Dragon kiln
Up the slope.
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A historic pottery kiln in the Shiwan district of Foshan, built in 1506 under the Ming dynasty more than five hundred years ago. It is a protected national monument, it is listed in Guinness World Records, and it is still fired today to make garden pots. It is a «dragon kiln», built up the slope of a hill so the fire climbs along its length. It is 37.8 m long, and its top has thirty-four rows of fire holes, five in each row, through which firewood is fed during a firing. Its mouth faces due south, and at its tail grows a banyan more than four hundred years old, so a southern breeze cools it in summer; hence the name Nanfeng, «south wind». Around it are the Shiwan Ceramics Museum, the street of Shiwan clay figurines and a village of ceramic artists, and visitors can shape pieces of their own. Tickets cost CNY 25, and it is open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, with evening opening from Friday to Sunday, per visitor guides.
Up the slope.
Shiwan heritage.
Make your own.
6 Gaomiao Road, Shiwan, Chancheng District, Foshan
Yes, visitors can shape clay alongside the potters in the area around the kiln, and entry costs CNY 25, per visitor guides.