Jianyang (建阳) district of Nanping is where the Song-dynasty Jianzhan (建盏) tea bowls were born — the black-glazed stoneware cups with mineral crystallisation patterns known as hare's fur (兔毫), oil spot (油滴), partridge feather (鹧鸪斑) and the rarest of all, yohen tenmoku (曜变天目). Three Yohen Tenmoku bowls survive worldwide, all in Japanese museums and all classified as National Treasures there.
The ancient kiln site at Shuiji (水吉) Town, about 30 km east of Jianyang, covers 126,000 m² and has been state-protected since 2001. The showpiece is a 135.6 m Dragon Kiln — the longest intact Song-era lóng yáo kiln in China — running up a wooded hillside with broken saggers and bowl fragments still scattered in the soil.
Contemporary Jianzhan makers cluster in Jianyang and Shuiji. Many studios welcome visitors; it's possible to watch a hand-thrown bowl being shaped and fired, and to sit for a small tea ceremony comparing modern pieces against fragments from the old kiln floor. Expect to pay 200–1,000+ CNY for an authentic hand-made contemporary bowl; museum-grade antique pieces easily reach 100,000 CNY.
Practical: DiDi from Wuyishan North Station to Shuiji 75 minutes (about 180 CNY). Jianyang is 45 minutes from Wuyishan North. Best as a full day if both are in plan. Book a kiln-studio visit ahead on Xiaohongshu ("建盏 建阳 参观").