Sacrificial rites to the god of the kiln used to be common in the ceramic industry of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. In this article,the author reviews the history of research on the kiln god. Based on the different identities of the kiln god and different combinations of gods in temples,he divides the development of this ancient belief of the ceramic industry into three periods:the early period of the kiln god,before the Northern Song; the Song,Jin,and Yuan Dynasty,during which worship of the kiln god appeared and developed in North China; and the Ming and Qing Dynasties,during which belief in the kiln god was widespread in northern and southern China,and the types of kiln god became more numerous. The worship of the kiln god was of great significance in the development of the ceramic industry. Such a socio-cultural phenomenon is worthy of more attention and research.
