Chapter 243 More Than Enough

It only borrowed some of the techniques from Xing Kiln. So what did it borrow for the rest?

After all, it involves future research directions, and from an academic perspective, the two are in competition. Even if asked, Lin Sicheng might not tell you.

But what if?

Director Yao thought for a moment and asked, "Teacher Lin, could I ask you a few more questions?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Okay!"

Wow, that was so straightforward?

In an instant, everyone perked up and listened intently.

"Thank you, Teacher Lin!"

Yao Jianxin solemnly thanked him and picked up several reports in front of Shui Jisheng. "These two are also white porcelain glazes. Looking at the glaze refractive index, glaze slurry, and porcelain body composition, they don't seem to be very different from Xing kiln white porcelain. Could they also be related to the craftsmanship of Beiwu Qin Tang porcelain?"

"It's not just related, it's exactly what it is! The first piece is a white porcelain fragment collected from the people of Yongji, dating from the late Song to early Jin dynasty. The second piece is a porcelain shard collected from the ruins of the ancient city of Puzhou (Yongji), dating from the late Jin to early Yuan dynasty."

Therefore, both reports contain compositional data for Hejin white porcelain from different periods... If you compare them with Beiwu Craftsman Tang white porcelain, you can see the differences between the three..."

Lin Sicheng went straight to the point: "Director Yao, take a look at the data on the computer first, which is the data on the Beiwu Qin Tang porcelain: In the glaze composition data, is the calcium content extremely high? Then look at the characteristics of the object: thick body, coarse texture, easy to absorb water, and the glaze is translucent blue, and the foot is a jade-like bottom. In fact, all these points are caused by the same reason: high calcium glaze."

"The cause is not complicated: Hejin porcelain clay is high-calcium clay, and by adopting the firing process of Xing kiln, a considerable amount of limestone was added to the glaze, resulting in an extremely exaggerated calcium content in the glaze slurry: 18% and above."

Calcium is a flux, and the Hejin kiln is a high-temperature kiln. The combination of these two components results in an extremely fluid glaze slurry. The resulting white porcelain is highly distinctive: the glaze is clear, highly vitrified, and almost transparent, just like the bowl that Shui Zonggong had.

The downside is that it will inevitably lead to glaze run-through. If a thousand pieces are fired in the same kiln, less than one percent of the finished products may be intact when they come out of the kiln.

However, the Tang Dynasty was unaware of the calcium-related issues. To address the glaze runny problem, the porcelain body had to be thicker, coarser, and more absorbent. To facilitate glazing, the lip of the body was even thickened… just like the bowl in the story of the Waterworks.

"But the coarser the body, the higher the iron content will be, so the glaze will have a bluish tint. The excess glaze will flow to the bottom, which will result in an extremely thick glaze layer on the foot, hence the name 'jade disc bottom'."

The group nodded in agreement, silently adding in their minds: "For example, Chief Engineer Shui's bowl."

Lin Sicheng then wrote a second report: "But by the Song and Jin periods, the body of Hejin white porcelain was already very thin, the texture was relatively delicate, the glaze was whiter, and the jade-like bottom had disappeared."

The reason is not complicated: reduce calcium and add alkali. By reducing the amount of limestone in the glaze and adding potassium and albite, the glaze transitions from a calcium-based glaze to a calcium-alkali glaze.

The advantages are high viscosity at high temperatures, making the glaze layer less prone to dripping and allowing for thick application to create a milky, opaque texture. The disadvantages also include reduced transparency and glassy texture, and a glaze color that is white with a yellowish tinge, appearing as a moon-white…

"Let's look at the third sample, the data from the ancient city of Puzhou: the potassium and sodium content exceeds that of calcium, forming an alkaline-calcium glaze. This results in a better glaze application and a whiter color. However, the drawbacks are more obvious: it creates an opaque effect, the glassy appearance is extremely weak, and the light transmission is very poor..."

"This glaze is closer to the early 'dry white porcelain' of Dehua than to egg white jade... In my personal understanding, none of these three are actually related to egg white jade; at most, their techniques are similar to those of egg white jade..."

"Then, Teacher Lin, what exactly constitutes egg white jade?"

"Semi-transparent, like jelly or cream!" Lin Sicheng spun the mouse, finding a picture of the white-glazed bowl he had received from Yongji. "To put it bluntly: Song Dynasty porcelain!"

Yao Jianxin suddenly realized: So, the Beiwuqin site is of a very high level, but Lin Sicheng was only nominally involved. Because his ultimate goal was to find the Song Dynasty kilns.

The two engaged in a question-and-answer session, with the questions getting straight to the point and the answers being concise and to the point.

The others remained silent.

At first glance, it sounds so simple?

Just one calcium and one base, a comparison of the three reports makes it clear at a glance.

But one thing needs to be clarified: only a little over a week has passed since the discovery of the Beiwuqin site. How much effort must Lin Sicheng's research team have put in to study it so clearly?

To give another example: the calcium and alkali content in these three reports, whether they come from natural kaolin or were added later, and what the source of the addition is: limestone, wood ash, or porcelain stone (potassium, albite).

To find out the truth, we have to test each one individually and eliminate them one by one. Each one requires hundreds of experiments, and then we have to summarize and analyze them before we can reach a final conclusion.

The difficulty in determining the source is secondary; the key is the balance: different raw materials contain different trace elements, which in turn affect glazing and color. A single missing or added element, or even a difference of just one percentage point, can result in drastically different outcomes.

So no one expected that Lin Sicheng would complete the research so quickly?

To everyone's surprise, when Yao Jianxin asked him, he didn't hesitate at all, and didn't hide anything.

This means that the Institute of Ceramic Research and the Institute of Cultural Heritage can build upon this foundation instead of starting from scratch. Even at a lower cost, it's equivalent to at least three to four months of progress.

Yao Jianxin smiled broadly and kept saying thank you, while Shui Jisheng's eyes flickered, his heart filled with mixed emotions:

Before entering the laboratory, he only wanted to discuss Xing kiln with Lin Sicheng. He never expected that Lin would talk so much and explain it so thoroughly.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the group escorted Shui Jisheng away. As soon as the door closed, several pairs of eyes turned to them.

I just don't understand: since the two sides are competitors, why does Lin Sicheng need to say so much?

Seeing the expressions on these people's faces, Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng sighed inwardly: What are you looking at Lin Sicheng for?

Instead of wasting your time, you might as well take a look at Professor Huang Zhifeng.

He has always been in charge of the lab. If this data is really that important, why would Huang Zhifeng put it on the table and let outsiders see it so easily?

It's probably just the tip of the iceberg, maybe not even that. And there's a strong possibility that Huang Zhifeng deliberately put it here for outsiders to see…

It was obvious they had misunderstood. Lin Sicheng shook his head: "It's not intentional misleading. What I said is indeed an indispensable part of the research process. No matter which period of Hejin white porcelain we are studying, whether it is the Tang, Song, or even the later Jin and Yuan dynasties, it is unavoidable."

But as for how important it is, it's not that significant.

The core of the craftsmanship of egg white jade does not lie in the amount of calcium or alkali, or the required furnace temperature.

Rather, it is a reduction process of glaze crystallization under high temperature conditions.

At what temperature and with how much oxygen, or without oxygen, for how long, how much carbon monoxide and hydrogen are needed to produce? How many free elements are needed to produce, and which of these elements cause the chemical reduction?

Look at those three reports: there are dozens of trace elements such as nitrogen, silicon, chromium, and manganese, with varying contents. Heaven knows which ones are effective and what the standard dosage is.

It's like buying a lottery ticket; there are only about thirty numbers, yet tens of millions of combinations can be generated. Only by finding the most accurate combination can one understand why eggshell jade is semi-transparent and why it remains as good as new even after a thousand years.

To put it bluntly: those reports were just inevitable products of the research process, and they are basically useless if you want to ultimately restore the process.

That's why Huang Zhifeng is so casual.

Once Lin Sicheng explained, everyone understood. Thinking back to what had just happened, it was as if Lin Sicheng had done a favor in vain, yet he had moved a group of researchers from the Institute of Ceramics and the Institute of Cultural Heritage to tears.

With a sigh of relief, Wang Qizhi looked around to make sure no one else was there, then glanced at Huang Zhifeng and Lin Sicheng: "So, what stage are we at in our research?"

Just as Lin Sicheng was about to speak, Huang Zhifeng coughed and said, "It's only just begun, there's been basically no progress!"

impossible.

I don't know you, Professor Huang, but I do know Lin Sicheng?

If there hadn't been any progress, Lin Sicheng would have already plunged into the laboratory instead of desperately searching for Song Dynasty kilns.

Because the laboratory is progressing so rapidly, it may have already reached a critical stage, which is why experimental samples are urgently needed for testing and comparison...

Wang Qizhi stared at Lin Sicheng, who just smiled but didn't say anything.

The progress is indeed quite fast.

If we compare it to buying a lottery ticket: the difficulty of starting from scratch is no less than winning five million with just two coins.

But coincidentally, he had studied the evolution of eggshell jade at the Palace Museum: Dehua white porcelain, Chenghua eggshell cups, and the famous Chenghua doucai porcelain.

This means the probability has decreased from one in ten million to one in one hundred thousand, making the difficulty more than a hundred times lower.

After more than two months of experimental analysis and the excavation of Tang Dynasty porcelain kilns, the probability has decreased by about tenfold. At this stage, it's roughly equivalent to finding one in ten thousand out of five possible combinations.

If we can find Song Dynasty kilns, we can at least reduce the price to the third position.

With a one in a thousand chance, restoring the craftsmanship is only a matter of time. The prerequisite is finding the Song Dynasty kiln and excavating enough test samples.

Therefore, there was no need to hide anything he just said. Lin Sicheng didn't intend to move anyone; he was just telling the truth.

Furthermore, when it comes to regional issues and honor, even if someone is genuinely moved, they might just be a little more polite and respectful the next time they meet.

We'll still grab what we need to grab, and we'll still fight for what we need to fight for.

...

A little over a week was just enough time to transport the equipment. Technicians were setting up the machines, and several interns were organizing samples and reagents.

The seven or eight researchers looked at each other.

It was quite unexpected, and also quite touching.

Firstly, I didn't expect Lin Sicheng's team to have researched so quickly: calcium-based glaze—calcium-alkali glaze—alkali-calcium glaze... At first glance, it's only nine characters?

If we were to study this from scratch, even with a sufficient sample size and incredible luck, and with no deviation in the experimental data, it would take at least three to four months to arrive at this conclusion.

Even more surprisingly, Lin Sicheng was candid and open, without reservation: just like in the college entrance examination, Lin Sicheng scored full marks and wrote all the answers and solutions on the blackboard in the examination room.

But despite being moved, I still have to get things done.

After thinking for a while, Yao Jianxin began to make arrangements: "Engineer Zheng, let's start with the modeling, let's start now..."

"Old He, you guys prepare the materials and start the experiment. The conclusion should be accurate. Since Professor Lin dared to speak, he wouldn't mislead us, but just to be safe, let's do a reverse analysis first..."

"Xiao Dong, we need to collect cultural relics as soon as possible, especially white porcelain from the Song and Jin dynasties. If all else fails, we should go to Yongji and offer a high price..."

"Also, Professor Lin and Professor Tian should keep a close eye on things and report as soon as they discover any Song Dynasty kiln artifacts. Then, please ask Director Ren and Professor Lin to coordinate and try to obtain as many experimental samples as possible..."

Yao Jianxin explained everything one by one. Engineer He, who was in charge of the experiment, looked suspicious: "Director, we've analyzed the glaze type. This is a major breakthrough. Should we publish a few papers first to test the waters?"

Yao Jianxin paused for a moment, then glared at him.

Competition is competition, but you can't be too greedy: someone just shared their hard-earned research results with you for free, and you turn around and copy their work?

Even if you're not moral, you should at least have some self-respect, right?

Even if you don't care about saving face, can you at least say it in private, or when there are fewer people around?

If I didn't look at the teacher, I'd still have to sit here...

He was about to give a few words of reprimand when Shui Jisheng let out a "Heh!"

Yao Jianxin glared at Engineer He again, then quickly smiled apologetically: "Don't worry, teacher, we definitely won't try to get the top publication. Even if we do publish, we'll definitely communicate with Teacher Lin in advance."

Water gave another cold laugh.

A bunch of good-for-nothings who can't be plastered on a wall: they have little ability, but they're all eager to steal credit and reap the rewards.

More than half a month ago, when Lin Sicheng learned that his bowl had been dug up from Beiwuqin, he had already sent people to Beiwuqin to collect raw materials, including porcelain clay, porcelain stone, and limestone. This indicates that at that time, they had already begun to experiment with formulating the body and glaze.

This further demonstrates that Lin Sicheng had mastered the basic ratio of egg-white jade clay and glaze. All that remained was to refine and perfect the process.

In terms of difficulty: if we compare the analysis of glaze types, namely calcium glaze and alkaline glaze, to the Longmen Mountains in northern China, then the basic ratio of glaze slurry is like the Lüliang Mountains. The former is not even one-tenth as difficult as the latter.

These idiots haven't even figured out why Lin Sicheng is in such a hurry to excavate the Beiwuqin Tang Kiln, which is at least a national-level protected site, instead of going to find the Song Kiln.

Because mastering the ratio of glaze slurry to body material, the reconstruction of the kiln and the verification of the process are the key and core of the entire restoration process. To achieve this, a massive number of experimental samples are required.

Compared to this, this step is like climbing Mount Kunlun; the difficulty of analyzing the glaze type is as small as a grain of sand.

Still trying to grab the front page?

If you manage to snag a few articles in a mainstream journal, I'll be laughing in my sleep. To put it bluntly, it's better to be eating shit than soaking something hot...

Shui Jisheng sighed again: If you ask yourself honestly, Lin Sicheng has already done more than enough. He is fully worthy of the appointment letters and extra salaries given to him by the Cultural Relics Bureau.

The three lost crafts that Dingyuncheng gave him were more than enough, including the Beiwuqin Tang Kiln site, the Five Dynasties coke site, and the other three lost crafts.

We still need to find Song kilns, as well as Jin and Yuan kilns. What will we offer as payment?

In a flash, he paused, leaning on his cane: "Call Ren Xinbo, send a report to the bureau, and make a copy of the materials on Pingding pottery and black-and-white glazed carved pottery..."

Yao Jianxin paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Okay, teacher..."