The ancient town of Chenlu

Chenlu Ancient Town is located atop a mountain 15 kilometers southeast of Yintai District, Tongchuan. According to records, Chenlu Ancient Town derives its name from the “display of pottery kilns.” Chenlu is the only remaining Yao porcelain production base in history where “kilns have burned continuously for a thousand years,” a true miracle in ceramic history, earning it the reputation of “Oriental Ancient Ceramic Town.” Chenlu Ancient Town is also the only ceramic town among the cultural and artistic towns named by Shaanxi Province.Chenlu Ancient Town boasts beautiful mountains and rivers, a long history of ceramic culture, and a profound cultural heritage. Historical records state that “the pottery fields stretched for three li north to south and five li east to west, with kilns burning brightly all night long,” a scene described as “a myriad of smoke rising from the houses,” earning it the reputation of “the kiln mountain that never sleeps,” and listing it as one of the “Eight Scenic Spots of Tongguan” in ancient times. Chenlu’s folk customs are closely related to ceramics, with its residences, cuisine, and arts containing rich ceramic cultural connotations. Chenlu’s residences are ancient.Pottery pottery pits, earthenware jars, and walls built of pottery jars are densely packed along the mountainside, resembling a honeycomb; porcelain shards pave the roads, creating an oil painting effect, making it aesthetically pleasing and hailed as “art underfoot.” Chenlu Ancient Town has a history of porcelain making for over 1400 years. It is the only kiln site that continued production after the famous ancient Yaozhou kiln from the Song and Yuan dynasties. During the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, it achieved an annual production of eight million pieces of porcelain. The Chenlu Porcelain Kiln was recorded as early as the Tang dynasty with “flames churning in the furnace.” Its porcelain industry reached its peak during the Northern Song dynasty, becoming famous for its celadon, white, black, and brown-glazed porcelain. From the Yuan dynasty to the present, it has been a major porcelain production base in Northwest China. Its porcelain products mainly consist of daily necessities such as bowls, plates, basins, jars, bottles, boxes, lamps, and stoves, as well as some decorative items, ritual vessels, and porcelain sculptures, with a rich variety of glazes.