The white stoneware biscuit is covered with white slip under a transparent glaze. The surface, painted in underglaze iron black, shows a characteristic and spontaneous decorative flower and leaf design.

Cizhou kilns were located in northern China, mostly in Hebei but also in Henan and Shanxi provinces, they were active from the late Tang period onwards.  They were specialized in painted decoration, including the first overglaze enamels ever made in China.