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Elements of success-earth, fire and water
2021-07-29 
Kaiyuan Temple, featuring exquisite rooftop decorations, is the largest Buddhist temple in Quanzhou. CHINA DAILY

A centuries-old shipwreck off the coast of Guangdong province was finally salvaged in 2007, two decades after it was found completely by chance. Archaeologists named that famous shipwreck, dating to the Southern Song era (1127-1279), Nanhai One.

The ill-fated ship was carrying a full cargo when she, as is believed, sank shortly after setting off from Quanzhou, Fujian province, which was one of the world's busiest ports at the time.

While it was unfortunate for the vessel at the time, for today's researchers, the wreck is a perfect time capsule, sealing the prosperity of ancient maritime trade within its cabins-over 170,000 porcelain artifacts, many of which remain intact, have been found among its ruins. And it is estimated that about one-third of them are white glaze produced in Dehua, a county about 70 kilometers from what is today downtown Quanzhou.

The precious underwater treasure trove unveils one piece of a grand picture depicting the area's porcelain industry, which, according to archaeological findings, formed and blossomed over the course of 3,700 years.

According to Li Jian'an, a veteran researcher of ceramics, who is also the former director of Fujian Provincial Archaeology Research Institute, the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties represented the industry's peak in ancient China.

As "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China "newly gained the UNESCO World Heritage status, the site of Dehua Kilns, which is included in the inscription, is ready to tell stories of the booming trade on the high seas from the mountainous area inland.

"Dehua porcelain is an outstanding representative of ceramic varieties exported from ancient China," Li says. "Thanks to maritime trade, its development leapt between the 10th and 14th centuries," Li says. "It was aimed at the high-end markets overseas due to its refined nature."

In Europe, Blanc de Chine (the white from China) that was produced in Dehua became a popular variety and later influenced the renowned Meissen porcelain in Germany.

Without flamboyant decorations, the white glaze is usually printed or carved with simple but elegant floral patterns.

According to Li, articles including bowls, plates, boxes and vases are among the main types of products exported during the Song and Yuan periods (960-1368). The white porcelain was found in large quantities, not only aboard Nanhai One, but also among shipwrecks from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other areas across South China Sea. Samples of Dehua white porcelain have also been found at archaeological sites in West Asia and East Africa.

Crafting such exquisite products requires time. According to The Travels of Marco Polo, a book chronicling the 13th century Venetian traveler's adventure in China, the way to make the clay base for the porcelain is to take a particular variety of soil from a quarry, and spend 30 to 40 years exposing it to sunshine.

"Fathers take it, and only their sons can use it," the book says.

"White porcelain evidence proves the powerful industry and trading capacity of Quanzhou," Li further explains. "It also shows local people's continuous creativity."

Unearthing new clues

More details of how the white glaze was produced have been gradually unearthed, even as preparations for the World Heritage bid were ongoing.

From 2019 to 2020, archaeologists unveiled Weilin-Neiban, a cluster of seven porcelain kilns, along two banks of a stream in the mountainous area. The kilns, ruins of a processing workshop and waste dumps were excavated. According to Zheng Jiongxin, director of Dehua Ceramics Museum, the new findings provided key clues for the studies of ceramics production techniques at the time.

Several "dragon kilns"-named after their long shape, which resembles a dragon-were found on the site and they are viewed by academia as a milestone in the evolution of ceramics production. The longest one stretches over 160 meters along a hillside.

Zheng says unearthed ceramic shards on the site also match previous findings from Nanhai One and patterns recorded in ancient documents.

"This kiln is so huge, and tens of thousands of pieces can be processed at a time," Zheng explains.

"As such, we also found that different workshops had inked their own family names on the bottom of the ceramics to distinguish their products from the others, but they shared the kiln and production resources.

"It's like an early-stage cooperative."

The new findings also contribute to a bigger picture of the area's booming ceramics industry.

In 1976, another "dragon kiln", dating to the Song and Yuan dynasties, was found in nearby Qudougong. However, this long kiln includes 17 separated chambers, which means it operated at various temperatures, with each chamber providing a different level of heat, and is thus an upgraded facility compared to the kilns in Weilin-Neiban. This type is known colloquially as a "cage kiln".

Locals also show gratitude for the craftsmanship that has been passed down. At the Qudougong site, a temple was established during the Song Dynasty in memory of Lin Bing, who was said to have started the dragon kiln. People have worshipped this master by bringing their own products as tributes in sacrificial ceremonies.

Kaiyuan Temple, featuring exquisite rooftop decorations, is the largest Buddhist temple in Quanzhou. CHINA DAILY

Being inscribed on the World Heritage List doesn't mean that study of the sites and its artifacts will halt. Zheng says follow-up excavations will continue in the area so that historians can form a continuous timeline in the lineage of Dehua's ceramic production.

"What was taken abroad goes far beyond just the products," he adds. "The technology of Dehua also benefited the rest of world in cultural exchanges. For instance, kiln technology from here was introduced to Japan via the trade route, resulting in a booming ceramics industry there."

According to Li, 29 Dehua Kiln sites have been found all over the county, and about 70 ceramic kilns from the Song and Yuan period were discovered in Quanzhou as a whole.

Other than the Dehua Kilns, the site of Cizao Kilns, located in the southwest of Quanzhou, is now included in the World Heritage List. Cizao products were also found in large amounts aboard Nanhai One.

Li says Cizao products are less refined than their Dehua counterparts and were therefore mainly exported for ordinary people's daily use, adding that the two types of ceramics fed the demand of consumers from different social classes.

"Artisans working at both places were apt to learn from others," he says. "They mimicked famous products from around the country, while mixing their own style, and continuously honing their skills, expanding their production capacity and strengthening management. They were sensitive to market demands and thus adapted well to maritime trade, making full use of the local resources.

"Dehua and Cizao complemented each other and jointly supported Quanzhou's role as an emporium of the world in Song-Yuan China."

The industry remains dynamic. Over 3,000 porcelain-making factories and studios in the county continue to make Dehua pottery, becoming one of most important hubs for ceramics production in China, especially for export.

In the temple on the Qudougong site, like their ancestors, people still pay homage to master Lin Bing. Nevertheless, what is displayed on the altar are more than just white glaze pottery. There are also colorful ceramics, decorated with shapes of animated figures from all over the world. Before they set off on their long voyages to become Halloween or Christmas gifts on the other side of the planet, maybe it is still worthwhile to pray for a safe journey.

Cast-iron evidence

Unlike porcelain, which is widely seen as a staple of ancient China's maritime trade, discovery of over 130 metric tonnes of iron from Nanhai One probably surprised the general public. However, for professional researchers like Shen Ruiwen, an archaeology professor at Peking University, it was not surprising at all-it just provides evidence of the prosperous iron trade, as recorded in historical documents.

For example, in Brief Introduction to Foreign Islands, a book compiled by a Yuan Dynasty navigator in 1349, iron made in China, including "ironware", "iron pots", "iron bars" and "iron lumps", among other forms of the black metal, were exported to 48 countries and regions aboard merchant ships setting off from Quanzhou.

"Iron was a key commodity in China's export along the maritime Silk Road during the Song Dynasty," Shen says. "Analysis of the findings on Nanhai One indicates the iron came from Fujian, but where exactly it was produced still awaits follow-up research."

A newly excavated archaeological site in Anxi county, Quanzhou, may shed light on it, though. The Xiacaopu iron production site in Qingyang village, also part of the newly inscribed World Heritage property, has provided crucial physical material to help understand the iron and steel-making technology of the Song-Yuan period.

Since 2019, archaeological excavation led by Shen discovered six smelting furnaces, a group of ancient mining pits and a segment of an ancient trail, among other remains, within an area of 50,000 square meters.

According to Shen, it is also the only archaeological site in China that witnesses the coexistence of bloomery iron and pig iron-two major types of ancient smelting techniques.

"Qingyang village is where one of the dedicated iron plants was set up by the Song government," he says. "The iron smelting industry here peaked in the 11th century."

Discovery of coins, a large amount of broken porcelain and ruins of residential buildings on the site may indicate a lasting period of prosperity in the metallurgy business here. Shen also explains that a complex transportation system via rivers also closely linked the mountainous region to the ocean.

"Together with Quanzhou's porcelain production bases, the Xiacaopu site shows the formidable capacity of basic industries in Quanzhou during the Song and Yuan periods," he says. "It also demonstrates the positive effects of maritime trade on economic development in Quanzhou's hinterland at that time."

To this day, iron smelting in Anxi continues unabated. A form of handicraft that mixes rattan and iron, known as tengtie, is one of the county's pillar goods for export. The ancient smelting furnaces may have given way to modern steel mills, but it is perhaps how locals keep the historic memory fresh in a modern, artistic way.

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