Chapter 231 The kiln site is right below here.

Xiahua Township, Hejin City.

The mountain climate is quite cool. It was already the Qingming Festival, and the sunny slopes were just beginning to turn green. The archaeologists were all wearing cotton-padded coats.

The convoy was parked on the side of the road. Inside the RVs, which were used as office vehicles, a group of people were gathered together, studying surveying maps.

"Within the territory of Xiaohua Township, silty porcelain clay deposits are widely distributed, and the terrain is polarized: the eastern part is the Longmenshan Mountains, a branch of the Lüliang Mountains, which are mountainous and hilly, while the western part is the Yellow River floodplain, which is extremely flat. If there are porcelain kilns, they are more likely to be located in the west..."

"Yes, firstly, the terrain is flat, making transportation convenient. Secondly, it's adjacent to the Longmen Ferry, making transportation convenient. Most importantly, it's near the Yellow River, making water access convenient..."

"There's another point: the eastern mountainous area is full of mines. Look at Tian Suo and Gao Dui, in such a small place, there are eleven coal mines alone. In addition, there are three pyrite mines, two limonite mines, and also porcelain clay, refractory clay, limestone... With so many mines, and so concentrated, if there are kiln sites, it's impossible that no deposits were unearthed during mining..."

Liu Ming spoke eloquently, and Deputy Director Xu of the County Cultural Relics Bureau kept echoing his opinions. The two were in complete agreement: go west.

Tian Jie remained silent, as did Gao Zhangyi. The two looked at Lin Sicheng, indicating that it was up to him to decide.

The locals who came to help were somewhat confused: Shouldn't professional matters be left to professionals?

No matter how you look at it, those who study porcelain restoration have absolutely nothing to do with field archaeology...

"Let's head east first!" Lin Sicheng pointed to the map. "Let's go to Laoyaotou Village first!"

Liu Ming glanced at it: that was the northernmost part of Hejin County, separated from Xiangning County by only a mountain ridge. Once over the ridge, you would reach Xipo Village in Xipo Town.

The name does indeed contain the word "kiln," but only because pottery jars were fired there.

Most importantly, the village is surrounded by mountains and has many mines: two coal mines and one iron mine, which encircle the village.

Putting aside the question of whether it would be easy to transport porcelain out of the country given the transportation conditions in ancient times, just considering the high iron and coal content in porcelain clay, how much effort would it take to remove the impurities and fire white porcelain?

Just as Liu Ming was about to say something, the words were on the tip of his tongue when Deputy Director Xu gave him a wink.

That's right, just fulfill your obligation to remind them. Less talk, more observation...

The others naturally had no objections, especially Tian Jie and Gao Zhangyi. Regardless of whether it was east or west, even if Lin Sicheng suggested exploring the Yellow River, they would have to find a way to get some underwater archaeology equipment.

With a few shouts, a group of people boarded the vehicles, and the convoy drove into the country road in a grand procession.

Inside the RV, Lin Sicheng patiently explained:

"Just like Director Liu and Director Xu said: Laoyaotou is located in a mountainous area with inconvenient transportation. The key issue is that the porcelain clay has a high impurity content, making it too difficult to fire white porcelain. As for fine white porcelain, forget about it... Therefore, the kiln site for Egg White Jade could not be here!"

"Then why not follow their advice and search along the banks of the Yellow River? The reason is simple: the composition of the porcelain clay does not match. Senior Brother Qin tested it before, and Professor Huang has also tested it in the past few days. The results are consistent: whether it is fine porcelain, coarse porcelain, white porcelain, black porcelain, Song porcelain, or Ming porcelain, all the collected samples are calcium-based glazes."

The Yellow River basin is constantly eroded by its alkaline waters, so the glaze produced would inevitably be calcium-alkaline... Therefore, the kiln site could be anywhere, but it's impossible for it to be along the Yellow River..."

"Let's talk about Laoyaotou again. This is the only place in the entire Hejin City with a clear location and the only documented record of firing ceramic utensils. So here's the question: given how inconvenient the transportation was, why did the commune still set up the kiln here after the founding of the People's Republic of China?"

Based on my speculation, porcelain was fired here before the founding of the People's Republic of China. It might even have been fired earlier, during the Qing Dynasty or even the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, there's a high probability that an ancient kiln site exists at Laoyaotou. If we can find the kiln site here, we can use it to trace its origins and conduct preliminary surveys of the surrounding area…”

“But the records show that this place was only used for firing pottery jars after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which is why it’s called Laoyaotou!” Shang Yan said, holding the documents. “Besides that, there are no other records of firing porcelain or pottery!”

"Just because it's not recorded in historical materials doesn't mean it didn't exist. Professor Shang, I'm at least certain that the old kiln not only fired vats, but also black porcelain!"

Lin Sicheng replied, opened the specimen box, and several people craned their necks to take a look: it was full of broken pieces, either black porcelain or brown porcelain, indicating that the porcelain clay had an extremely high iron content.

The porcelain body is very coarse and dark in color, with clearly visible iron sulfide particles and coal slag. Crucially, there are even fragments of a porcelain jar?

"These were all collected from Hejin. The porcelain jars were produced in the 1960s and 70s, while the black porcelain was produced in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. However, the clay composition is consistent, so it can be basically determined that they came from the same production area."

"Afterwards, the research team consulted county annals and industrial archives. They found that many pottery kilns had been built in Hejin County after the founding of the People's Republic of China, but only the clay from the old kiln matched the specimen. Based on this, it can be concluded that black porcelain was fired here at least in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China period..."

Tian Jie looked at the map again: "You just said to explore the surrounding areas, what do you mean by 'surrounding areas'?"

"South of Longmen Mountain, in the Guzhen area!"

Lin Sicheng pointed to the old kiln site, then to the area circled in red in the middle:

"Laoyaotou is all mountains, but further south, in the Guzhen area, it is a plain. There are mines, but they are not so dense. There is only one thing: the ancient Guzhen area was very large, including Shanggu, Xiagu, Donggu, Xigu... which is the northern half of the present-day Fancun Town and Senglou Town.

Spanning over twenty kilometers east to west and approximately fifteen kilometers north to south, surveying such a vast area is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Therefore, we must first find an anchor point, and then, based on the clues, narrow down the exploration area…

"What clue?"

“Water!” Lin Sicheng pointed to the yellow line in the middle. “This is National Highway G209. There’s a river on one side of the highway called Zhema Valley. It originates in the central part of Xiangning County, meanders south, and flows through Xipo, Laoyaotou, Shanggu, and Zhonggu. After entering Fancun Town, it flows west and joins the Yellow River…”

"The reason why the porcelain kilns, pottery kilns, and purple clay kilns in Xipo Town were so concentrated in ancient times was firstly because of the extremely rich porcelain and pottery clay resources in the Xipo and Guzhen area, and secondly because of this river..."

Everyone suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly: According to Lin Sicheng's speculation, the so-called anchor point is the old kiln, and then the survey is carried out southward along the Zhemayu River.

This allows us to further narrow down the area of ​​the kiln site. It is roughly the area north of Fancun Town and Senglou Town marked on the map.

Of course, this is on the premise that Laoyaotou actually has a porcelain kiln.

Wang Qizhi half-jokingly said, "It's best to have it, otherwise the locals will laugh their heads off!"

Suddenly, laughter erupted in the car.

According to Director Liu and others, it's ridiculous to ignore the advice of the field institute and the archaeological team during archaeological surveys and instead listen to the nonsensical commands of someone who specializes in porcelain restoration.

That's because they didn't know that this young man who repairs porcelain knew quite a lot.

Lin Sicheng didn't care: Let them laugh. It's hard to say about Song and Jin kilns, but there are definitely Qing kilns. Even if they're not in Laoyaotou Village, they're definitely nearby, probably not outside this area.

Besides clay, firing porcelain also requires water. Just look at the Zhema Valley River and the ancient riverbed ruins, and you'll find them sooner or later...

After driving for about an hour, the convoy arrived at Laoyaotou Village.

There are many mountains, stretching as far as the eye can see, with no end in sight.

The plateau is like a stone staircase, ascending step by step. At the top of the mountain, a few houses are scattered sparsely.

"Laoyaotou originally belonged to Xipo Town in Xiangning County. At that time, there were many mountains and forests, so there were quite a few people, about five or six hundred households. After it was merged into Hejin in the 1970s, coal mines were opened in the village one after another, and the land and the population decreased year by year."

Last year's statistics showed that only about 20 households remained in the entire village, mostly elderly people, with a permanent population of less than 50 people..."

Deputy Director Xu gave a detailed introduction, while Lin Sicheng looked around.

There are indeed many mountains; as far as the eye can see, there are nothing but mountains.

There are plenty of mines, and the traffic is heavy, with dust billowing everywhere. On such a bright sunny day, it feels like my eyes are covered with frosted glass.

Below the mountain, on the bank of the ancient river, remain the ruins of two earthenware kilns.

After a quick look around, the convoy descended the mountain and drove to the kiln site.

Both are earthen and wooden structures. One is relatively intact, with the kiln shed and roof still intact. The other has collapsed on the outside, and its outline can barely be seen.

Gao Zhangyi gave a shout and led his team members over with the equipment.

"Tasuo, Captain Gao, pay attention to safety!"

"rest assured!"

After giving these instructions, Lin Sicheng began to walk along the ancient riverbed.

This transfer lasted for more than ten days.

Tian Jie and Gao Zhangyi also spent more than ten days exploring the area.

...

A couple of days ago, we put up some basic protection for the two earthen kilns and then started exploring. After half a month, all we found were a few broken porcelain jars and some rotten earthenware pots.

There was nothing else besides that.

The area is only so big, there's no need to explore deeper. There are only two possibilities: either it's not here, or there's no such thing as a porcelain kiln.

Liu Ming and Xu Chengyan stood on the top of the slope, watching the archaeological team wandering around outside the kiln.

"Director Liu, what are they doing?"

"They said they were looking for shards of black porcelain!"

"They can't find it inside the kiln, but they can find it outside?" Xu Chengyan looked puzzled. "Besides, aren't they looking for a fine white porcelain kiln?"

Liu Ming was also a bit confused. He felt that these people were acting haphazardly and without direction.

"The porcelain clay here has many impurities and is dark in color, so it's possible that it could be used to make black porcelain, but I don't recall any historical records mentioning it."

Xu Chengyan nodded: "Indeed not!"

If there's no record of it, it means it was never fired, regardless of whether it's white or black porcelain.

Aren't these people just wasting their time and energy?

The two men raised their binoculars again and looked into the distance.

Nearly two kilometers away, on the platform on the east bank of the ancient riverbed, Lin Sicheng circled around several pits.

There used to be several ponds, but we don't know how they were formed. They have been dry for many years, and the bottom of the pits is overgrown with weeds.

He went back and forth several times, then used the hoe to stab downwards for a while before pulling it out to examine the soil.

After pondering for a while, Lin Sicheng went ashore again and looked around.

What is he looking for now?

"have no idea!"

Just as he was wondering, Xu Chengyan's walkie-talkie crackled to life: "Director Xu, Director Xu, may I ask, was there a coal mine here during the Republic of China era?"

It wasn't just the Republic of China era.

Coal mining began in the Laoyaotou area at the end of the Ming Dynasty and has continued to this day.

"Yes, Teacher Lin!"

"Is it possible to find relevant information?"

How do I check this?

Xu Chengyan frowned, about to speak, when Liu Ming waved his hand and took the walkie-talkie:

"Teacher Lin, the earlier information might be hard to find, but after 1930, it should have been Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army... To be more precise: it was jointly commanded by Fu Zuoyi and Dong Qiwu..."

Wait, isn't Fu Zuoyi from Yuncheng?

Dong Qiwu is even closer; he's from Guzhen in Hejin County, and his hometown is only a dozen kilometers away...

Lin Sicheng perked up: "Director Liu, I have another question: During the Republic of China period, were there any mining accidents, such as collapses, at Laoyaotou?"

No... If you're looking for a kiln, then look for a kiln. Why are you asking about mine disasters?

"I really don't know..."

After replying with only half a sentence, Liu Ming paused for a moment: Did Lin Sicheng suspect that the porcelain kiln was buried under those big pits?

Sure enough!

Lin Sicheng's voice came through the walkie-talkie again: "Tian Suo, Captain Gao, come here, I've discovered something..."

The archaeological team stopped on the spot, several groups of people got into pickup trucks, and then drove off with the earthen fins flying high.

Wang Qizhi and Shang Yan also got out of the RV and drove their Grand Cherokee to catch up.

As soon as the person arrived, Lin Sicheng handed it out: "This is what I just released, take a look!"

The drill pipe is hollow; when you drill down and pull it up, the pipe will be filled with soil. By observing the soil layers, you can deduce whether there has been human activity in the area.

A group of people formed a circle, glanced at each other, and then all froze in surprise:

The digging went down to about a meter deep, and the top layer was mostly fine silty soil with few gravels and small particles.

They are all experts, and they can tell at a glance that this is a natural deposit of soil formed by natural factors such as flash floods and wind erosion. There is a professional term for it: intermittent layer.

It's not thick, about thirty centimeters.

Then, as you move downwards, the soil color becomes noticeably darker and the soil texture becomes harder.

This layer is called the subsoil layer: it is roughly the soil layer where humans frequently engage in activities, that is, the layer below the topsoil layer.

Going down to the third floor, there were burnt coal ash and wood ash.

The group of people looked at each other in disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.

What is this, topsoil?

It's no wonder they found it strange: in a normal soil structure, the top layer is naturally the topsoil layer, where human activity is most frequent. There will inevitably be traces left by humans there: such as coal ash, wood ash, or even bricks, stones, and wood in the steamer.

Below that is the subsoil layer, which is occasionally deep-plowned or less affected by human activity. This layer is relatively hard and has poor permeability, so it helps to retain water and fertilizer.

Finally, there should be an intermittent layer that is basically undisturbed by human intervention, which is the topmost layer of fine soil formed by natural accumulation over many years.

But Lin Sicheng's results were exactly the opposite: the topsoil layer was at the bottom, and the intermittent layer was at the top.

Surely there are people living underground?

That's utter bullshit...

Recalling the questions Lin Sicheng had asked Liu Ming and Xu Chengyan over the walkie-talkie, the group suddenly realized: a major mining accident or natural disaster had occurred here.

For example, earthquakes, collapses, and landslides. This is what causes this inverted and disordered soil structure.

Looking at the surrounding pits, they are most likely mine collapses caused by excessive coal mining.

Whether there are any porcelain kiln sites is unknown, but it is certain that people lived and worked here for a long period of time.

But Lin Sicheng was very confident that the kiln site was right below it: it was just coal mining, why would he need so much wood ash?

Unless it's porcelain...