Longquan
Dragon kilns yield jade-like plum-green celadon glaze, while anvil hammers forge double-edged swords with razor-sharp tempered steel.
Longquan crowns the mountainous summit where Zhejiang and Fujian meet, anchored by Huangmaojian peak, the highest elevation in the Yangtze Delta region. Dense forests, rich kaolin beds, and clear rapid streams fostered two complementary master crafts: celadon stoneware and forged steel swords. From the Song to Yuan dynasties, hillside dragon kilns in Dayao fired local purple-gold clay and wood ash glaze in clean reduction atmospheres, creating jade-like powder-green and plum-green vessels shipped worldwide along the Maritime Silk Road. Alongside the kilns, master swordsmiths continue ancient multi-layer folding and quench-hardening techniques.
What to see
Dayao Longquan Celadon Kiln Heritage Park preserves dozens of hillside dragon kiln remains and the Fengdongyan kiln; Longquan Celadon Museum exhibits premier Song and Ming celadon vessels; Fengyang Mountain Nature Reserve protects Huangmaojian's subalpine meadows; Longquan Sword Town hosts traditional iron forges; Xiazhang Village nestles among mountain clouds and waterfalls.
What to eat
Longquan huangguo golden rice cakes soak rice in wood ash lye before pounding in heavy stone mortars into chewy, golden dough; loach hotpot stews live mountain river loaches with wild chilis and fresh mountain spring water; Chatian wontons wrap seasoned pork in feather-light wrappers served in rich lard broth; Fengyang wild mushroom and river frog soup offers pristine forest flavors.
Getting here & around
The Quzhou-Ningde Railway serves Longquan City Station, connecting to Hangzhou, Shanghai, and coastal transport lines. Regional coaches link Lishui to Longquan in ninety minutes. Reaching the Dayao kiln ruins takes forty minutes by car, while Fengyang Mountain requires ninety minutes along mountain highways.
Choose a neighbourhood
Each area offers a different side of the city. Pick one to explore at your own pace.
Dayao Celadon Kiln Heritage Park
The historical heart of celadon porcelain, where Fengdongyan and adjacent Song dragon kilns nestle amidst bamboo groves blanketed with ceramic shards.
Walking up the stepped ramp of a Song dragon kiln and examining the soft tactile qualities of powder-green and plum-green glazed shards.
Longquan Sword Town & Master Forges
The center of Chinese hand-forged bladesmithing, where coal forges burn orange and hammers ring rhythmically on anvils.
Watching master smiths fold pattern-welded steel thousands of times and quench red-hot blades in mineral water baths.
Fengyang Mountain & Huangmaojian Peak
The highest mountain summit in the Yangtze Delta region at 1,929 meters, defined by twisted pines, rolling sea of clouds, and subalpine meadows.
Hiking to the summit for sunrise over endless mountain ranges and wandering through subalpine larch groves.
Dayao Purple-Gold Clay and Plum-Green Celadon Glaze
Entering the quiet bamboo forest of Dayao village, thousands of Song-dynasty kiln debris slopes greet the traveler. The jade-like finish of Longquan celadon relies on local geology. Potters utilized native Zijintu (purple-gold clay) containing iron that fires into a dark charcoal-grey stoneware core. Glazes made of weathered porcelain stone and plant ash were applied in multiple successive layers. Inside hundred-meter-long dragon kilns fired with dry pine, temperatures surpass twelve hundred degrees Celsius under strict reduction atmospheres. Iron oxides in the glaze reduce to ferrous ions, yielding a soothing, glossy plum-green surface completely free of glass glare.
Folded Steel Forging and Quenched Cold Blades
Along the historic West Street of Longquan, ringing anvil strikes echo from master bladesmith forges. Tracing its lineage back to Ou Yezi in the Warring States period, Longquan swordmaking relies on meticulous pattern welding. High-carbon brittle steel is combined with soft low-carbon iron, heated to incandescent orange, and hammered together before being folded and welded again dozens of times. This process produces tens of thousands of microscopic layers that display flowing damascus patterns. During the critical quench, the incandescent blade is plunged into chilled mineral water, locking in hard martensite along the cutting edge while retaining spring-tempered elasticity.
Huangmaojian Subalpine Meadows and Cloud Forests
Ascending into the heights of Fengyang Mountain south of Longquan, steep winding roads reach Huangmaojian peak at 1,929 meters, the apex of the Yangtze Delta region. As elevation increases, lush broadleaf forests give way to twisted Huangshan pines and subalpine larch groves. Near the summit, century-old Yunjin rhododendrons reach three meters tall, bursting into pale pink blossoms in early summer despite bitter mountain gales. Standing on the bare granite summit, surrounding ridgelines fade into an ocean of rolling white clouds that crash like surf against jagged cliffs.