The Shanglin Lake Yue Kilns () are a cluster of archaeological sites where

Yue ware Yue or Yueh ( ) may refer to: Places * Guangdong, abbreviated (), a province of China * Yue Nan (), the Chinese name for Vietnam * Zhejiang, commonly abbreviated (), a province of China Languages * Yue Chinese, a branch of Chinese, spoken ...

was made, though they are by no means the only ones. They are located near Shanglin Lake, in

Cixi City Cixi (), alternately romanized as Tzeki, is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of the sub-provincial city of Ningbo, in the north of Zhejiang province, China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,829,488. Its urban agglomeration bui ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

, China. The

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

s produced

celadon ''Celadon'' () is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was ...

around the Shanglin Lake area during the

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

, and

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

dynasties are referred to as such.Fang (2005), p 41 A variety of different wares were manufactured during the kilns' history, including " jars,

spittoon A spittoon (or spitoon) is a receptacle made for spitting into, especially by users of chewing and dipping tobacco. It is also known as a cuspidor (which is the Portuguese word for "spitter" or "spittoon", from the verb "cuspir" meaning "to s ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

pots,

incense burner A censer, incense burner, perfume burner or pastille burner is a vessel made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout t ...

s, cups, bowls, flasks, cases, writing-brush basins, dishes, handle-less cups, pots, wine cups, flat bowls, basins", and children's toys. The roughly 179 kiln sites located in this area appear to have been the earliest original

producers in China and elsewhere. From the late Eastern Han dynasty to the Southern Song dynasty (~200–1200 A.D.), celadon was produced in vast amounts and traded in regional networks. This collection of sites was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Tentative List on March 28, 2008, in the Cultural category.Ancient Porcelain Kiln Site in China: The Yue-Kiln Site at Shanglin Lake – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Notes

References

*Fang, Lili (2005), ''Chinese Ceramics'', 五洲传播出版社. .
Ancient Porcelain Kiln Site in China: The Yue-Kiln Site at Shanglin Lake – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Accessed 2009-02-25. *Uda, M., et al. (2005), ''X-rays for Archaeology'', Springer. {{coord, 30, 07, 22.08, N, 121, 20, 13.24, E, source:zhwiki, display=title Chinese pottery kiln sites 1930s archaeological discoveries Tourist attractions in Ningbo Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Zhejiang National archaeological parks of China