Woodkiln BingDing: slices of the traditional woodkiln chamber

The woodkilns of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi China are the symbol of the traditional industry of porcelain-making which can be traced back to more than two thousand years ago. Like any other historic handicraft with a long story, the traditional porcelain making industry is strongly hit by the technology explosion.  While whether the advanced gaskilns offer a better quality of porcelains remains controversial, woodkilns are indeed less efficientand consume more energy and time. Due to the widespread use of industrial fuels such as coal and natural gas and the higher environmental requirement, the woodkilns are facing the fate of extinction. The fine tradition as such is fading away before we get a chance to know it.

The owner of Woodkiln BingDing, Mr. Yu, with a background of modern engineering, is also a practitioner who shows great interest in revitalizing the tradition. As a successor to the kiln construction master and the porcelain-making master, Mr. Yu knows very well not only how to build a traditional woodkiln but also how to use it to make fine porcelain. That is quite rare in Jingdezhen– today only four people left know how to do it in the authentic way.

The architectural part of Woodkiln BingDing is actually the kiln itself. The chamber takes about a quarter of the space and is entirely built by Mr. Yu and his master following the traditional method of “LuanYao” (kiln construction). The fair-faced concrete kiln is the shelter of the chamber. While meeting the space requirement of the porcelain-making process of loading, firing and drawing，the concrete kiln magnifies the experience of visiting the place, making sure that porcelain artists, collectors and visitors can participate in the whole process. Today, the construction of woodkilns is a respectable handicraft and the entire porcelain-making process is a ritual to show great respect and awe to our fine traditions.

Woodkiln BingDing is located in Qiancheng Village of Jingdezhen. In this beautiful and peaceful hilly village, Mr. and Mrs. Yu and the local government are trying to revive the woodkilns in the hope of bringing more attention to the local porcelain industry and offering new opportunities to the traditional craftsmanship and the economic development. After all, in Chinese culture porcelain has never been taken simply as a necessity of our daily life, rather it is more of a medium through which we experience and taste life.

Project Name: Jingdezhen Woodkiln BingDing
Project Location: Qianchen Village, Jiangxi Jingdezhen
Client: Woodkiln BingDing
Site Area: 3300m2
Total Area: 1200 m2
Architecture Office: AZL Architects
Architects: ZHANG Lei, ZHANG Xue
Project Design: 2017
Project Completion: 2018

Images Source: AZL Architects