The early Northern Song period was a flourishing era in the history of Yue ware porcelain production, during which the Yue kilns formed three major core production centers: theCixi region centered on Shanglin Lake,the Shangyu region centered on Yaoqisiandthe Yinzhou region centered on Dongqian Lake. Among these, the Cixi region had the most concentrated distribution of kiln sites and the largest number, and archaeological excavations and surveys of kiln remains in all three areas provided crucial support for reconstructing the production landscape of Yue ware during this period.

The Cixi region centered on Shanglin Lake was the core production area of Yue ware porcelain in the early Northern Song period.Since 1990, relevant archaeological institutions have conducted multiple surveys and explorations of the Shanglin Lake celadon kiln site cluster in this area, discovering over 110 kiln sites and completing detailed mapping of kiln distribution and topography. The kiln sites across the Cixi region can be divided into four zones: Shanglin Lake, Baiyang Lake, Ancient Yinding Lake, and Lidu Lake. Among these, theSilongkou kiln sitein the Ancient Yinding Lake zone, theShimangnong kiln sitein the Baiyang Lake zone, and theHousi'ao kiln sitein the Shanglin Lake zone have all yielded early Northern Song kiln waste deposits, producing a vast number of porcelain shards and kiln furniture specimens.

The two-phase excavation at Silongkou kiln site was completed between 1998 and 1999, revealing dragon kilns, workshops, sagger walls, and other remains, with over 50,000 artifacts (shards) unearthed. The excavated ceramics are predominantly food vessels such as bowls, plates, and cups, with bodies tending toward thinness and lightness. Glaze colors are mostly celadon-yellow, celadon-green, and celadon with a grayish tint, and are divided into coarse and fine grades: coarse wares follow the Five Dynasties style in form and foot ring, without decorative patterns; fine wares feature elegant shapes, taller and narrower foot rings, and are commonly adorned with fine-line incised decoration, with motifs including paired parrot patterns, turtle-and-lotus patterns, and some vessels also bear shallow-relief lotus petal patterns on the exterior. In terms of firing techniques, coarse wares were mostly stacked and fired in multiples with clay strip separators, while fine wares were fired individually in saggers, and the sagger joints were no longer sealed with glaze. The Shimalong kiln site was excavated in 1999 in coordination with infrastructure construction, yielding a large number of contemporary ceramics and kiln furniture specimens. The proactive excavation of the Housiao kiln site began in 2015, with related remains mainly distributed in the southwestern part of the site, directly overlying Five Dynasties remains. The excavated ceramics feature diverse forms, fine and dense bodies, and transparent glazes, with rich themes in fine-line incised decoration, while kiln furniture includes saggers and pad rings of various shapes.

In the Shangyu area centered on Yao Si Qian, kiln sites from the early Northern Song Dynasty were widely distributed. In addition to Aohua Mountain and Lizhu Mountain near Yao Si Qian, contemporary kiln sites were also found in Dongjiashan Village, Xiajiabu Village, and other locations.The kiln sites in this area produced a rich variety of wares, including bowls, jars, ewers, boxes, cups, cup stands, dishes, plates, goblets, lamps, and incense burners. Glaze colors are mostly celadon-green, with light celadon and celadon-yellow also seen. The primary decorative technique is fine-line incised carving, with motifs such as lotus leaf patterns, raised ridge patterns, incised line patterns, scroll patterns, lotus petal patterns, parrot patterns, bird patterns, floral medallion patterns, wave patterns, and lotus leaf with turtle center patterns, all executed with fluid lines and vivid imagery.

In the Yinzhou area centered on Dongqian Lake, there are a total of 10 kiln sites from the early Northern Song Dynasty, namely the Guo Jiazhi kiln site in the Guo Jiazhi kiln area, the Shangshui Yaoao kiln site in the Shangshui kiln area, the Sheshan kiln site in the Xiashui kiln area, the Xiaobaishi kiln site, the Shayantou kiln site, and the Huayuanshan kiln site in the Dongwu kiln area, the Hetouwan kiln site in the Wuxiang kiln area, and the Chenjunmiaoshan kiln site, the Shuimachidun kiln site, and the Wuhualou kiln site in the Xi kiln area. The products from kiln sites in this area include bowls, plates, cups, cup stands, dishes, bowls, jars, triple boxes, ewers, tea grinders, and more, with similar product types showing diverse forms and varied shapes. The bodies are fine and pure, the glaze colors are translucent and verdant, and the walls are thin and light. In terms of decoration, fine-line incised carving and shallow-relief decoration are commonly prevalent, with exquisite patterns, dense compositions, and fluid lines, featuring motifs such as parrot patterns, paired butterfly patterns, lotus petal patterns, lotus flower patterns, floral patterns, sea wave patterns, flower-and-bird patterns, dragon and phoenix patterns, lotus seedpod patterns, turtle-and-lotus patterns, peacock patterns, and floral medallion patterns. In terms of firing, saggers were commonly used, with different vessel types employing saggers of different shapes. (Text adapted from "The Production and Distribution of Yue Ware in the Early Northern Song Dynasty" by Xie Xiying)

 

 

1

Plate

Plate

Mouth diameter 40.8cm, height 10.7cm

 

Plate

Mouth diameter 40cm, height 11.8cm

 

 

Plate

Mouth diameter 40.2cm, height 10.8cm

 

Large plate

Diameter 34.2 cm, height 10.4 cm

 

Large plate

Diameter 41.8 cm, height 9.1 cm

 

Plate

Diameter 17.2 cm, height 5.1 cm

 

 

 

Plate

Diameter 16.4 cm, height 4.5 cm

 

Plate

Diameter 17.2 cm, height 5.7 cm

 

Plate

Diameter 15.6 cm, height 4.7 cm

 

Plate

Diameter 11.2 cm, height 4.7 cm

 

Plate

Diameter 11.6 cm, height 4.6 cm

 

Dish

Mouth diameter 7.6cm, height 3.3cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 10.8cm, height 5.5cm

 

Dish

 

Foot diameter 9cm, height 3.7cm

 

 

Dish

Foot diameter 8.4cm, height 3.4cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 10.8cm, height 2.9cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 10.6cm, height 2.7cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 9.6cm, height 4.1cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 11.2 cm, height 4.4 cm

 

 

 

Dish

Mouth diameter 17.8 cm, height 5.7 cm

 

Dish

Mouth diameter 21.6 cm, height 3.9 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 9.9 cm, remaining height 2.6 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 11 cm, remaining height 2.7 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 10.6 cm, remaining height 2.3 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 10.2 cm, remaining height 1.8 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 12.8 cm, remaining height 2.6 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 12.2 cm, residual height 4.1 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 10.4 cm, residual height 2.4 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 9.6 cm, residual height 3.9 cm

 

Dish

Mouth diameter 14.8 cm, height 4 cm

 

Dish

Mouth diameter 13 cm, foot diameter 7.4 cm, height 3.5 cm

 

Dish

Mouth diameter 15.7 cm, height 3.3 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 7.8 cm, height 1.9 cm

 

Dish

Foot diameter 3.4cm, height 1.5cm

 

Large dish

Foot diameter 14.8cm, remaining height 3.5cm

 

Large dish

Foot diameter 14.6cm, remaining height 7.5cm

 

Large dish 

Remaining height 3.8cm

 

Large dish 

Foot diameter 16.4cm, remaining height 3.5cm

 

 

 

2

Cup

 

Cup

Mouth diameter 16.4cm, height 4.5cm

 

3

Bowl

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.8 cm, height 7.7 cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.6 cm, height 5.2 cm

 

Large bowl

Foot diameter 15.8 cm, height 7.7 cm

 

Large bowl

Foot diameter 9.4 cm, height 8.5 cm

 

Large bowl

Foot diameter 10.2 cm, height 3.7 cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.6 cm, height 5.6 cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.6 cm, height 4.1 cm

 

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 9.2cm, height 4.2cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 6.8cm, height 4.9cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8cm, height 4.5cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 11cm, height 5.7cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.6cm, height 4.4cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.2cm, height 3.9cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.2cm, height 4.1cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.2cm, height 4.5cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 9cm, height 6cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 7.8cm, height 4.9cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 8.8cm, height 2.3cm

 

Bowl

Foot diameter 7.4cm, height 4.5cm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

Basin

 

Basin

Mouth diameter 25.8cm, height 7.9cm

 

Basin

Mouth diameter 33.2cm, height 7.3cm

 

 

——Text and images from the book "Delicate and Exquisite: Early Northern Song Porcelain Unearthed from the Housiyu Kiln Site in Shanglinhu"——