Pieces of porcelain excavated from a kiln from the Song (960-1279) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties discovered at Guzhen village in Hejin, a county-level city in North China's Shanxi province, are on display in Beijing. [Photo/IC]

An archaeological exhibition on the achievements of a kiln from the Song (960-1279) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties discovered at Guzhen village in Hejin, a county-level city in North China's Shanxi province, opened at the National Museum of China in Beijing on April 22. 

The exhibition is being hosted by the museum and the Shanxi Cultural Relics Bureau. 

It displays more than 150 cultural relics unearthed from the ancient kiln site, and more than 80 pieces of porcelain collected by well-known institutions across China. 

The exhibition presents the archaeological excavations, porcelain craftsmanship, decorative methods and cultural connotations and systems of the kiln, as well as the rise and fall of the porcelain industry and the distribution of porcelain commodities. 

A porcelain pillow excavated from a kiln from the Song (960-1279) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties in Hejin on display at the exhibition in Beijing [Photo/IC]

Hejin, known as Longmen before the Song Dynasty, had been famous for porcelain production since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The discovery of the kiln in 2016 was a major breakthrough in Chinese ceramic archaeology and was selected as one of the top 10 new archaeological discoveries in China that year. 

Among the exhibits, the most eye-catching ones are the porcelain pillows with different shapes and patterns, showing the exquisite firing craftsmanship and elegant aesthetics. 

The exhibition, which lasts for three months, also reproduces the site where the archaeological relics were recovered, including porcelain workshops, porcelain kilns and wells. The display makes use of scene restoration and multimedia demonstrations.