Among the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty, Ding kiln is the only one famous for white porcelain production, whose superb technique processes such as engraved designs and original upside down firing, had a profound influence on many kilns home and abroad. Nondestructive Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis method was applied to analyze the chemical composition and the recipe of the Ding white porcelain from the Tang Dynasty (618—907A.D.) to the Jin Dynasty (1115—1234A.D.). The valence state of Fe in the glaze of Ding white porcelains was analyzed with X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) for the first time while discussing the firing technique. It was found that the bodies of Ding white porcelains were characterized as “high alumina and low silicon” of typical northern porcelains, and raw mineral materials rich in CaO was intentionally added to the bodies’ recipe in order to promote the sintering of the body. TiO2 in the bodies was generally introduced by impurity of kaoline. The glazes of Ding white porcelains were characterized as “high calcium and high magnesium”, which generally belonged to Calcium magnesium glaze or Calcium magnesium alkaline glaze. Its recipe should contained a certain content of dolomite or talc. The increasing content of K2O in the glazes reflected the transition from Calcium magnesium glaze to Calcium magnesium alkaline glaze. In addition, wood ash and kaoline should be added to the recipe of glazes according to the chemical composition characteristics of Al2O3, MnO and P2O5. The XAFS results showed that the Fe3+ proportion in the Ding white glaze of the Late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties was the highest, while that of the Jin Dynasty taked the second place, followed by that of the Song Dynasty. So it implied that Ding white porcelains of successive dynasties were fired in a reducing atmosphere. The yellowish colour of Ding white porcelain in the Song and Jin Dynasties was probably caused by Fe—S compound produced in the firing process by the interaction of glaze and sulfur enriched in the fuel coal.