"Gold Brick" Technique of Suzhou Imperial Kiln

Gold bricks produced by the imperial kiln in Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu Province are not actually made of gold. The smooth, shiny bricks are big and square. They got their name from their quality, the tedious manufacturing process and the high cost involved. When the brick is struck, it echoes with the sound of gold and the mixture used in the earthen bricks is so enduring that the bricks can be as hard as metal. The bricks can still be seen today in the Taihe Hall, which is the most important building in the Forbidden City.

The bricks, which have long been used to build imperial palaces, are a specialty of Lumu, a small village near Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. For thousands of years, the local people have made a living from kiln firing. In the early 15th century when the Forbidden City began to be constructed, the bricks made in Lumu were recommended to the Ming government (1368-1644). Central government officials assigned to Lumu found the yellow earth in Lumu was expecially good to make bricks. Besides the special material, the advanced firing technique and the strict firing procedures of the Lumu kiln also contributed to producing the high-quality gold bricks. Thus the Lumu kiln was named the Imperial Kiln by the Ming emperor.

The production process of Lumu bricks is very complicated. No Lumu bricks will be produced without going through some twenty procedures. In the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the gold bricks made in the imperial kiln were exclusive bricks used in the construction of the palaces in the capital city. No other kilns have succeeded in making the gold bricks, no matter how advanced the technology applied.

Floors paved with the gold bricks are smooth, shining and skid-proof, a good material to prevent moisture from the underground. Palaces built with the big square gold bricks look splendid and spectacular.

Nowadays, with the palace construction becoming history, the gold bricks are facing increasingly lower market demand. Currently there is only one kiln left with some twenty gold brick craftsmen. The long production period, tedious labor and the high cost and low benefits have put the gold brick business on the edge of extinction.