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Field Note No. 005: The Bones of the Earth—A Pilgrimage to Fuliang and the Source of Kaolin
Location: Fuliang County & Gaoling National Mine Park, Jiangxi Province
Date: May 23 – 25, 2026
Travelers: Richard Zhang (Founding Curator) & Miles (Digital Architect)
Objective: To investigate the "Ancestral Source" of modern porcelain and visit the sanctuary of Lazy Fire Kiln.
Date: May 23 – 25, 2026
Travelers: Richard Zhang (Founding Curator) & Miles (Digital Architect)
Objective: To investigate the "Ancestral Source" of modern porcelain and visit the sanctuary of Lazy Fire Kiln.
May 23: The Ghost of a Great Trading Power
We departed from Huangshan at 8:30 AM. Our destination was Fuliang, a name etched into the heart of every Chinese student through Bai Juyi's Tang Dynasty poem: "Last month, the merchant went to Fuliang to buy tea."
Historically, Fuliang was a global economic titan, thriving on the twin pillars of tea and porcelain from the 8th century through the mid-Qing. However, history is a shifting mirror. Today, Fuliang is a quiet, leafy county, its former glory largely overshadowed by its neighbor, Jingdezhen. This "disappearance" from the world stage was solidified in 1916 when the administration moved to Jingdezhen, leaving the old capital to become a rural time capsule.
Our first stop was the Fuliang Ancient County Government Office. Its survival is a miracle of historical accident. Abandoned by the state, it served as a communal granary and a school for decades, avoiding the demolition that claimed so many other wooden structures. Walking through its halls, I pondered the transition from the "Fuliang Porcelain Bureau" of the Yuan Dynasty to the "Imperial Kilns" of the Ming and Qing.
The Shift: The Yuan system was open—"Government-managed, Folk-fired"—allowing for the birth of the bold Yuan Blue and White.
The Monopoly: The later Imperial Kilns built high walls, enforcing a total monopoly where any flawed piece was smashed and buried. This institutional shift from "freedom" to "exclusion" ultimately funneled all the wealth and power into Jingdezhen, leaving Fuliang to fade into a scholarly silence.
Historically, Fuliang was a global economic titan, thriving on the twin pillars of tea and porcelain from the 8th century through the mid-Qing. However, history is a shifting mirror. Today, Fuliang is a quiet, leafy county, its former glory largely overshadowed by its neighbor, Jingdezhen. This "disappearance" from the world stage was solidified in 1916 when the administration moved to Jingdezhen, leaving the old capital to become a rural time capsule.
Our first stop was the Fuliang Ancient County Government Office. Its survival is a miracle of historical accident. Abandoned by the state, it served as a communal granary and a school for decades, avoiding the demolition that claimed so many other wooden structures. Walking through its halls, I pondered the transition from the "Fuliang Porcelain Bureau" of the Yuan Dynasty to the "Imperial Kilns" of the Ming and Qing.
The Shift: The Yuan system was open—"Government-managed, Folk-fired"—allowing for the birth of the bold Yuan Blue and White.
The Monopoly: The later Imperial Kilns built high walls, enforcing a total monopoly where any flawed piece was smashed and buried. This institutional shift from "freedom" to "exclusion" ultimately funneled all the wealth and power into Jingdezhen, leaving Fuliang to fade into a scholarly silence.
The Master of the High Flame: Lan Huo Yao
Leaving the Fuliang County Office, we headed to the true centerpiece of our journey: the Lazy Fire Kiln. Stepping into the quiet courtyard of Master Fan Daoming—a Taoist priest known as Sanyi Daoren—the world instantly slowed down. Master Fan, now in his sixties, has spent nearly four decades deciphering the silent language of monochromatic glazes.
While his work may resemble Northern Song Ru-ware, it is fundamentally different in its "Porcelain Nature." Master Fan explained that while Ru-ware utilizes high-aluminum northern materials, his work is rooted in the iron-rich clays of the South—Jiangxi and Zhejiang. His aesthetic echoes the "Jade-like" resonance of Southern Song Guan-ware, achieving a high-altitude elegance that combines ancestral skeletal structures with a modern, original vitality.
Whether chasing the elusive Sky Blue or the mystical "Secret Color," Master Fan lives by the Taoist principle of Wu Wei (Non-action). "The fire has its own rhythm," he told us, "and the hand must learn to wait." This patience is tested by his grueling firing ritual. To melt the Emerald, Agate, and Jade powders he grinds into his glazes, he must sustain temperatures exceeding 1300°C for 15 to 16 hours.
This extreme heat is a gamble against nature. The intensity often warps the porcelain embryos, resulting in a yield rate of less than 30%. To lose 70% of one's labor to the fire would break a common merchant, but for Master Fan, it is a necessary sacrifice for the "True Heart." His greatest joy remains the "Search," trekking into remote mountains to discover new mineral veins. When a formula succeeds, this elder Taoist glows with the pure joy of a child.
While his work may resemble Northern Song Ru-ware, it is fundamentally different in its "Porcelain Nature." Master Fan explained that while Ru-ware utilizes high-aluminum northern materials, his work is rooted in the iron-rich clays of the South—Jiangxi and Zhejiang. His aesthetic echoes the "Jade-like" resonance of Southern Song Guan-ware, achieving a high-altitude elegance that combines ancestral skeletal structures with a modern, original vitality.
Whether chasing the elusive Sky Blue or the mystical "Secret Color," Master Fan lives by the Taoist principle of Wu Wei (Non-action). "The fire has its own rhythm," he told us, "and the hand must learn to wait." This patience is tested by his grueling firing ritual. To melt the Emerald, Agate, and Jade powders he grinds into his glazes, he must sustain temperatures exceeding 1300°C for 15 to 16 hours.
This extreme heat is a gamble against nature. The intensity often warps the porcelain embryos, resulting in a yield rate of less than 30%. To lose 70% of one's labor to the fire would break a common merchant, but for Master Fan, it is a necessary sacrifice for the "True Heart." His greatest joy remains the "Search," trekking into remote mountains to discover new mineral veins. When a formula succeeds, this elder Taoist glows with the pure joy of a child.
May 24: The Gaoling Revolution
On our second day, we traveled to a place that changed the world forever: Gaoling Village.
It is crucial for seekers to navigate to the Gaoling National Mine Park, rather than the "Culture Village," which is a modern tourist trap. We hiked the Gaoling Ancient Path, the only artery through which the "Bones of Porcelain" once reached the world.
For centuries, miners carved Kaolin (高岭土) from these peaks, processed them into "bricks" (Dǔnzi), and transported them by shoulder-pole or wheelbarrow down to the Dongbu Wharves.
It is crucial for seekers to navigate to the Gaoling National Mine Park, rather than the "Culture Village," which is a modern tourist trap. We hiked the Gaoling Ancient Path, the only artery through which the "Bones of Porcelain" once reached the world.
For centuries, miners carved Kaolin (高岭土) from these peaks, processed them into "bricks" (Dǔnzi), and transported them by shoulder-pole or wheelbarrow down to the Dongbu Wharves.
The Bone Revolution: Before the Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen used only "Porcelain Stone." These vessels were "soft" and easily deformed in the fire. The discovery of Kaolin—rich in alumina—acted as a "Skeleton" for the clay, allowing it to withstand 1300°C heat without collapsing. This "Binary Recipe" made the monumental Yuan Blue and White and the delicate eggshell porcelain of the Ming court possible.
A Global Term: In 1867, the German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen named this earth "Kaolin," making it the only mineralogical term in the world derived from a Chinese place name.
Walking the path, the granite steps have been polished into mirrors by millions of footsteps and wheelbarrow tires. Deep ruts remain etched into the stone. Surrounded by ancient trees and mountain mist, we saw the dark mouths of ancient mines and the "Tailings"—white mounds of sand left over from washing the clay—now overgrown with moss, looking like drifts of eternal snow in the forest.
A Global Term: In 1867, the German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen named this earth "Kaolin," making it the only mineralogical term in the world derived from a Chinese place name.
Walking the path, the granite steps have been polished into mirrors by millions of footsteps and wheelbarrow tires. Deep ruts remain etched into the stone. Surrounded by ancient trees and mountain mist, we saw the dark mouths of ancient mines and the "Tailings"—white mounds of sand left over from washing the clay—now overgrown with moss, looking like drifts of eternal snow in the forest.
The Industrial Trinity: Gaoling, Dongbu, and Yaoli
We realized that Gaoling, Dongbu Village, and Yaoli were a "Shared Destiny Community":
Gaoling: The extraction center—the foundation of the chain.
Dongbu: The bustling port where the "bones" met the water of the Chang River.
Yaoli: The strategic headquarters, providing the wood (glaze fuel) and administration.
By evening, we settled in Yaoli, finding a guesthouse amidst the rhythmic sound of the river, ending our journey through the industrial backbone of ancient China.
Gaoling: The extraction center—the foundation of the chain.
Dongbu: The bustling port where the "bones" met the water of the Chang River.
Yaoli: The strategic headquarters, providing the wood (glaze fuel) and administration.
By evening, we settled in Yaoli, finding a guesthouse amidst the rhythmic sound of the river, ending our journey through the industrial backbone of ancient China.
The Road Home
The return trip to Huangshan took us off the high-speed expressways and onto the narrow, winding mountain ridges. While the road was arduous, it offered unexpected gifts: the thunderous Youlong Waterfall and the silent Xin'anyuan Ancient Forest.
Though these sights were not the official focus of our sourcing mission, they provided a vital context. At ZENTAOEAST, we are reminded that our offerings are inseparable from the landscape that birthed them. We live in a region where every mountain has a story and every stream carries the history of a thousand kilns. It is a heritage we are proud to safeguard.
Field Summary
Key Insight: The "Binary Recipe" (Porcelain Stone + Kaolin) is the biological secret of high-fire porcelain.
Curation Progress: Secured a long-term partnership with Master Fan Daoming (Lan Huo Yao) for exclusive monochrome vessels.
Philosophy: True craft requires a "Lazy Fire"—the rejection of speed to allow the minerals and the Tao to find their own form.
Curation Progress: Secured a long-term partnership with Master Fan Daoming (Lan Huo Yao) for exclusive monochrome vessels.
Philosophy: True craft requires a "Lazy Fire"—the rejection of speed to allow the minerals and the Tao to find their own form.
Curator’s Verdict
"Fuliang and Gaoling reminded me that quality is a matter of 'Bones.' Without the alumina of the high mountains, the clay has no strength to stand. Without the Taoist stillness of a master like Fan Daoming, the fire has no soul. At ZENTAOEAST, we only curate objects that have both. We seek the 'Rugged Clumsiness' of the ancient miners' path and the 'Jade Luster' of the master’s fire. It is a journey toward the source, and we invite you to walk it with us."
— Richard Zhang, Founding Curator
— Richard Zhang, Founding Curator