The Tang Dynasty (618-907) Ou kiln site, excavated by a joint team from the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Wenzhou City Institute of Cultural Heritage Preservation, has been listed by authorities as an important archaeological discovery of Zhejiang Province on Monday.
Ou wares, the name for the ceramics made at the kiln, are a traditional type of ancient celadon with brown decorations. The use of a thin and light layer of glaze is one of the defining characteristics of this type of ware.
"Ou ware has a specific beauty. The dark patterns on the light glaze have a certain visual impact," Zheng Jianming, the leader of the archaeological team, told the Qianjiang Evening News.
The kiln and numerous Ou wares were unearthed in 2005 in Yongjia county, East China's Zhejiang Province.
Written records from the time period were also discovered at the kiln, which helped date the wares found to the year 857.
Other evidence shows that the Ou kiln was responsible for the production of ceramics for the emperors of the Tang Dynasty.
