Chapter 9 National Day Trip to the Forbidden City (3)

After the cordon was adjusted, the much-anticipated opening time finally arrived. Visitors began to have their tickets checked and enter. Whispers could be heard from time to time in the long queue, and some people were holding up their phones and repeatedly refreshing the live broadcast page of Shanhai.

Inside the parking lot, a live broadcast van from a French television station stood out, its camera pointed at the museum's gate. A blond, blue-eyed reporter held a microphone and gestured excitedly at the camera: "Although we had communicated beforehand, the Palace Museum refused to disclose any size information in advance! We have reason to believe that the Palace Museum is carrying out a cultural fraud!"

At 8:29:50, the live broadcast from Shanhai cut to the Palace Museum exhibition hall.

The camera slowly pans down from the caisson ceiling of the dome, where the gilded dragon caisson ceiling shimmers with a splendor that has not faded over a thousand years in the interplay of light and shadow.

Light poured down like flowing water, caressing the warm, smooth luster of the dragon-patterned white jade pillow, each scale shimmering softly in the light; it swept across the black bird-patterned handle of the whisk, the bronze bird poised to take flight; it swept over the Chu-style dragon-riding bronze zun, where the mottled green patina faintly revealed the patterns meticulously engraved by the craftsmen of yesteryear; finally, it rested on the Zeng-style inlaid bronze axe, the turquoise inlaid on the axe arranged in a mysterious totem, gleaming with a deep blue-green light under the lamp.

This series of national treasures appeared one after another in the lens, like a slowly unfolding historical scroll.

Finally, the camera focuses on the central display case, and the surrounding lights suddenly dim, leaving only a spotlight above the case, like a stage spotlight waiting for the main character to appear.

At exactly 8:30, the spotlight suddenly turned on, and the dazzling light made everyone squint.

Once the light adjusted, the white marble burial jar with its intertwined floral pattern and Dean Wang, who was personally acting as the guide, appeared simultaneously in the frame. At that moment, all the comments on the screen froze, and an eerie silence descended upon the live stream, as if even the air itself had solidified.

Anyone with eyes can see that this Qing Dynasty white marble burial jar with intertwined branches is at least half a person tall!

The white porcelain jar with blue and white decoration gleams like solidified cream under the light, and the intertwined floral pattern winds from the bottom to the mouth of the jar, with the veins of each leaf clearly discernible.

The entire piece is exquisite and exudes a breathtaking aura.

The data previously disclosed by the Louvre was 25 centimeters high, 12 centimeters in diameter at the mouth, and 15 centimeters in diameter at the base, which is obviously a huge difference!

Dean Wang adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses gentle yet firm. He was explaining to the live broadcast camera, his voice unhurried: "Dear viewers, the white marble burial jar with intertwined floral patterns that you see here is 81.6 centimeters in height, 39 centimeters in mouth diameter, and 48.8 centimeters in base diameter."

He paused, slowed his speech a bit, and continued after the camera zoomed in: "'Burial jars' are a special type of burial object in ancient China, mainly used to store coins or other small items in tombs."

The character 瘗 (yì) means 'to bury,' and a 瘗钱罐 (yì qián guàn) refers to coins buried in a tomb or a container for coins, symbolizing providing wealth for the deceased in the underworld and reflecting the ancient Chinese funeral concept of 'treating the dead as if they were alive.'

This reflects reverence for life and a yearning for eternity.

"Generally speaking, the size of the burial jar varies depending on the era, region, the status of the tomb owner, and the functional needs."

Small jars are typically 10 to 20 centimeters in height and are often found in commoners' tombs, where they are used to store a small amount of coins or loose change.

Medium-sized jars are typically 20 to 35 centimeters tall and were common from the Han to Tang dynasties. They could hold strings of copper coins.

Large jars are typically 35 to 50 centimeters tall, and a few were used in aristocratic tombs or for special purposes, such as serving as grain containers.

The white marble burial jar with intertwined branches pattern that we see today is a full 81.6 centimeters tall.

It is the largest burial jar discovered to date that is both existing and well-preserved!

Preliminary speculation suggests these were burial items of a member of the royal family, or ritual objects from a religious or secret society; in any case, they are of great research value!

Foreign netizens may not understand Dean Wang's Chinese, but they were all stunned when they saw the size.

Immediately following the arrival of the enemy was the ridicule from Chinese netizens—

[Is the Louvre measuring a miniature version?]

Haha, one of you is worth five of me!

[Dean Wang speaks well! This is true cultural export! It's far more powerful than a direct confrontation!]

[Oh my, you were scolding me so fiercely before, are you going to say now that your ruler is broken?]

At this time, the first group of tourists had already arrived at the exhibition hall, and the sounds of footsteps, whispers, and camera shutters mingled together.

A foreign journalist of European appearance, taking advantage of his large size, shoved through several passersby like a bull, and pushed his way to the front of the row, microphone in hand. Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his blond hair clung to his brow. He asked in heavily accented Chinese, "Dean Wang! The artifact in the Louvre is so similar to this one; the proportions of all the measurements are almost identical. Is it possible that it's a forgery?"

Before Dean Wang could explain, the Chinese tourists who had been pushed aside were very dissatisfied and began to speak up.

"The same style should have the same proportions, why are you even asking that?"

"Hey! Can't you at least stand in line? Just because you're a reporter doesn't mean you can cut in line? Is this the kind of manners you have?"

Dean Wang smiled slightly, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and said in a calm voice: "The similarity is because they are from the same source. Although it was a hundred years ago, the craftsmen at that time had reached the pinnacle of their skills, so it is normal that they could make objects that are exactly the same as the originals."

The *Jingdezhen Pottery Records*, Volume 3, from the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, states: "The mold used for making pottery is called a 'yinzi' (印子). One 'yinzi' can produce several identical pieces, differing only slightly in the inscription."

The "Collected Statutes of the Qing Dynasty" (钦定大清会典) under the Ministry of Works (工部) of the 35th year of the Qianlong reign (1766) also stated: "For all imperial utensils, two sets must be made, one main and one secondary. The main set shall be stored in the Imperial Treasury, and the secondary set shall be prepared for rewards and gifts. Their style, dimensions, and patterns shall all be manufactured according to the established standards."

Moreover, if one studies the existing cultural relics, it should not be difficult to find that this is not a strange thing.

For example, the Palace Museum's collection of the "Qianlong Famille Rose Hundred Deer Vase" and the same piece in the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK have been compared using 3D scanning, and the error rate is less than 0.3%.

The authentication of cultural relics is a science, not a mystery. The Palace Museum is willing to conduct joint research with any institution to jointly safeguard the authenticity of human civilization.

It draws on classical texts, presents reasoned arguments, and demonstrates the demeanor of a major power.

Visitors applauded enthusiastically, and the applause echoed throughout the exhibition hall like a tidal wave.

The foreign journalist's face flushed red and then turned pale. Under the angry glares of the crowd, he slunk away.

.

Inside the monitoring room, Su Yutang quietly asked Zhang Mo, "Actually?" Her voice was very low, like that of a curious kitten.

Zhang Mo smiled mysteriously and lowered her voice as well: "Actually, when the child was stolen by the tomb raiders, he had already developed some intelligence. He was so scared that he curled up into a small ball."

Su Yutang: "..."

For so many years, in foreign lands, I would hug my tiny self in fear and terror.

It wasn't until she heard the familiar local accent, felt the pull of her fellow demons, and returned to her homeland that she revealed her true form.

.

The live stream was a great success, with a peak of 83 million concurrent viewers!

After this success, ShanHai Live's total user base has finally surpassed 500 million!

At the headquarters of Shanhai Live in W City, the staff celebrated with high fives as they watched the data curve soar into the sky like a rocket, their cheers almost lifting the roof off.

Finally, Dean Wang addressed the live broadcast camera with a solemn and heartfelt voice, each word seemingly refined by time, saying to the world: "On this occasion, I would like to appeal to all institutions that collect Chinese cultural relics that have been lost."

The value of cultural relics lies not in their exhibition hall labels, but in their vital connection to their homeland. We look forward to more 'children' returning home, not to dwell on the past, but to ensure the complete continuation of civilization.

Outside the exhibition hall, the autumn sun shone brightly. A golden ginkgo leaf drifted down in the wind and gently alighted on the glass of the exhibition hall, as if nature had stamped this perfect moment with its seal.

Sunlight streamed through the ancient window frames, casting ever-changing patterns of light and shadow on the ground, as if telling a story about returning home.