundred ancient porcelain kilns and ancient pottery kiln sites were discovered. The following 13 sites were listed as county-level cultural relics protection units.
The Dongkou Porcelain Kiln Site is located 2 kilometers west of Zhaihe Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??about 2,000 square meters. A large amount of blue and white porcelain was collected from the accumulation layer. The utensils are mostly bowls, plates, vials, small wine glasses, and small sauce-colored glaze cups. They are products of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The kiln site is well preserved.
The Neiyaozi kiln ruins are located in Tongkengzi and Xiayingshan, Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township. The kiln site group is divided into two ridges, Tongkeng and Xiaying. The specimens collected include bowls and plates. The glaze colors are mostly blue and white and shadow celadon, which are products of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The kiln site is well preserved.
The Erlong Porcelain Kiln Site is located in the east of Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??5,600 square meters, and the cultural accumulation layer is more than 4 meters thick. Mainly made of plates, bowls and dishes, the glaze color is blue and white. The edge of the circle is painted with figures of Jiangnan landscapes, and the bottom is painted with a "running deer". It is a product made before the mid-Ming Dynasty. The kiln site is well preserved.
The Goutoushan Porcelain Kiln Ruins are located in Goutoushan, Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??nearly 30,000 square meters. The kiln site is filled with fired bowls and plates. Most of the remaining porcelain and utensils are decorated with blue and white patterns, with patterns such as water plants, fish and algae, and some are painted with birds and animals. It is a relic of the kiln site in the mid-Ming Dynasty and is well preserved.
The Dalong Porcelain Kiln Site is located in Dalong Mountain, Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??4,000 square meters. A large number of kiln furniture accumulations and porcelain fragments were found on the kiln site. Collected are plates, bowls, saucers, and high-necked wine glasses. The glaze color is blue and white, with obvious underglaze characteristics. The utensils are painted with patterns of flowers and plants, and some have the words "good luck and good luck". They are the remains of kiln sites in the mid-Ming Dynasty and are well preserved.
The Yaozishan Porcelain Kiln Ruins are located in Yaozishan, Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??nearly 50,000 square meters, and the accumulation layer is more than 2 meters thick. The utensils are mainly plates, with a small number of dishes and cups. The glaze color is blue and white underglaze, and it is painted with patterns such as water plants, lotus flowers, and water birds. The bowl has a straight mouth, a deep belly, and a plump belly. The words "Yong", "Fu" and "Lu" are painted on it. It is a relic of a kiln site before the mid-Ming Dynasty and is well preserved.
The ruins of the Loach Empty Porcelain Kiln are located in Shangcuotian, Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??20,000 square meters. Fragments of plates, bowls, incense burners and small jars were collected. The glaze color of the bowl is mainly blue and white, which is an underglaze color process, and the incense burner is a sauce-colored glaze. It is a relic of a kiln site before the mid-Ming Dynasty and is well preserved.
The Tianzhong Porcelain Kiln Ruins are located in Houxiang Mountain, Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??about 6,600 square meters. The accumulation layer is covered under weeds, and the accumulation layer is exposed near the mountain stream, with a thickness of 2 to 3 meters. The artifact fragments are mainly plates and stoves. The body is painted with blue and white underglaze colors, with some shades of blue. The patterns are of birds and animals, gray-blue and dark in color, with poor luster. The incense burner is made of celadon, imitating Longquan carved flowers. The glaze is pea green in color, with strong transparency and a distinct concave and convex touch. It is a relic of a kiln site in the mid-Ming Dynasty and is well preserved.
The Broom Gold Porcelain Kiln Ruins are located in Zongzicuo Mountain, Xinmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??3,000 square meters. The accumulation layer is 2 meters thick, and fragments of plates, bowls, incense burners and small jars were collected. Most of the dishes and bowls are underglaze, but also have blue and white glaze. It is a relic of the kiln site of the Ming Dynasty and is well preserved.
Luozishan Porcelain Kiln Ruins are located in Luozishan, Youmei Village, Wuzhai Township, covering an area of ??2,500 square meters. The accumulation layer is 2 meters thick and is partially exposed. The bowls and plates collected are mainly small and medium-sized vessels, all with blue and white glaze. It is a relic of the kiln site of the Ming Dynasty and is well preserved.
The Yaozishan Porcelain Kiln Ruins are located in Longxin Village, Nansheng Township, covering an area of ??3,240 square meters. The accumulation layer is 2 meters thick, and utensils such as plates, bowls, jars, and pots were collected, mainly blue and white ware. It is a relic of a kiln site before the mid-Ming Dynasty and is well preserved.
Shandou Porcelain Kiln Site is located behind Shandou Village, Nanxia, ??Wenfeng Township, covering an area of ??2,400 square meters. The kiln sites are juxtaposed and built along the mountain ridge, with a distance of 2.7 meters between the two kilns. The kiln head is basically intact, 1.3 meters wide and 1 meter high. It is arched in shape, with the upper part collapsed and the kiln furniture clearly stacked. Blue and white plates and bowls were collected in the kiln, with patterns including water plants, flowers, birds and animals, etc. They are the remains of kiln sites before the mid-Ming Dynasty and are well preserved.
The Chicaopu Pottery Kiln Site is located in Xiaping Village, Jiufeng Town, covering an area of ??210 square meters. The kiln has collapsed and is covered with weeds, with various pottery fragments scattered around. The utensils include cauldrons, casseroles, jars, chimneys, lamps, wine drains, etc. The pottery is loose. It is a relic of the pottery kiln of the Ming Dynasty.