Analysis of the Sites of 5 Famous Kilns in the Song Dynasty

中国宋代瓷器生产，以汝窑、官窑、哥窑、钧窑、定窑五个窑口产品最为有名，后人统称其为“宋代五大名窑”。
In the Song Dynasty, there were five famous porcelain kilns: Ru Kiln, Guan Kiln (Official Kiln), Ge Kiln, Jun Kilin and Ding Kiln, which were known as the “Five Famous Kilns of the Song Dynasty”.

Porcelain Pillows in the Shape of a Child produced by the Ding Kiln in the Song Dynasty
五大名窑的瓷器，以其精湛的工艺，典雅端庄的造型，精美绝伦的釉色，成为历代帝王、文人士大夫的赏玩之物。但这五大名窑的窑址，在我国陶瓷史上一直扑朔迷离。
Ceramics produced by the 5 famous kilns feature delicate craftwork, an elegant style and exquisite glazing colors, and thus were favored by emperors and scholars in ancient China. However, the sites of the 5 kilns have always been a complicated and confusing question in the history of Chinese porcelain.
上个世纪20年代，叶麟趾先生首先指明五大名窑之一的定窑“窑址在河北曲阳涧磁村”，五大名窑的奥秘才初露端倪。
In the 1920s, when Mr. Ye Linzhi first proved that the Ding Kiln was located in Jianci Village of Quyang County, Hebei Province, the answer began to dawn on us.

无巧不成书，半个世纪之后，叶老先生的长子、清华大学美术学院教授叶喆民先生，依据大量文献资料，在多次赴窑址亲自考察的基础上，提出“汝窑窑址可以到河南宝丰清凉寺寻觅”的线索。1988年河南省文物研究所清凉寺进行正式发掘，终于使寻觅多年的“汝窑”窑址重现天下。
By coincidence, Mr. Ye Zhemin, the eldest son of Mr. Ye Linzhi and a Professor of the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University, pointed out half century later that the Ru Kiln might be located in Qingliang Temple of Baofeng County, Henan Province, based on his study of a large number of documents and references and on-the-spot investigation in Baofeng. In 1988, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology began the excavation at Qingliang Temple and affirmed the site of the Ru Kiln.

钧窑由于一直不见于宋代文献记载，二十世纪五六十年代故宫博物院曾派人多次前往调查，陈万里、叶喆民、冯先铭等先生为钧窑窑址的考察提供了重要线索。1975年河南省文物工作者在河南禹县八卦洞附近的钧台，终于找到了宋代专烧宫廷用瓷的钧窑窑址。
There were no records in documents of the Song Dynasty about the Jun Kiln. During the 1950s to 1960s, the National Palace Museum sent staff members to investigate into this matter. Mr. Chen Wanli, Mr. Ye Zhemin and Mr. Feng Xianming have provided important clues to the investigation. In 1975, the Henan archeologists found the site of the Jun Kiln in Juntai, a place near Baguadong of Yu County, Henan Province.

“官窑”顾名思义是宋代专为宫廷烧制瓷器的官营瓷窑。现在，北宋官窑遗址已深埋开封地下6～8米深处，很难发现。宋王室南迁后，仍袭北宋官窑遗制，在杭州继续设窑烧造瓷器。
In Chinese, "Guan" means the government. The Guan Kiln was the government kiln only producing fine porcelains for the royal family and court. At present, the site of the Guan Kiln is buried 6-8 meters underneath Kaifeng and would be very difficult to find. When the royal family of the Song Dynasty moved to the south, the Guan Kiln was also moved to Hangzhou.
1985年，浙江省文物考古工作者，在对杭州市南郊乌龟山一带发现了窑炉、窑具及残片堆积层，确定为南宋郊坛下官窑窑址所在地。
In 1985, the Zhejiang archeologists found a furnace, kiln tools and a layer of fragments in Wuguishan Mountain of Hangzhou City, and affirmed the site of the Jiaotanxia Guan Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty.
二十一世纪初，浙江省考古所在凤凰山东麓万松岭南侧、南宋皇城遗址后面又发掘了一处窑址，基本确定为南宋修内司官窑遗址。
In the early 21st century, staff members of the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology found a kiln site which is located in the east side of Fenghuangshan, and the south side of Wansongling, and behind the site of the imperial city of the Southern Song Dynasty, and affirmed it was the site of the Xiuneisi Guan Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty.
至此，五大名窑中的四个业已真相大白，然而另外一处“哥窑”窑址，至今仍悬而未决。
Thus far, the sites of the 4 kilns have been revealed. However, the site of the Ge Kiln still remains unknown.

哥窑不见于宋人文献记载，更难以陶瓷考古所得材料与传世哥窑器物相印证，所以至今是我国陶瓷史上第一大悬案，只有一个传说代代相传：浙江龙泉县有章氏兄弟二人，各设一窑烧瓷，哥哥的技术比弟弟高，因此遭到嫉恨。有一次，弟弟趁哥哥尚未开窑时，暗用冷水浇泼，欲使瓷器变成废品。然而他万万没有想到，冷水浇泼而成的带有开片纹的美丽器物，却使哥哥从此声名大振，人们争相购买，哥窑器皿也由此世代流传。
There was no record found in documents of the Song Dynasty about the Ge Kiln, which made it even more difficult to corroborate materials obtained from archaeological work with the extant Ge Kiln wares. Therefore, it had always been a mystery in the history of ceramics, and only a story was passed on from generation to generation. As the story goes, in Longquan County of Zhejiang Province, two brothers, whose surname was Zhang, were skilled at porcelain making. Although both produced wares with great reputation, the elder brother was more skillful and envied by his younger brother. Motivated by a desire to destroy his brother’s wares, the younger brother sneaked and poured some water to his brother’s kiln one day. The glaze of the porcelains all cracked with the sudden cold. Unexpectedly, all the crackles became a special and astonishing decoration and people liked the crackled style very much. The new style made the elder brother very famous and the wares of the Ge Kiln have been handed down.
当然这仅仅是个传说，哥窑窑址究竟在何处？恐怕还有待考古工作者的进一步工作。
This is only a legend. wher after all was the Ge Kiln? Further observation and study still are needed.