Experts inspect the Suyukou kiln site in the Helan Mountains, Ningxia. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]
At a symposium on Feb 22, experts confirmed that the Suyukou kiln site in the Helan Mountains, Ningxia, yielded China's earliest known high-quartz porcelain.
According to Chai Pingping, the lead archaeologist, this discovery pushes back the timeline of the binary formula for porcelain body composition from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) to the Song (960-1279) and Western Xia (1038-1227) dynasties.
The Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology first identified the 40,000-square-meter site in 2017. From 2021 to 2024, the institute, in collaboration with Fudan University, conducted extensive excavations of six kilns to explore fine white porcelain production in the Northwest and trace the origins of porcelain from Western Xia tombs and temples.
An expert visits the artifacts unearthed from the Suyukou kiln site. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]
The excavation also uncovered exceptionally well-preserved ancient porcelain workshops, including facilities for processing, shaping, trimming, glazing, and firing porcelain clay and quartz.
Chai highlighted the unprecedented discovery of a complete set of kiln resources, including porcelain clay, quartz, lime, coal mines, and water sources.
Professor Zheng Jianming from Fudan University emphasized that the kiln site provides invaluable material evidence for studying cultural exchanges and integration between different regimes during the Western Xia and Song periods.
Zheng added that the porcelain artifacts offer insights into the cultural interactions among ethnic groups, shedding light on the formation and development of China's multi-ethnic unity.
An expert visits the artifacts unearthed from the Suyukou kiln site. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]