In 2012~2013, the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted the second archaeological excavation at the site of the Liuzi Canal in Huaibei, and found the remains of the canal channel, river embankment, stone piers, stone roads, roads, building sites and wooden boats in the middle of the river. A large number of relics reflecting the social life of the Tang and Song dynasties have been unearthed, among which porcelain from different kilns in the north and south is the majority.
One of the biggest gains of this excavation in Liuzi, Huaibei is that a large number of porcelain has been unearthed, spanning from the early Tang Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties. The kiln mouth also covers the north and south of China, with yellow glazed porcelain, white glazed porcelain, black glazed porcelain, green and white glazed porcelain, blue glazed porcelain, white glazed painted porcelain, etc. According to the use, it can be divided into living utensils, furnishing utensils and entertainment utensils. There are bowls, bowls, plates, pots, pots, lids, washes, boxes, trays, stoves, cups, pillows, bowls, inkstones, figurines, animal figurines, cups, chess pieces, and dice. According to the glaze color, fetal quality, and shape of the utensils, the kiln mouth of these artifacts can be preliminarily judged.
Yellow glaze, green yellow glaze
Yellow glaze, green and yellow glaze ware, mainly bowls, cups, etc. Some yellow glazes have white spots in them, glazed to the upper half of the utensils, yellow-brown tires are sand-sanded, thick and heavy, and the carcass is covered with white makeup soil. There are generally three nail marks on the insole. There are traces of cord cutting on the bottom of the cake. Some yellow glazes are bluish or glaze-off. This kind of yellow-glazed porcelain should be a product of the Shouzhou kiln or Xiao kiln in the middle of the Tang Dynasty.
Yellow glazed pots
Green glaze series
A-type blue glazed cup, mouth, round lips, curved abdomen, jade bottom. Green glaze, glaze not as good as the bottom. Gray tire, thick tire. Some have yellow-brown tires due to temperature problems. It has some characteristics of Changsha kiln porcelain, which should belong to the Changsha kiln system in the middle of the Tang Dynasty. D-type, E-type, Fa-type, and Fb-type green glaze bowls are all green glaze, and most of them are full glaze except for the unglazed circle foot ridge. The blue-gray tire is more delicate, circled and short, and the foot ridge has kiln stains. It has the characteristics of Linru kiln in the early Northern Song Dynasty. Class A type A green glazed bowl, green glaze, open mouth, oblique straight belly, jade bottom. The green glaze is thinner, the glaze does not reach the bottom, and there are traces of knife cutting at the root of the foot. The gray tire is more delicate, and the surface of the carcass is mostly light purple. There are traces of long nails inside and outside the device, generally 8~10. It should be a product of the Yue kiln in the middle of the Tang Dynasty.
The bottom bowl of class A type B green glazed jade is slightly different from type A, the glaze is slightly thicker, and the thickness is uneven, the glaze is pale yellow in the glaze, and the glaze is applied to the root of the foot. The fetus is mostly yellowish-brown, slightly thicker, and most of them are made of white soil. There are also marks of knife cuts on the heels. It is likely to be a product belonging to the Wuzhou kiln in Zhejiang. Because the thickness of the glaze layer is uneven, it often condenses into sesame dots, generally light cyan, and also has blue-gray or yellowish in green, with dense cracks, and often has milky yellow crystals precipitated in the tire glaze is not tightly combined and the glaze is cracked, which is a phenomenon unique to Wuzhou kiln celadon. Class B green glaze bowl is a special type of porcelain, the overall green glaze is white, and the glaze is thin and close to the transparent glaze. Gray tires are thinner. Most of them are high hoop feet, and the mouth edge is mainly concave and extravagant. This should be the product of a kiln in the south, but the specific kiln mouth is not yet known. The shape of the C-type A blue-glazed bowl is relatively large, with an open mouth, pointed round lips, curved abdomen, and large hoop feet. The glaze color is relatively pure cyan, and the gray tire is delicate. It has the characteristics of the secret color porcelain of the Yue kiln.
Most of the C-type B-type I., C-type, D-type and E-type blue-glazed bowls have the characteristics of the Yue kiln of the Song Dynasty. In the Jin and Yuan dynasties, a small number of glazed blue jade, and thick Longquan kiln porcelain pieces were also unearthed. The blue glaze printing bowl in the A-type bowl is not too pure, and the blue-gray tire contains a small amount of impurities, and these printed porcelain bowls should be the Linru kiln products of the Northern Song Dynasty imitation Yaozhou kiln. C, D bowl is a tangled branch chrysanthemum ornament, divided into two kinds, one glaze is relatively pure, the sole of the foot scrapes the glaze, the center of the foot has glaze, it should be the product of Shaanxi Yaozhou kiln, the other glaze is not too pure, the blue-gray tire contains a small amount of impurities, it should be the product of Linru kiln. EB type green glaze scratch flower bowl, the green glaze becomes pure, the blue gray tire is also much more delicate, and the foot ridge has the phenomenon of scraping oil, and the outer foot center is glazed. This should be a late product of Yaozhou kiln.
Green glazed bowls, pots, pots, pots
White glaze series
A-shaped white glazed bowl with porcelain mouth, round lips, curved belly, cake base. The white glaze is not as good as the bottom, and the yellow-brown tire is thick. It has the characteristics of coarse white porcelain from Hebei Xing kiln in the middle of the Tang Dynasty. Type D and Type E white glaze bowls have fine enamel and high whiteness, but some glaze areas are bluish. White tires, delicate fetal quality, convex lips are dominant, mostly jade bottoms. It belongs to the fine white porcelain of the Xing kiln in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. There may also be porcelain from the fixed kiln, which needs to be judged by further composition analysis by scientific and technological means. The glaze of Fa and Fb type white glaze bowls is yellowish in white, the glaze is not lustrous and astringent, the glaze is not as good as the bottom, and the yellow-brown tire is sandy. It should be a product of Xiao kiln in the Song Dynasty. Xiao kilns produced celadon and yellow-glazed porcelain during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and white porcelain began to be fired during the Northern Song dynasty. Type E, H, and I white glazed bowls should belong to the same kiln product. White glaze, glaze does not reach the bottom, white makeup soil, some even apply white makeup soil. There are two kinds of tires: blue-gray tires and yellow-brown tires, and the tires are relatively dense. The hoop feet are high and thick, and some of them have ink on the soles of their feet. The specific attribution of these three types of porcelain kilns is not clear, but it can be judged that they are kiln systems in the north during the Northern Song Dynasty. It should belong to the kiln mouth of Henan or Shanxi.
K, L and N white glaze bowls belong to a class of kiln products, some colors are more uniform and uniform, the glaze is not as good as the bottom, and there is no makeup soil. There are two kinds of blue-gray tires and yellow-brown tires, which are denser. It should be a product of the Jin and Yuan dynasties in the north, and many of them are civilian porcelain imitating the Ding kiln. MB type white glazed bowl, white tire delicate, carcass thinner, is the product of the Jin Yuan period kiln. A~D type white glaze, white glaze, yellow-brown tire is coarse and thick. The rim of the mouth is also thicker, and the bottom of the pie is thicker. It is the civil coarse porcelain of Hebei Xingyao in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. E~G type white glaze pot, white delicate, glaze not as good as the bottom, some of the foot glaze. White tires are fine. There are many jade bottoms, and there are also wide hoop feet. There are more lips. It is a product of Xingyao from the middle of the Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties in Hebei. Some late white glazed pots may be products of the fixed kiln.
The L-shaped white glaze bowl is small in shape, white glazed and white tire, the carcass is light and thin, and the tire is relatively delicate. The era is relatively late, and it should be a northern product. The M-shaped cups are mostly white-glazed astringent rings, mainly yellow-brown tires, and are thicker. Dig your feet over your shoulders more. It is a product of a northern province in the Jin and Yuan dynasties. A ~ C type white glaze plate, of which A and B two types of white glaze plate have rib sunflower products. Type C is flat-bottomed. These three types of tires have white, blue-gray and yellow-brown tires, the carcass is relatively light and thin, and the shape is clean and neat. It has the characteristics of a fixed kiln, but the tire is not pure, and the glaze color is not too pure. It should be a product that imitates the fixed kiln. Other forms of plates should be the kiln mouth of a northern province. Type A white glaze basin should be a product of Xingyao in the middle of the Tang Dynasty in Hebei.
White glaze
White glaze printing, scratching ware
A~C type white glaze printing plate, white glaze white tire, light and thin carcass, diverse printing. It has the characteristics of a fixed kiln in the Jin and Yuan dynasties. It is a typical fixed kiln product. Class A white glaze scratching disc is also white glaze white tire, and the carcass is light and thin. The simple scratches reflect the style of the Ding kiln in the Jin and Yuan dynasties. Class B white glaze scratch flower plate, white glaze gray tire, or yellow-brown tire. The tire is decorated with white makeup soil to cover up the defects of the carcass itself. It should be a product of imitation kiln in Henan. Some are like the style of Hebi kiln. The A-type printing bowl is a white glazed white tire, the carcass is light and thin, and the bowl is printed with chrysanthemums and other decorations. It is a product of the fixed kiln in the Jin and Yuan dynasties. The A~C type scratching bowl has the distinctive characteristics of imitation kiln products, which is white makeup soil and scratching patterns. In particular, the A-type white glaze scratch flower bowl has a small shape, white glaze gray tire, and the grate scratch pattern in the bowl. It has the characteristics of similar to Henan Hebi kiln, or other similar kiln products in Henan.
White glaze printing plate
White glazed painted porcelain
White glaze painting includes three categories: white glaze black flowers, white glaze brown color and red and green color. Among them, white-glazed black flowers and white-glazed brown porcelain should be products belonging to the Cizhou kiln system. The main era is the Jin Yuan period. There are many provinces that produce white-glazed black-brown porcelain, including Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui and other places. Among these products are likely to be products from Pacun kiln in Yuxian County, Henan Province and Bayi kiln in Shanxi. The words "Wang" and "Yuan" are painted on the inner bottom of the white-glazed brown bowl. These types also have similar products in the Lieshan kilns in the Huaibei region. Red and green colored porcelain is mainly bowls, bowls, plates and figurines. The era is concentrated in the Yuan Dynasty, and a small number are products of the late Jin Dynasty. At present, the provinces that produce red and green color porcelain are Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and so on. The red and green colors unearthed from the Liuzi Canal site should mainly come from these regions, especially in Henan.
White glazed brown flower pot
Red and green colored cups, figurines
Blue and white glazed porcelain
At present, there are two main regions in the country that produce blue and white glazed porcelain, one is Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, and the other is Fanchang, Anhui. There are many types of blue and white glazed porcelain unearthed from the site of Liuzi Canal, and the green and white glaze is relatively pure, and the white tire is delicate and free of impurities. Mainly bowls, plates, cups, pots, bowls, lids, figurines, etc. There are two kinds of decorative patterns: printing and scratching. Some of the ink books at the bottom of the bowl are "Lu", "Feng", "Liu", "Wang", "Liang", "Da'an", "Taiwei Annu" and so on. There are also printed texts, such as "Song" and "Zhan", which are more distinctive. These words denote both the surname of the person who made the porcelain and a blessing. In particular, "Daan" may have two meanings: the first means blessing, which means peace. The second type indicates the era name.
The era name of Yelu Hongji of Liao Daozong was in 1085~1094, and the Liao State used the era name for a total of 10 years. Li Bingchang, the lord of the Western Xia Kingdom, also used the Da'an era name in 1075~1085, which lasted 11 years. Jin Shizong's seventh son, Wanyan Yongji, ascended the throne, and his first era name was Da'an. The era name of Daan is from 1209~1211, and it is used for 3 years. Jin Shizong's era belongs to the late Jin Dynasty, and Tongji Canal is basically in a semi-abandoned state, and it cannot be the Jin Shizong period. Most likely, it is the era names of Liao Daozong and Li Bingchang of Western Xia. However, according to the information published so far, no data records of Qingbai porcelain have been found in the Western Xia region. In Liaoshangjing, Zhongjing and Tokyo, many Qingbai porcelain products are found. Therefore, it is likely that these Qingbai porcelains with the word "Da'an" were paid tribute to the Liao Dynasty or used for border trade in Yanchang.
So the Qingbai porcelain unearthed from the Liuzi Canal site is from Jiangxi or Anhui, through comparison, it can be seen that the Qingbai porcelain unearthed from the Liuzi Canal site mainly comes from the Jingdezhen kiln. The main excavation area of Fanchang kiln is Kechong kiln, and the glaze color of Kechong kiln is yellow in blue and white, which is not very pure. It is very different from the unearthed artifacts at the Liuzi site. However, the Luochong kiln has been excavated before, and the reported glaze color and fetal quality are relatively close to those in Jingdezhen. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that it came from Luo Chong kiln. But the main porcelain should be from the Jingdezhen kiln in Jiangxi.
Blue and white glazed pillows, scratched bowls
Black glazed porcelain
There are many areas where black glazed porcelain is produced, and it is also more miscellaneous, and it exists in both the north and the south. Class A black glaze small bowls and A~D type bowls are all black glaze, with smooth glaze and no glaze to the bottom. The glaze color of some porcelain cups is purple, which should be caused by thin glaze and kiln temperature. Gray and white tires, with a finer fetus. There are three types of foot variations: cryptolaplopod, short ringfoot, and approximate false ringfoot. This kind of glaze and tire can be found in Jiangxi Jizhou kiln can be found similar products. In particular, this fine gray and white tire is widely used in Jizhou kiln. Type A and B black glaze bowls are also light and thin carcass, the black glaze is thinner, the glaze is not as good as the bottom, the glaze is black and there is no bright light, the gray and white tires, and the knock is like a crisp metal sound. The wall of the apparatus gradually thickens from the mouth to the soles of the feet, and the high ring foot is thicker. This is a typical feature of Jizhou kilns. Class B black glaze small bowl, A~E type cup, all carcass is thick, glaze thick, glaze bright, glass texture. The tires are divided into blue and gray tires, gray and white tires, black tires, or brush a layer of purple-black tire glaze on the outer surface of the carcass.
The general characteristics of the products of Fujian Jianyao are that the tire has a high iron content, and has always been known as the "iron tire", the carcass is thick and heavy, black-gray, purple-black, the tire is rough and hard, and the color of the exposed tire is dull and dull. The shape is diverse, there are different forms such as large and small mouths, open mouths, etc., the circle foot is small and shallow, the tire repair is sloppy and powerful, the enamel is rigid, the glaze is jet black, the utensils are glazed inside and outside, the outer glaze is close to the bottom of the foot, and the sole of the foot is unglazed and exposed. According to the excavation of several kiln sites in Shuiji Town, Jianyang County, it is known that most of the unearthed products are from the Northern Song Dynasty, and a few are from the Southern Song Dynasty. Comparing the Class B black glazed small bowls and bowls unearthed from the Liuzi Canal site, it can be seen that there are still differences between them and the local products of Jianyang, and the era of Class B black glazed small bowls and bowls at the Liuzi Canal site is mostly after the Southern Song Dynasty. Although the bundle bowls produced by the Northern Song Dynasty Jianyao are the same as those of Liuzi, the times are too different. What's more, the carcass of Liuzi class B black glaze small bowl and cup is more glazed with tire protection, and the glaze has no pattern, and a small number of signs of "rabbit hair" can be seen. Therefore, what was unearthed in Liuzi should be the porcelain produced by the northern imitation kiln in the Jin and Yuan dynasties.
Black glazed bowl
In addition, there are some other kiln products, such as sauce glaze plates and bowls unearthed in the strata of the middle Tang Dynasty, sauce glaze, purple tires, unglazed inner bottom, flat bottom and concave are the majority. The first excavation unearthed more, and this time there are fewer excavations. The shape is similar to that of Wuhu Dongmen Kiln. Dongmendu kiln belongs to Xuanzhou kiln. Some stranded porcelain have been unearthed, including wands and balls. Among them, the yellow glaze is applied to the outside of the twisting bowl, and the tire is mixed together by the coarse tires of yellow and brown. This should be a product of the Gongxian area of Henan during the Jin and Yuan dynasties. Some three-color porcelain has also been unearthed, mainly unearthed in the Tang Dynasty strata, with three-color lion figurines, three-color bowls and three-color plates. These may be products of Huangye kiln in Gongxian County, Henan Province or Huangbao kiln in Shaanxi Province. Some white-glazed deflorated porcelain was unearthed, which may be a product of the Dengfeng kiln in Henan. There is also persimmon glazed porcelain, which has been unearthed relatively little, and should be a product of the fixed kiln. In short, the types of porcelain unearthed from the site of the Liuzi Canal are quite rich, and the types of porcelain involve the north and south of the kiln system, and the large span of the era is a major feature. It shows the importance and prosperity of Liuzi Town at that time.
Three-colored lions
At present, there is no site in the country that can concentrate on the unearthed porcelain as rich and diverse as the Liuzi Canal site. It shows that the site of Liuzi Canal was a place of commodity circulation in the Tang and Song dynasties, and it was also a place of distribution. According to the literature, Liuzi was an important town and post station in the Tang and Song dynasties, and it was normal for many business trips to and fro, or a transit place for commodity logistics. Through the study of porcelain, we can know the scope and direction of porcelain distribution at that time. In addition, there are some products that do not know the kiln system, and we look forward to further research in the future.
The porcelain with ink script unearthed in the strata of the Tang Dynasty is relatively small, and the common surnames are "Wang", "Han Ji", "Li", "Chang", "Shen", "Yang" and so on; There are more ink books on porcelain unearthed in the two Song dynasties, and surnames are still common, as well as printed characters, such as "Song", "Zhan" and so on. The porcelain of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties also has the surname of Moshu, and it is also seen in "...... At the beginning of March of the sixth year, Li Er ......" and other contents. The red and green colored porcelain is inscribed with epigrams: "For the sake of fighting for three breaths, the young man's head is white", "the wind blows in the front yard, and the rain sprinkles the back yard". These inscriptions in ink mainly indicate blessings, the surname of the person who made the porcelain, the residence, the surname of the user, and the time of production. It reflects that there were many "manufacturers" who made porcelain at that time, and they were all actively promoting their own porcelain, and the inscription was an important trademark for them.
In addition to the abundance of porcelain, a large number of stone anchors have also been unearthed on the east and west sides of the bridge, which are mainly concentrated in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty strata have not been found, and the Southern Song Dynasty strata have been found in small quantities. There are two main types of stone anchors: bluestone and volcanic stone. There are triangular, elongated and irregular shapes, and there are two types of anchor eyes: sideways and vertical. There are more than 100 pieces in number, and so many stone anchors have been unearthed in an area of about 400 square meters, indicating that there were many ships coming and going in the Liuzi area at that time. It is recorded in the literature that at that time, the canal was "a public transport, a private business trip, and a succession of axes", indicating that the merchant ships on the canal at that time were constantly coming and going, and they were extremely prosperous. It also shows that the Liuzi area has been an important market town and post station since the Tang Dynasty, and is an important place for north-south waterway transportation, and a large number of porcelain unearthed in the canal also shows that the Liuzi area is a distribution center for commodity exchanges.
This article is excerpted by Sun Li and Lei Ying, edited by Gong Xicheng, Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Suixi County Cultural Relics Administration, and Huaibei City Museum "Conclusion" of the Second Archaeological Excavation Report of the Liuzi Canal Site (all 3 volumes). The content has been slightly abridged and adjusted.