Nanfeng Ancient Kiln

The Nanfeng Ancient Kiln is a dragon kiln at No. 6 Gaomiao Road in Shiwan Town, Chancheng District, Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. It has been in continuous use for around 500 years and is regarded as one of the oldest working kilns in China. The site sits within the Shiwan ceramic district, long known for glazed pottery and architectural ceramics, and it gives visitors a rare chance to see traditional firing methods still connected to daily production. The dragon kiln is a long, sloping brick structure built up a hillside, fired with wood in a process that requires careful control of temperature and airflow. Around it, workshops and a ceramics museum show how clay is shaped, glazed and prepared, and visitors can often watch or try aspects of pottery making. The Shiwan tradition also produced the glazed roof figures seen on temples across the Pearl River Delta, including at Foshan's Ancestral Temple. A visit typically lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. Admission is CNY 25 (about USD 3.73), with a CNY 12.5 concession rate for groups, and children under 1.2 m and visitors aged 70 and over enter free. The site opens from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM daily, with last entry at 5:00 PM. Mornings are the best time to visit, when the site is quiet and the light is good for photographing the kiln's brickwork and stacked ceramics. Crowds are usually modest, though school groups and weekend visitors can fill the workshops. The kiln lies roughly 15 to 20 minutes by taxi or DiDi from Zumiao Station, at about CNY 20 to 30 (USD 3 to 4), and current bus routes can be checked on Amap. Ceramic shops in the surrounding lanes sell pieces at a range of prices, and pottery is a fitting souvenir from Foshan.