Dragon Kiln to be resurrected in Porcelain Capital

Jingdengzhen (CNS) -- Jingdezhen, China's "Porcelain Capital" for over one thousand years, plans to restore the "Dragon Kiln" of Song Dynasty (960-1279), and to utilize it for firing greenish white porcelain, the local authority said on Monday.

The Dragon Kiln put the town of Jingdezhen on the map, so to speak. The town took the era name of the emperor during whose reign its signature porcelain products first rose to fame. In 1004 CE, during the North Song Dynasty, Changnanzhen became Jingdezhen.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jingdezhen was named one of four great towns of Chinese history, along with Foshan (Guangdong Province), Hankou (Hubei Province) and Zhuxianzhen (Henan Province).

The rebuilding project will start on June 9. The kiln design will make reference to the original design of the Dragon Kiln of which there are accounts in historical literature. The general proportions expected are 31-meters in length, two-meters wide, and 1.9-meters high, said local official Zhou Ronglin.