The origin of Warring States kilns In ancient Chinese history, before the emergence of writing, there was a southern emperor named Zhu Rong. Zhurong is revered as the earliest fire god in traditional Chinese culture and is also known as the Red Emperor. He spread the flame and taught humans how to use fire. People roast the wild beasts they bring over the fire before eating, which not only tastes delicious but also prevents them from getting sick. Therefore, everyone admires the Fire God Zhurong very much. Zhurong teaches humans to use fire, which is somewhat similar to Prometheus in Roman mythology. But unlike Prometheus who was punished, Zhurong taught people how to cook food with fire, how to use fire for heating and lighting, how to use fire to drive away miasma and mosquitoes, and prevent diseases. And therefore, he was revered as a god by people. Later, Zhu Rong gave birth to eight sons, who gradually gave birth to numerous surnames and ethnic groups in China. The Zhurong clan is the earliest clan in world history to invent drilling wood for fire, create markets, and use fire to make pottery. The descendants of Zhu Rong are skilled in firing ceramics, and first established the “Jielou Ancient Kingdom” in the border areas of Zengcheng and Boluo in southern China, including Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Huizhou (later annexed by the Kingdom of Nanyue). The ancient country of Jielou had a developed pottery industry. According to literature records, the Warring States period dragon kiln in Zengcheng (an equipment for firing ceramics in China) is one of the earliest dragon kilns in China. Compared with the Eastern Han, Three Kingdoms, and Two Jin dragon kilns in Shangyu, Zhejiang, Zengcheng’s dragon kiln is even older, indicating its important position in ancient porcelain firing and being one of the birthplaces of southern pottery (Nanyao). In 204 BC, Zhao Tuo established the Kingdom of Nanyue and proclaimed himself emperor. The Zengcheng Warring States Kiln became a royal kiln specialized in firing ceramic products