Chapter 225 This is the difference

Lin Sicheng turned the pages of the book one by one, recalling information related to the book in his mind.

In 1402, Zhu Di successfully quelled the rebellion and decided to move the capital.

Four years later, Zhu Di issued an edict appointing Marquis Chen Gui of Taining to oversee the project, with Song Li, Minister of Works, and Li Zhigang, Minister of Rites, assisting him, to construct Beijing. It then took sixteen years and the recruitment of a million craftsmen to finally complete the construction of the imperial palace in the capital.

Zhang Sigong, then Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, was one of the supervisors. He ordered the Architectural Design Office and the Calculation Office (engineering design and management) to keep timely records and compile the "Building Standards for the Imperial Palace in the Capital".

During the Wanli era, due to years of dampness, the original book became illegible, so Wanli ordered the Ministry of Works to revise it. Under the supervision of He Shijin, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Works, the work expanded to include civil engineering projects such as palaces, mausoleums, and city walls, and was later renamed "Notices on Factory and Warehouse Works of the Ministry of Works".

During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the Ministry of Works compiled the work again, with Prince Guo, Yunli, and Prince Zhuang, Yunlu, leading the engraving process. The compilation expanded to include temples, arrow towers, and imperial granaries, and was renamed "Construction Methods and Regulations." However, the section on the construction of the Forbidden City, originally titled "Construction Methods of the Imperial Palace in the Capital," was extracted and renamed "Records of the Imperial Palace in the Capital."

Later, during the Republic of China era, Feng Yuxiang expelled Puyi from the Forbidden City. When the Palace Museum took over, the "Regulations on Construction Practices of the Ministry of Works" was still there, but the "Records of the Imperial Palace in the Capital" was missing.

Later, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin translated the technology based on the "Engineering Practices List," but only restored the architectural form and foundation.

This includes stonework (platform bases, column bases, stone carvings), tilework (walls, roofs, ridge tiles, etc.), and earthwork (foundation).

All other woodwork, paint, decorative paintings, papering, copper and iron ingots (metal components), and even glasswork, carvings, paintings, and bamboowork have been lost.

Some of these accounts do circulate among the common people, such as those from the nationally renowned Lei family (a family of Qing Dynasty court architects who participated in the design of many Qing Dynasty royal buildings). However, most of these accounts were secretly recorded by the craftsmen from memory after the projects were completed, so their completeness and accuracy are questionable.

But then, Zhuang Zijing suddenly found a copy and wanted to give it to him.

Lin Sicheng was secretly surprised and carefully flipped through the pages.

First, look at the paper. It's a bit rough and thick, and the color is yellowish. It's the kind of bamboo paper commonly used for private printing during the late Qing and Republican periods.

Looking at the characters again, the horizontal strokes are thin, the vertical strokes are thick, the left-falling and right-falling strokes are straight and hard, and the turns are distinct... This is the hard-style Song typeface popular in the early Republic of China. Although the contrast is obvious, the font is too square, slightly stiff, and lacks dynamism.

Looking at the printing work: the ink is dark, with a grayish tinge, and the ink bleeding is obvious. You can even see the remaining marks of the carving knife.

To be honest, neither carving nor printing is very good.

Moreover, there is only one volume, about one-third of the book, which roughly consists of three parts: woodwork, paint, and bricks and tiles. From the perspective of cultural relics alone, its value is only average.

However, from the perspective of palace construction techniques and lost skills, this book is priceless to Lin Sicheng.

If he dedicates himself to studying for two years, the Palace Museum will have to hire him...

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Lin Sicheng looked up and asked, "President Zhuang, where did you find this?"

"In this county, the seller's surname is Lü, and his ancestors were glassmakers. It's said that during the Qing Dynasty, they were invited to the capital to repair the imperial palace... According to him, this book was passed down from his grandfather..."

"But there are too many descendants of the Lü family. In our county alone, there are thirteen companies that have opened kilns and fired glass. And that doesn't even include those in Taiyuan, Datong, and Yuncheng. In our province alone, there are more than thirty Lü family glass companies, big and small..."

The competition was too fierce, so this branch stopped burning a long time ago and now works in construction. Our two families are related, and when I mentioned I was looking for artifacts related to ancient crafts, he sent me this book…”

Lin Sicheng's eyelids twitched: "Give it away?"

Zhuang Zijing smiled and said, "That's right, it didn't cost any money!"

Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly, swallowing back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

If the surname is Lü, then it all makes sense: the Lü family of Longmen was a family of glass artisans in the north, which flourished during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. Both the "Jiangzhou Zhi" and the "Hejin Zhi" record that in the early Qing Dynasty, they were summoned to build the Shenyang Imperial Palace, and afterwards they would be summoned to Beijing from time to time to carve bricks and repair tiles for the Forbidden City.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he participated in the restoration of ancient buildings such as the Forbidden City, Shaolin Temple, Jinci Temple, and Yungang Grottoes on many occasions. His family's ancestral "Peacock Blue Glazed Glass" won the Silver Award at the China Arts and Crafts Expo.

This year, Shanxi Province submitted twelve traditional crafts for intangible cultural heritage status, with Yuncheng accounting for two. One is Jiangzhou Chengni inkstone, and the other is Hejin glass. Moreover, both were personally recommended and are under the protection of the Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center.

With such a long history, it's not surprising to find something like this in a family.

Let's calculate the timeline: Zhuangzi Jing's father's friend should be at least forty or fifty years old. Since it was passed down from his grandfather's generation, if he were still alive, he would be at least ninety or a hundred years old. This book is a Republican-era edition, which also matches up.

There's only one point: the printing quality isn't very good, and it's related to architectural technology. They already know glass craftsmanship, so learning other things wouldn't be very useful, mainly because they're difficult to learn, so they didn't take it seriously.

Besides, I had long since left this line of work, so there was no point in keeping it. I gave it to Zhuang Zijing.

By some twist of fate, now that I've run into this situation, there's no reason for me to let it go...

Seeing that he was just flipping through the book without saying a word, Zhuang Zijing leaned forward and asked, "Teacher Lin, I don't really understand it either. Is this book worthless?"

How could it be worthless?

On the contrary, the value should not be too high.

"Mr. Zhuang, I'm not lying to you: to anyone else, it's just an old book from the Republic of China era, not even worthy of being called a collectible. But if you give it to me, its value is really quite high!"

Lin Sicheng smiled. "So, Mr. Zhuang, name your price!"

"Teacher Lin, please don't be shy..." Zhuang Zijing said quickly, "I'll be troubling you a lot in the future!"

"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, don't stand on ceremony. Let's not talk about appraisal fees, whether it's this time or in the future."

Lin Sicheng didn't linger any longer and packed the book and box together. "If you need anything in the future, Mr. Zhuang, just give me a call anytime..."

Zhuang Zijing belatedly realized: Lin Sicheng wasn't just being polite after all.

It seems this book really helped him...

He nodded with a look of delight: He abandoned Xijing and racked his brains to get close to Lin Sicheng, just waiting for this sentence.

After staying a little longer and drinking half a cup of tea, Lin Sicheng took his leave, and the brother and sister saw them off at the villa.

Watching the two cars leave the residential area, Zhuang Zijing clapped his hands: Hard work pays off!

As he spoke, he took out his phone again and dialed a number: "Dad, we've made contact... Yes, he's quite satisfied..."

"Don't worry, I'm not in a rush. Let's talk about it after we've gotten more familiar with each other..."

Zhuang Yi stood to one side, the four lines of verse from the Guan Yu fortune slip echoing in her mind...

Why is it such a coincidence?

...

Lin Sicheng sat quietly in the passenger seat, holding the box in his hands.

Ye Anning was multitasking, glancing at the screen every now and then.

In the back seat, Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qizhi were secretly suspicious.

If you only listen to Zhuangzi Jing's explanation, this is a classic book on folk arts such as making glazed tiles, ceramic tiles, and brick carving. It's just an ordinary woodblock print from the Republican era, and the printing quality isn't very good either.

But they knew Lin Sicheng: if this thing were ordinary, Lin Sicheng wouldn't have valued it so much, or been so polite to him.

Putting everything else aside, according to market rates, Zhuang Zijing should have paid Lin Sicheng at least 30,000 to 50,000 yuan for the appraisal today.

Lin Sicheng, on the contrary, not only refused the money, but also wanted to give Zhuang Zijing money.

But to be honest, if you showed them this book, it would be hard to sell even a thousand copies, let alone thirty or fifty thousand…

Wang Qizhi pondered for a moment, then glanced at it again: "Lin Sicheng, what book is this?"

"Teacher, this is the architectural style of the Forbidden City!"

Sure enough?

Just by looking at the words "capital city" and "heavenly palace," you can tell that this book is related to the Forbidden City.

Zhao Xiuneng tried hard to recall, "I remember that the Qing Dynasty compiled an official architectural code, I think it was called something like 'Ze Lie'..."

"It is the 'Regulations for Engineering Works of the Ministry of Works,' which was revised based on the 'Notices on Factory and Warehouse Works of the Ministry of Works' from the Ming Dynasty. However, when it was printed, the part about the 'Forbidden City Regulations' was completely deleted..."

"At the time, we were just afraid that they would fall into the hands of the common people, so the Wenyuan Pavilion, Jingyang Palace, and Yuqing Palace in the palace all had collections. But during the Republic of China era, some were stolen, some were lost, and some were burned, so they were basically all lost..."

Lin Sicheng patted the box: "This is at most a quarter or a third of the box..."

The three of them were stunned for a moment.

In an era where even building a tomb would result in the slaughter of all the craftsmen, it was impossible for the construction data of the imperial city to be leaked to the common people, so deleting it was perfectly normal.

But they were all lost during the Republic of China era. What does this mean?

This means that most of the techniques described in this book have been lost...

Wang Qizhi leaned forward: "Does that mean all the techniques in this book have been lost?"

"Teacher, I'm still not quite sure!" Lin Sicheng shook his head. "If I have the chance, I'll have to ask the Palace Museum and the National Library of China!"

In fact, he knew better than anyone else that most of these documents had been lost. It wasn't until 2022 that the Palace Museum's renovation office unearthed the relevant documents from underground.

If you do the math, fourteen years is enough time for him to study it several times over.

Of course, let's not rush into anything. As the saying goes, "don't bite off more than you can chew." Let's first figure out how to restore porcelain.

Lin Sicheng spoke casually, and Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng only hesitated for a moment before not asking any further questions.

On the contrary, the two of them vaguely felt that something was wrong with today's meal.

"Junior brother, I have a feeling that Zhuang Zijing is deliberately trying to curry favor with you?"

“Indeed, I have a feeling he needs something important from you.” Wang Qizhi agreed wholeheartedly. “But those in the jewelry business, while somewhat related to antiques, have limited connections. What could he possibly need from you?”

Zhao Xiuneng pondered for a moment and suddenly had a brilliant idea: "Could it be that they were eyeing Yang Zhigao's batch of goods, and then the Public Security Bureau seized that batch of fake Hetian jade?"

"It's all Qinghai jade and Weihai material. Wouldn't bringing it back be like ruining our reputation?" Lin Sicheng said dismissively. "Instead of worrying about that, I'd rather go to the public auction..."

But after only half a sentence, Lin Sicheng exclaimed "Eh!"

Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng also realized: Lin Sicheng could not only appraise jade, but also jadeite...

The case is solved; they probably just wanted to invite him to Myanmar.

But to be honest, northern Myanmar has never been peaceful since World War II.

The book has been retrieved, and I can't go back on my word, but it's best to avoid that place if possible.

To put it bluntly: someone like him is undoubtedly a highly skilled individual. Meanwhile, the jade mines over there were mostly operated by warlords; one wrong move and you could find yourself "coming here in good health, but never to return"...

After some wild guessing, he mentioned the trip to Xiangning County the next day. Back at the hotel, Lin Sicheng called Zhao Boheng to his room.

"Tomorrow, first send the porcelain clay samples to Yuncheng. Take a break at noon, then send this book to Xijing and give it to Li Zhen. Remember, don't make a fuss..."

Zhao Dameng patted his chest: "Don't worry, Master, I won't tell anyone about my father!"

"Why would we need to be wary of your father?" Lin Sicheng couldn't help but chuckle. "But whether we can gain a foothold in the capital depends on whether we can thoroughly study the techniques in this book..."

Zhao Dameng nodded: "Master, I understand!"

...

The morning mist gradually thinned, and the rosy dawn filled the air.

As dawn broke through, dew glistened on the black rocks. A flock of grey doves landed on the power lines, cooing softly.

A song played over the loudspeaker, and the foreman stood in the square with a roll call list in hand. Workers gradually emerged from their dormitories, ready to start work.

Lin Sicheng stood atop the Guzhen mine, gazing into the distance.

The mountains are not high, rising and falling, stretching endlessly. The mining area is completely open-pit, like a giant funnel, spiraling downwards in concentric circles.

Most of it consists of accumulated silty soil layers, with scattered lean coal seams.

After taking a quick look, Lin Sicheng picked up a handful of porcelain clay and slowly kneaded it.

The porcelain clay is very fine and soft; it feels like flour when you hold it in your hand.

Occasionally, sand and cinder particles, as well as fine iron compound particles, are observed. However, it is not the usual black or brown, but rather a pale bluish-green.

After looking at it carefully for a moment, Lin Sicheng handed it forward: "Senior Brother Zhao, look!"

Zhao Xiuneng glanced at it and frowned: "Green vitriol?"

"right!"

To be precise, this is a mixture mainly composed of ferrous sulfate, combined with trace elements such as aluminum, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. If it is not sifted, the fired porcelain will have a light blue color.

That is, the second time, the fat boss sold him those porcelain shards, which showed the color of Song Dynasty celadon.

Wang Qizhi looked at them: "Where are those fine white porcelain shards?"

"It's still this kind of clay, but it needs to be filtered to remove the iron, and then whitened with slip..." Lin Sicheng explained succinctly, "So the porcelain that the fat boss sold us was fired using the clay from here..."

The mere mention of the fat boss made Zhao Xiuneng furious: "That bastard is full of bad ideas, he's just making a fool of me."

He offered 50,000 yuan, but only asked him one question: where did those porcelain shards come from? Guess what the fat man said?

It's been several years, and he can't remember clearly anymore. I think it was Yongji?

The porcelain clay is in Hejin, and the kiln site is in Yongji, a straight-line distance of 150 to 160 kilometers. Between them are mountains and rivers, separated by ancient times, a round trip would take at least ten days.

What the hell happened to the owner of that porcelain kiln? Was he kicked in the head by a donkey?

Lin Sicheng chuckled, "Senior brother, don't be angry. Didn't we find it? That's like saving 50,000 yuan..."

That's true.

Zhao Xiuneng breathed a sigh of relief: "So, are we still going to Xipo Town in Xiangning County?"

Lin Sicheng tossed aside the clay, took the wet wipe Fang Jin handed him, and casually wiped his hands: "Go!"

"But when new kilns were built in the 1970s and 1980s, most of the old kiln sites had already been demolished. Even if they still exist, they are buried underground and may be difficult to find in a short time."

Wang Qizhi sighed: "What did Zhuang Zijing say? Can we find someone we know to ask?"

"Yes, we can. We've found quite a few. They said they've already contacted several knowledgeable industry professionals in the area, and they all have samples. The prices aren't too high... so we definitely have to go to Xiangning."

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and said, "We also need to go to Xipo Town. At least we need to see what the difference is between the porcelain clay from these two places!"

Several people nodded.

After taking a quick look around and asking the mining area for some carefully selected porcelain clay, the group set off again.

The road, which is about ten kilometers long in a straight line and paved with gravel, took about an hour to drive.

It's also a mine, but compared to this one, it seems much more casual.

It's obvious that the planning wasn't detailed enough, and the safety measures were far from adequate.

Management is one aspect, but the main reason is that this is a layered rock mine, essentially rock within rock. It doesn't require digging that deep, unlike the porcelain clay mines in Guzhen, which are mostly just soil, where the risk of pit wall collapse is very high.

He didn't go down into the pit, but stood on the top and looked around. As usual, after looking at the mine pit, Lin Sicheng grabbed a handful of ore.

A typical weathered mineral, besides kaolin, also contains extremely high levels of quartz and mica, belonging to a ternary complex.

The particles are very large, and the overall color tends to be light red, indicating that the iron oxide content is extremely high, at least around 10%.

There are also scattered coal seams, but they have become coking coal.

At first glance, it feels like it's in a completely different geological zone from the previous Guzhen Village.

Zhao Xiuneng was a little confused: "The two towns are connected, and there are no big mountains or cliffs in between, so how come the geological differences are so big?"

"Because of the Yellow River!" Lin Sicheng threw down the ore and clapped his hands. "Actually, in ancient times, the surface of these two places was covered by aeolian loess. But the Yellow River flows through Guzhen, and over the years it has washed, deposited, and aged the soil."

The Xipo Town area could only slowly weather away, resulting in fundamental differences in the shallow geology of these two locations…

Zhao Xiuneng was greatly surprised: "These two places are only ten kilometers apart?"

“Yes!” Lin Sicheng smiled. “But the time frame that caused these two geological differences needs to be measured in tens of thousands of years.”

"Like here: because the iron content is too high and it has already weathered into iron-rich red soil, it is impossible to completely remove the iron with ancient iron removal techniques. Furthermore, the interbedded rock particles are too large, and ordinary aging methods are not very effective. Ancient crushing techniques also cannot achieve the fineness of porcelain clay."

Therefore, what's here is at best clay, and even if it's used to make porcelain, it will only be coarse porcelain. The best material is Zisha (purple clay) ware, which is a mix of porcelain and earthenware: it's easy to purify, requiring only weathering, tempering, and simple aging; the firing process and temperature requirements are also lower, and the yield is higher…”

"Guzhen is different: it was originally a layer of weathered loess, which was deposited by the Yellow River and then decomposed over thousands of years, becoming silty. The parts that couldn't be silty were either washed away or settled to the bottom, meaning that most of the impurities were filtered out. The porcelain clay is not only fine but also pure, making it more suitable for firing fine porcelain..."

"What about the fat man's porcelain shards?"

"Half and half: fine porcelain is made from Guzhen porcelain clay, while coarse porcelain and purple clay ware are made from Xiangning pottery clay..."

The group suddenly realized what was going on.

Previously, these two towns belonged to the same county, so Xipo Town produced both porcelain and pottery, as well as Zisha ware. However, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, they were divided into two counties, and Xiangning became the main producer of Zisha ware.

Porcelain is just a side thing: porcelain clay is cheap in Hejin, so I fire some; if it's too expensive, I won't lose anything by not firing it...

Then, the group secretly admired him: it was their first time here, and Lin Sicheng had already studied it quite thoroughly in just a few days.

Even when I explained it to them in detail, they only understood half of it.

That's the difference...