Song Guangdong Trade Ceramics

Since time immemorial, the Chinese civilisation was known to have contact with the West. The overland silk route through central Asia was firmly established by the Han period and served as the main conduit for the exchange of goods and culture with the west. By the Tang period, an alternative maritime trade route emerged. Guangzhou became the main gateway for the maritime trade with Nanhai (i.e. Southeast Asia region) and the west. Shipping vessels facilitated the transportation of larger volume of commodities and heralded the first peak of maritime trade in Chinese ceramics. The Arabic style Guangzhou Huaishen mosque (广州怀聖清真寺) lighthouse witnessed a glorious chapter in the history of maritime trade. The light from the lighthouse guided ships entering Guangzhou port during the Tang Dynasty. It is located near Guangta (光塔路) road and was where an area, termed fanfang (番坊)，was designated for foreigners to stay. Majority of the residents were Persian and Arab traders. A further testament and echo of its past history are many of the streets with name related to the type of transacted business/trade.

In the last 50 years, archaeological excavations of kilns sites, ancient habitation/burial sites and shipwrecks have provided wealth of information important for our understanding of trade in ancient Chinese Ceramics. With significant degree of confidence we can piece together the broad picture and know where the main ceramics products were produced and its export markets. During the Tang phase besides the famous Yue, Changsha, Xing/Ding wares and Guangdong celadon wares also formed an important component of ceramics cargo mix. Guangdong kilns with its natural and strategic advantage of proximity to Guangzhou port became important suppliers of export ceramics products. Historical and archaeological evidence clearly shows that the fortune of many of the coastal kilns was inextricably tied to the rise and demise of the neighboring port.

Large Guangdong celadon jars featured among its most prominent export. Besides serving as a commodity, they were also used as storage for smaller ceramics vessels and water during transportation. The main production sites of such large jars were kilns located in the vicinity of tributaries of the Pearl river delta. So far, archaeological surveys have uncovered production sites in Xinhui(新会) , Heshan (鹤山） and Gaoming （高明）. The most well-known site excavated was the Guanchong kiln (官冲) in Xinhui . The glaze has a characteristically snake skin-like uneven and runny appearance .

Besides jars, Guangdong kilns also exported other vessels such as bowls, dishes, basins, ewers and etc. Two examples of bowls recovered from the Indonesia Palembang Musi rivers are shown below:

In 2017 I was able to make a study trip to Guangdong to visit some of the kiln sites and museums. We had to opportunity to view and handle some of the Guanchong greenwares recovered from the kiln site in the Xihui Museum. Below are some of the pieces:

In 2018, excavation was carried out at Guangzhou Panyu Zengbian kiln (番禺曾边窑). The green glaze vessels found were similar to that from Guanchong kiln but have deeper green colour and more grayish paste. It is likely that some of the Guangdong green glaze wares from Belitung could be from this kiln. Incidentally, an ancient habitation site was excavated in Guangzhou near Zhongshan 6 road which is a short distance west of the Fanfang (番坊). Significant number of green glaze jars and bowls were found in the Tang stratigraphic layer.

Archaeological excavations revealed that the best quality Guangdong greenwares were produced in kilns in Chaozhou Beijiao (潮州北郊) , Chaozhou Beiguan (潮州北关) and Meixian shuiche (梅县水车). Some Chaozhou vessels were found in the Tang Belitung wreck. The glaze of Chaozhou celadon is thicker and glassier than those found on Yue celadon and usually have fine crackles. Products from Meixian and Chaozhou kilns, which were located near the Hanjiang river (韩江), were transported down the river to the Chaozhou port.

During the Chinese economic boom of the last few decades, Hanjiang river was dredged for sands required by the Chaozhou building industry. Together with the sand, sizeable quantity of Meixian and Chaozhou celadon wares were recovered. Most of them were intended to be transported to the Chaozhou port but were discarded most likely because of damages or ended up in the river because of sunken vessels.

The Northern Song regime was relatively weak and the North/Northwest region was frequently troubled and raided by nomadic tribes. The constant unrest disrupted the flow of goods along the overland silk route. Foreign trade was an important source of revenue for the court. Hence, special attention was paid to implement policies and measures to stimulate and promote the maritime trade. Mingzhou was established as the gateway for trade with Korea and Japan and Guangzhou for Southeast Asia and further west to India and the Middle East. In 971 A.D, the Song government established an Office of Maritime Trading in Guangzhou. Its main roles were to collect tax, administer and regulate the flow of import and export of goods. Guangzhou port maintained its dominant position until the end of Northern Song period. It was displaced by Fujian Quanzhou when northern China fell to the Jin and the Song imperial family fled and established its court in Hangzhou. Quanzhou was designated as the main port of exit for trade with Nanhai and the West.

In the past, the goods were shipped by the Arabian, Indian and Southeast Asian vessels. By the Song Dynasty, the Chinese had made immense progress in ship building design and technology. Coupled with improvement in the navigational know how, the Chinese were able to make long distance maritime travel. The Chinese Junks became a common sight in Southeast Asian ports. The direct involvement of the Chinese in the transportation of goods was the impetus which vastly increased the volume of maritime trade. In the meantime, the maritime power and influence of Srivijaya （室利佛逝） was weakened by naval raids launched by the powerful Southern India Chola Kingdom (朱罗王朝). Vassal states started to break free and conduct trade directly with the Chinese.

The wealth of information that we glean from shipwrecks in the sea of Southeast Asia has enabled us to determine and understand the types of trade Chinese ceramics that were exported during various dynastic phases. The Ceramics mix of the Cirebon wreck （井里汶沉船）dated to the transition to Northern Song period provided a good indication of the trade ceramics of this period. In the cargo, there is a Yue bowl with an inscribed cyclical date 'wu chen' and a factory mark of 'Xu Ji Shao' i.e . “戊辰徐记烧“。 Also found in the wreck were Chinese copper coins from the Nan Han kingdom (917-971). Chinese experts on Yue wares confirmed a dating of 968 A.D, i.e. 9th year of Northern Song. There were significant number of Yue wares with finely incised rich repertoire of decorations such as dragon, phoenix, parrot, human figure, flower and etc. Large number of 5 Dynasties/Northern Song Yue wares recovered from the Musi river (穆西河) in Palembang （巨港）over the years are further proof of its importance as a source of trade ceramics.

By this point of time Changsha and Xing wares had completed their historic role and were no longer exported. There were some white wares in the Cirebon wreck which were initially thought to be from the Ding kiln. However, recent archaeological information suggested that they are more likely the product from Xuanzhou （宣州）in Anhui. Guangdong green glaze products such as big jars and basins continued to exported in significant quantity.

Archaeological surveys and excavations of Yue kilns revealed that Yue production volume reached its peak during the Early Song period (960 – 1022 A.D). It was on the decline during the Mid Northern Song period and the quality of the products were comparatively of poorer quality.

In the trade ceramics landscape, some recent shipwrecks from the sea in the Lingga Archipelago (龙牙群岛) of Indonesia suggested that by the second half of 11th century, the trade ceramic mix in the cargo has undergone drastic change. The constraints of the local environmental and social factors prevented the wrecks to be salvaged by the Indonesian government and a thorough scientific study carried out according to archaeological standard. But from what that surfaced in the antique market in Southeast Asia region, especially the occasional periodic appearance of a group of trade ceramics, we can get a good idea of the cargo of a particular unknown wreck.

It is fortunate that the marine archaeologist, Dr Michael Flecker was able to visit the salvage company and carry out a study of the cargo from the Lingga wreck. The ceramic cargo is exclusively of Guangdong origin and added an important reference source for understanding the types that were produced during the late Northern Song period. In 1989, the Pulau Buaya wreck was discovered and cargo recovered by an Indonesian salvage company. A book on this wreck was published by the Ceramic Society of Indonesia.   This wreck likely dated later than the Lingga wreck and was towards to closing years of the Northern song period. Based on the information in the book, it is clear that the bulk of the ceramics cargo was of Guangdong origin. There are small number of Jingdezhen Qingbai wares and others from unidentified kilns, possibly from Fujian.

The illustrations that are used are mainly from shipwrecks found in the sea near the Lingga Archipelago and some from Vietnam. In 2019 I was able to visit Philippines to view some of the Local collections and in museums. Many were excavated pieces and give a better idea of the physical look of the artefacts as compared to the degraded condition of shipwreck pieces.

A successful new business model of Guangdong kiln - Diversification of product range

By late Northern Song, Guangdong finally emerged as the market leader and took the lion share of the trade ceramics market in Southeast Asia. Two important factors could be crucial and instrumental in this development. Yue kiln was on the decline and it had been attributed to a multiplicity of local factors such as exhaustion of the raw materials, wood as fuel for firing the kilns was running out due to clearing of the land to make way for cultivation of mulberry for silk industry, heavy taxation and etc. In the meantime, the Guangdong kiln operators were adjusting their business strategy and eating into the market share of Yue green ware.

By the mid of 11th century, Guangdong emerged as the key player with its comprehensive mix of green, white/Qingbai, brown glaze and iron-brown decorated wares. It was an apparent strategic shift towards diversification of production. Xicun diversified range of products was the most representative example of this new mode of operation.   To a lesser extant Chaozhou Bi Jia Shan kiln (笔架山窑 ) also adopted the same approach. But from the finding from the kiln site survey and overseas findings, the bulk of Bi Jia Shan products are Qingbai wares, with green and brown glaze wares constituting a small proportion. But undeniably, Bi Jia Shan had been relatively successful due to the quality of its products. The Nanhai Qishi (南海奇石) is notable for the production of brownish green glaze big storage jars. Among them, the three kilns produced literally all the major and typical types of Guangdong export wares found overseas. Needless to say, the export included products from other coastal kilns which were similar and base on current level of knowledge indistinguishable.

The success of Northern Song Guangdong trade ceramics epitomized by the products of Xicun kiln is not coincidental. It was a business model clearly different from the past. Prior to that, the traditional practice of the respective kiln was to focus on producing their unique range of ceramics, such as Yue green ware, Xing white ware, Changsha painted decoration ware and etc. In the case of Guangdong, since the Tang Dynasty, the kilns had been producing green ware with its characteristically runny, patchy snake skin-like physical appearance. During Northern Song , the Guangdong kiln operators decided to adopt a different business strategy and diversify into production of various types of products of successful past and contemporary kilns from other provinces. Hence, they introduced iron-brown painted decoration ware which drew on the past reputation of Changsha and Xing type white ware with thickened rim reminiscent of Xing ware. Both types were apparently very successful as witnessed by the large volume in the shipwreck cargoes. Yue green ware with its international brand name tracing all the way to Tang period was another obvious target. Two important new emerging categories, Qingbai ware of Jingdezhen and Yaozhou green ware with molded decoration were the rising stars. Xicun and other Guangdong kiln operators were quick to recognize the potential of these ranges of products and incorporated them into their product mix.

The strategy of concurrently copying past and new products of successful kilns was a unique and innovative business model. It was an important milestone in the history of ancient trade ceramics which was not accorded its due recognition. It demonstrated clear understanding of the market needs of different consumer sectors. The kiln operators realised that they may not be the best in term of quality but knew that there was a significant market niche which consumers were more price sensitive and willing to accept a decent quality substitute. Undeniably their proximity to the port of exit had definite advantages such as lower transportation cost and ability to meet delivery time-frame. It heralded a golden phase for Guangdong trade ceramics industry. Its products emerged dominant and was the market leader for the duration of late Northern Song.

The Xicun excavation report of 1958 listed 15 types of vessels including dishes, bowls, cups, ewers, jars, lamps, boxes, pillows, bird whistles and other miniature figurines. The Guangzhou shi Museum ( 广东市博物馆) has a permanent display of a group of Xicun shards excavated from Huangdi Gang. In the past, discussions of Xicun ceramics were basically along the line of type of vessel forms, glaze types and decorative styles.

A different approach which emphasises the likely source of inspiration of its range of products would give more focus and clearer understanding of Xicun wares . Dedication to replicating products from other famous kilns was the key to Guangdong Xicun and other kiln operators' success. I have classified them into 8 broad categories: traditional Guangdong type green ware, Changsha inspired type iron-brown painted ware, Xing inspired type white ware, Yue inspired type green ware, Yaozhou inspired type ware, Jingdezhen inspired type Qingbai ware , Generic brown ware and green lead glaze ware.

1) Traditional Guangdong type green ware

In the Lingga wreck, there are many brownish green glaze basin-shape vessels with impressed flower. Such items are products of the Xicun kiln. The Pulau Buaya wreck also carried some quantity of such vessel.

The glaze of majority of the shipwrecked Guangdong traditional green glaze wares suffered substantial degradation and it is rather hard to imagine its original look. Fortunately I was able to take photos of excavated pieces found in the Philippines location collections , chiefly the Bautista collection and the Ching Ban Lee gallery.

In the Lingga wreck, there are also some brownish green jars but most with the glaze missing. They share common characteristics in term of glaze and paste with the Xicun basin and could also be from Xicun or Qishi kiln.

In the Pulau Buaya wreck, there were some quantity of big storage jars with brownish green glaze. The shoulder has impressed floral motif. Such jars could be found in many of the Southeast Asian ceramics collections. They are products from the Nanhai Qishi kiln. There are also those with impressed Chinese characters such as that indicating the year of production, Zhenghe sixth year (政和六年) i.e. 1116 A.D , identifying ownership Pan Residence (潘宅) and etc. If you look at the below Qishi jar fragment, it would appear more brown than green. But the greenish tinge can still discernible.

In the Lingga wreck, there is also a form of bulbous jar with brown glaze. Similar jars were found in the Pulau Buaya wreck found in 1989. They should be products from a Guangdong kiln but could not be positively link to any of the known kilns.

2) Changsha inspired type iron-brown painted ware

Examples of excavated Xicun wares from Philippines Butuan and Malaysia Tioman Islands were published in the 1980s. In 1989 a wreck discovered near Pulau Buaya of the Lingga archipelago (about 90 km south of Batam) carried a substantial quantity of Guangdong ceramics and small quantity of Jingdezhen and possibly Fujian ceramics. However, there were no bowls with painted floral motif among the ceramics finds. But in 2012, some large Xicun bowls with iron-brown painted floral motif surfaced in the Singapore antique market. They were salvaged from a wreck also near Pulau Buaya of the Lingga archipelago.

The big celadon (grayish green) bowls (dia. 33 and 23 cm respectively) have boldly painted iron-brown floral motif. There were also some bowls (dia. 23 cm) decorated with 4 characters in running script that read Zhihe Yuan nian (至和元年)。Zhihe was one of the reign marks of Emperor Renzhong and hence suggesting a date of 1054 A.D. However, the wreck carried some copper coins with various reign marks, the latest during the reign of Zhenghe, beginning of the 12th cent. It is an anomaly but not an isolated occurance, for example the Korea Sinan wreck dating ot Yuan has some Northern Song Jian Temmoku and the Qing Daoguang Tek Sing wreck some Late Ming Longquan incense burners. Some possible explanations include: they were old stocks or the calligraphic decoration was popular and continued to be produced to meet demand for a prolonged period of time. But it is tenable that it was first introduced in 1054 A.D possibly initially of a commemorative nature.

From some known collections, there are excavated examples of iron brown floral painted bowls which have carved floral motif on the inner wall. There is an example excavated in Sarawak and some illustrated in the book on "Guangdong ceramics from Butuan and other Philippines sites". From some known collections, there are excavated examples of iron brown floral painted bowls which have carved floral motif on the inner wall. There is an example excavated in Sarawak and some illustrated in the book on "Guangdong ceramics from Butuan and other Philippines sites". This is in effect a hybrid form, combing the Yue inspired carving and Changsha inspired iron-brown decoration.

On the subject of iron-brown painted vessels, the Guangdong archaeologist Zheng Guangyi in the book "Ceramics Finds from the Tang and Song kilns in Guangdong", mentioned that two sites in Nanhai , i.e. Qishi (奇石) and Jiaotou Ling (交头岭) produced iron painted vessels decorated with a variety of motif such as orchid, floral scrolls, reeds, bamboo leaves, human motif and etc. Recently, I learnt that similar iron-painted wares were also produced in Panyu Shabian kiln (番禺沙边窑). Indeed, some iron-brown painted fragments were excavated from the Nanyue Palace site.

Another interesting and rare variation has carved slanting lines on the internal and outer wall.

3) Yue inspired type green ware

Among the repertoire of decorative elements, carved '[' line was one widely used by various kilns in China during the Northern Song period. For those rough version, the '[' lines resemble sketchily carved slanting straight lines. Xicun and other Guangdong kilns also frequently used this decorative element on their green and qingbai glaze wares.

Xicun potters introduced subsequently a distinctive decorative element to their carved floral decoration. The outline of the flower is formed by stamped arcs. From some known examples, such floral style is sometime further decorated with iron-brown painted dots. There is a likelihood that when this type was introduced, the iron-brown floral decoration may have been phased out or less frequently used.

There were some such bowls with carved floral decoration recovered from an unknown wreck near Karang Cabang, Pulau Buku Limau, east of Belitung Island.

There are also those further decorated with iron-brown dots placed in random manner or in group which looks like a rosette. I have also came across an excavated big bowl (33 cm) with the floral petals further decorated with cluster of 6 iron brown spots.

Lotus petals had been a particularly popular decorative element on Chinese ceramics since the Southern Dynasties period. It was also widely used on Guangdong vessels during the Northern Song period. There are two forms: either with the petals carved in high relief giving the embossed visual effect or a later version with lotus petals in carved outlines. The latter was likely introduced sometime later.

Bottle with ribbed neck features among one of the most recognizable forms of Xicun ceramics. Among them, there are also those with the globular body partitioned into lobed form. Majority of them have grayish green glaze which may be further embellished with iron brown painted spots. There is also Qingbai glaze version with Chaozhou Bi Jia Shan identified as a major production center. We also find small quantity with brownish glaze. Those with iron-brown painted spots were likely produced during the later period.

Another well-known and widely recognizable form is box with cover shaped in bird form. Most have grayish green glaze and a significant number with brown spots decoration.

4) Jingdezhen inspired type Qingbai ware

Xicun produced a comparatively smaller quantity of Qingbai wares. But they feature among the best products from the kiln. The paste of the vessel is more refined and the glaze of good quality and the best has bluish or greenish blue colour. Among the known kilns in Guangdong, Chaozhou Bi Jia Shan was known to be major producer of comparatively fine Qingbai wares. Huizhou Dongping kiln also produced good quality qingbai wares. The floral form is executed in distinctive fluently incised lines which is also a stylistic feature of Qingbai wares from other Guangdong kilns including Xicun. Some Qingbai bowls with incised floral decoration were in the cargo of a wreck found Lingga Island.

The 3 shards came from the 1955 excavation of the Xicun Huangdi Gang kiln. The one on the left and bottom are similar stylistically to those from Chaozhou Bijia shan kiln. However, such Qingbai examples are few among the shards collected.

More examples of bowls with carved floral decoration from the Bijiashan and Huizhou Dongping kiln. They are not easy to tell apart without physical inspection.

Light grayish green jar （height around 30 cm）with 4 lugs and carved slashed lines on the shoulder from the Lingga. A jar with similar form and decorative features but more elongated and further decorated with iron-brown painted floral decoration was found in the Xicun kiln. Such jars without floral decoration and more elongated in form were also found in the 1989 Pulau Buaya wreck.

The use of lotus petals in high relief form is popular both in green glaze and Qingbai form. They could be found in products from Xicun and Bijiashan.

Phoenix head ewers were also made in Chaozhou kilns. They have qingbai glaze which is light bluish in colour tone and has whitish paste. The features of the phoenix head are also different, typically more fine and intricate in details.

Another interesting category of products from the Bijiashan kilns are Qingbai/white human and animal figurines.

5) Xing inspired type white ware

In some of the wrecks near the Lingga and Singkep Island, there are bowls with a thickened lip. Majority of the bowls are of grayish white colour tone. They are generic product and not easy to attribute such bowls to a particular kiln as they were produced in many kilns in China. Many examples could also be found in Chaozhou kilns. The Pulau Buaya wreck also carried large quantity of such bowls. The coarse foot is different from those from Guangdong and one likely kiln which produced them was Southern Fujian Zhangpu Zhu Shushan kiln. For more information, please read this article.

6) Yaozhou inspired type

Among the Guangdong kilns, those in Xicun, Yangjiang (阳江 ) and Huizhou ( 惠州) were known to produce a form of Yaozhou style floral motif bowls. Yaozhou molded floral decoration was first introduced during the Mid Northern Song period. It gained popularity and was widely produced during late Northern Song. It is likely that Guangdong potters started copying such decoration after it became an established and successful product during the late Northern Song period. As compared to the Yaozhou counterpart, the molded motif is generally not as sharp and pale in quality. But there are exceptions to this general perception. I came across one broken fragment with superb quality molded decoration. It was reportedly found in a well in Guangdong and is illustrated below. Comparatively, the number found in Southeast Asia is relatively small in number. There were two pieces illustrated in the book "Guangdong Ceramics from Butuan and other Philippine sites". An example is also illustrated in the book on Pulau Buaya wreck.

Huizhou Dongping kiln has been identified was identified as another site that produced Yaozhou type green ware. I visited the site in 2017 and picked up some samples. The green glaze ware has a dark grayish paste and the vessels are well potted.

7) Generic brown glaze ware

Chaozhou Bijiashan also produced several other forms of Qingbai and brown glaze ewers. Some are illustrated below:

8) Green Lead glaze glaze ware

Northern Song Fujian ceramics from the Lingga, Pulau Buaya wreck and Flying Fish wreck

The post of Shi Bosi (市舶使), ie the Superintendent of Maritime Trade was established in Quanzhou in 1087 A.D. It was a significant event which engendered favourable condition for Fujian coastal kilns to participate in the maritime ceramics trade. Recent Xisha Island Chinese marine archaeological surveys have uncovered some green glaze Tongan type bowls produced in Fuian Songxi kiln.

Several late Northern Song wrecks salvaged also revealed some quantity of Fujian ceramics. The ceramic cargo mix showed that in term of quantity and variety, those from Guangdong still predominated. They were produced in Minnan Southern Fujian region. In fact, geographically this region is near the quanzhou port and not far from Chaozhou. The white/qingbai wares of Chaozhou and kilns in Minan share similar charcteristics and pose identification issues. This difficulty is complicated by the relative lack of published archaeological information.

From the Lingga wreck, I have highlighted the similarity of Qingbai cover boxes and ribbed neck vases from Chaozhou Bi Jia shan and Fujian Nanan kiln. In the wreck, there is also a form of bowl with everted rim and relatively tall foot. They are known to be produced in Xicun kiln but has grayish green glaze. They should be differentiated from those produced in Nanan kiln which has white, grayish white or qingbai glaze. Significant quantity was salvage from the Lingga wreck. There are also some large shallow bowl with relatively fine more whitish glaze.

In the Pulau Buaya wreck, there were some celadon bowls with carved and combed swirling abstract motif with slashed lines on the outer wall. The author of the book on the Pulau Buaya wreck has attributed them to Fujian Tongan or Nanan kilns. Such celadon bowls were inspired by the Longquan celadon of the late Northern Song period and much copied by the Fujian kilns. The colour tone ranges from olive green, grayish green to different degree of yellow. It is commonly termed Tongan type or Juko (shuko seiji) greenware, name after a Japanese monk tea ceremony master Juko [shuko].

Besides the typical late Northern Song Jingdezhen Qingbai wares, there were a number of Qingbai wares from some provincial kilns. There are some Qingbai bowls with carved deer motif enclosed with a lozenge on the inner base and floral like carved/combed motif on the inner wall. Such bowls were produced in Southern Fujian Zhangping (漳平) and quite a few examples from the kilns have been published in a book on Zhangping kiln and also similar examples were found in Zhangpu kiln. For

In the wreck there is also another form of high footed qingbai bowl. Similar type has also been found in the Zhangpu kiln.

In 2017, a wreck was discovered near Sabah and named "The Flying Fish" by the marine archaeologist Dr Michael Flecker. So far, detailed information is still not available. However, it is very likely that majority of the ceramics cargo could be of Fujian origin. Among them, those brown glaze jarlets and basins with iron-brown painted fish decoration are from Quanzhou Cizao kiln. From a published photo of a group of ceramics recovered, they are also Minnan Qingbai and green glaze wares.

Written by: NK Koh (16 Nov 2012) updated: 30 Jun 2013, 18 Jan 2017, 3 Jul 2017, 18 Apr 2020, 6 Jul 2021, 15 Feb 2023

3. A Ceramic Legacy of Asia's Maritime Trade - Song Dynasty Guangdong Wares and other 11th- -19th Trade Ceramics found on Tioman Island, Malaysia


Three Chaozhou kiln Qingbai examples which has whiter paste and clear Qingbai glaze. The potting and the foot is usually more refined.

This version with flat base could be from Fujian Nanan kiln

Examples from Nanan Museum

Excavated examples from Nanan


Grayish white glaze bowl from the Lingga. Similar form known to be produced in Xicun kiln but has grayish green glaze. This example is likely from Nanan kiln.


Excavated from Nanan museum
Excavated examples from Nanan kiln
Two white glaze shallow bowls from Lingga wreck. They could be products of Nanan kiln



Celadon bowl recovered from Indonesia Palembang Musi river. A distinctive feature of such bowls from Guanchong and the neighboring kilns such as Gaoming/Heshan is the patches left by clays lumps used as separators for stacking of bowls during firing.

	A dish-shaped vessel from Guanchong or nearby kiln


Two Tang Guangdong ewers from a Vietnam wreck



Rubbings of the impressed markings and drawing of the storage jar based on the finds in the Nanhai Qishi kiln


Bulbous jar with Yellowish brown glaze. Similar type were salvaged from the Pulau Buaya wreck. Most probably from unknown Guangdong kiln


Northern Song Wenzhou examples with iron-brown painted decoration


Examples of iron-brown painted motif on pillow and fragment of a bowl exhibited in Guangdong shi museum

Shards recovered from the Guangdong Shabian Kiln site


Example of Xicun green glaze bowl with external wall decorated with carved “[” lines in the Guangdong Shi Museum


Two incised floral motif from the Chaozhou Bijiashan kiln exhibited in an exhibition on Chaozhou wares


A qingbai phoenix head from Chaozhou kiln	A qingbai phoenix head vase in Hainan Museum


Examples of Yaozhou style impressed floral bowls from the Xicun kiln exhibited in Guangdong shi museum

A Xicun/Huizhou celadon dish from a wreck from Indonesia

Example of Xicun kiln Yaozhou style shallow bowl


Pulau Buaya wreck Qingbai bowl with deer motif

Qingbai bowl with deer motif from the Zhang Ping kiln