From 15:30 to 17:30 on May 24, 2026, at the invitation of the School of History and Archaeology of Nanjing Normal University, Professor Du Zhengxian, Professor and Director of the Department of Archaeology at Zhejiang University City College, delivered a lecture titled The Discovery of the Xiuneisi Official Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty in Lecture Hall 108, Building 200, Suiyuan Campus. This lecture was the 172nd in the Archaeology Series Lectures of Nanjing Normal University and the 68th lecture of the Renowned Archaeologists’ Forum. The lecture was moderated by Mr. Meng Chenglei, with a welcoming address delivered by Professor Wang Zhigao. More than fifty faculty members, students, and members of the public from both inside and outside the university attended the event.
Professor Du Zhengxian introduced that the Xiuneisi Official Kiln was the earliest official kiln established during the Southern Song Dynasty exclusively for imperial ceramic production. It is located at the Laohudong Kiln site in Hangzhou, in close proximity to the imperial palace. In 1996, ceramic shards were exposed by heavy rainfall, leading to multiple excavations, and the site was subsequently named one of the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of 2001 in China.” The porcelain produced at this kiln is characterised by thin-bodied and thickly glazed wares, primarily in a pale greenish-blue (fenqing) glaze, and frequently imitates the forms of Shang and Zhou bronze ritual vessels, serving ceremonial and display purposes. In comparison with the later Jiaotanxia Official Kiln (middle to late Southern Song, which mainly produced daily-use vessels), the Xiuneisi kiln placed greater emphasis on ritual objects. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Laohudong kiln continued production, and it is identified as the Ge Kiln, though with simplified craftsmanship and a thicker, sand-tempered body. The lecture also explored the relationships of transmission between the official kilns and the Ru and Longquan kilns.