Chapter 290: Draw a few chickens, and this becomes the chicken cup.

The entire room was silent; not a sound could be heard.

The venue was eerily quiet.

More than a hundred pairs of eyes stared intently at the stage, at that young face, without blinking. At the same time, a variety of thoughts raced through their minds:

In two months, they found an ancient porcelain kiln site dating back seven or eight hundred years, covering an area of ​​several hundred acres, and demonstrated its origins, technical characteristics, and historical value.

That's like a fantasy. Let alone two months, would two years be enough?

But if it were Lin Sicheng, that would be enough.

Count them up. From the beginning of March to the beginning of July, Lin Sicheng, along with Tian Jie and Gao Zhangyi, found several kiln sites in Yuncheng.

From largest to smallest, from the Neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty, there are a total of five.

At the same time, he also led Huang Zhifeng and Qin Tao to thoroughly study the origins, distribution range, and technological connections of Hejin white porcelain, carved porcelain, and ceramic pillows.

On average, how long did he spend on each site and each craft?

It's been less than a month.

Furthermore, unlike the Hejin Kiln, the Huozhou Kiln has no historical records, no surface remains, and has never been discovered before.

From the Yuan to the Ming dynasties, records of Huo ware and Peng kiln in Huozhou appeared in more than one historical document. Moreover, in the 1970s, a team of experts from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Palace Museum conducted a systematic survey.

With so many clues and materials, and enough fragments of artifacts, two months would be more than enough for Lin Sicheng.

As if by telepathy, Zheng Ming and Jiang Cheng looked at each other, and both read four words from each other's expressions: "So that's how it is."

No wonder Lin Sicheng remained calm and composed when he finally explored the Beijian site in Guzhen and found that the site was not large and very few artifacts remained.

No wonder Lin Sicheng was so calm when the two of them discarded him after they had served their purpose, broke their agreement, and kicked him out of the game.

It turns out that Lin Sicheng already knew at that time: even if the Hejin Kiln was gone, there was still the Huozhou Kiln.

He wanted to continue his research, as there were plenty of standard samples available, but the only areas lacking standard samples were Hejin and Yuncheng.

This was a perfect opportunity to break off the agreement and unleash our full potential. Whatever discoveries or achievements we made afterward would have nothing to do with Yuncheng or Hejin.

The two finally understood why Lin Sicheng was able to join the guidance group.

He discovered all five sites in Hejin, and he also re-examined the Huozhou Kiln site. No one knows these sites better than him.

From the perspective of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage: since there are shortcuts available, there's no need to force oneself to endure hardship. Wouldn't bringing Lin Sicheng into the guidance group have avoided many detours?

From Lin Sicheng's perspective, why did he insist on joining the expert group?

Putting yourself in their shoes, who could swallow this insult?

Looking at Lin Sicheng, Zheng Ming and Jiang Chengying were a little unsure how to evaluate him: his scheming, his shrewdness, his ability, his execution... how old are you?

But that's secondary; the key point is that Lin Sicheng discovered two sites at the same time.

Both belong to the same period: the Song and Jin dynasties. Both use the same techniques: they are both inherited from the Hutian Kiln Yingqing porcelain of the Song dynasty.

However, the area of ​​Huozhou Kiln is five or six times that of Hejin Kiln, and it covers the tribute porcelain system of the Jin, Yuan and Ming dynasties, while Hejin Kiln is only suspected.

From the perspective of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage: Which is more important, and which has a greater influence?

Even if they don't distinguish between them, a bowl of meat that was originally meant for one person is now being shared between two. The crucial point is that the person sharing the meat could very well be the same cook who painstakingly prepared the meat but was chased away by them?

The thought of discussing with Deputy Director Zheng how to break the contract and get rid of Lin Sicheng made Jiang Chengying regret it so much he wanted to vomit blood: he had tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead, and had shot himself in the foot.

But who the hell could have known earlier?

In comparison, Zheng Ming felt slightly better.

Although the process was somewhat tortuous, the result was the same: the meat rotted in the pot.

The addition of the Huozhou kiln significantly diminished the value and influence of the Hejin kiln. However, the external losses were compensated for internally:

Although it did not reach the level of imperial porcelain, Huozhou was considered an official kiln during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and its influence was no less than that of imperial kilns.

Furthermore, both the Hejin Kiln and the Huozhou Kiln are sites in Shanxi. Regardless of which one is more representative or has higher value, it does not affect the expansion of the province's reputation and influence.

To put it bluntly: as long as there is excavation and research, the provincial cultural relics bureau will be involved, and all the honors that are due will be received.

Otherwise, how could it grow wings and fly away?

As he was pondering this, Lin Sicheng stood up:

"To make it easier for the leaders to understand, and to ensure that all units clearly understand the plan and scheme of this archaeological work, I will now briefly explain some of the research progress and results achieved so far..."

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng took a USB drive out of his bag and handed it to a staff member. At the same time, the two secretaries distributed documents to everyone on the stage.

Immediately, a PowerPoint presentation appeared on the screen: The Spread and Evolution of the Yingqing Porcelain Craftsmanship of Hutian Kiln in Jingdezhen during the Northern Song Dynasty. It also discussed the representativeness and influence of thin-bodied porcelain in the imperial tribute porcelain system during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

Looking at the large and eye-catching title on the document, Zheng Ming frowned slightly: Hejin porcelain is Hejin porcelain, or you can label it Huozhou porcelain, why keep mentioning Jingdezhen and Hutian kiln?

Why make the title so big?

Lin Sicheng must have done it on purpose... No, you can completely remove "should".

He was angry at himself and Jiang Chengying for breaking their promise and discarding them after they had served their purpose, so he sought revenge in a roundabout way.

But it doesn't matter. No matter how much you emphasize Jingdezhen and Yingqing porcelain, the fact remains that the craft was lost after the Song Dynasty. If you want to continue researching and demonstrating the spread and evolution of the craft, you inevitably have to look beyond Hejin porcelain and Huozhou porcelain.

Thinking of this, Zheng Ming twitched the corners of his mouth, and his furrowed brows relaxed.

Just as he was wondering whether he should comfort Jiang Chengying, the meeting room suddenly erupted in a buzz.

It was like stirring up a hornet's nest; hundreds of sounds suddenly erupted and then converged together. Noisy, clamorous, and indistinct.

Everyone in the audience stared at the screen, their faces filled with shock, disbelief, and disbelief.

Zheng Ming was stunned for a moment, then turned around abruptly.

Yes, it's still the same title: Song Dynasty Hutian Kiln Yingqing Porcelain. But below it, there are many more subheadings:

Evolution of the official kiln system: Song Dynasty Jingdezhen Hutian Kiln Yingqing porcelain (egg white jade porcelain) - Yuan Dynasty egg white glaze (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) - Ming Dynasty Yongle sweet white glaze (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) - Chenghua eggshell ware (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) - Chenghua doucai (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) - blue and white underglaze red (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) - Qing Dynasty bodiless ware.

Folk Kiln System: I. Song Dynasty Hutian Kiln Yingqing Porcelain – Late Song to Jin Dynasty Hejin Kiln Fine White Porcelain. Coverage Period: Jin Dynasty. Distribution Area: Southern Shanxi.

II. Song Dynasty Hutian Kiln Yingqing Porcelain – Jin Dynasty Huozhou Kiln Thin-bodied Porcelain – Yuan Dynasty Thin-bodied Ware (Ministry of Porcelain) – Ming Dynasty Princely Palace Carved Porcelain. Covered Periods: Jin, Yuan, Ming. Distribution Area: Shanxi and Northwest China.

Third, Yongle sweet-white glaze porcelain from the Ming Dynasty—Dehua kiln white porcelain. Covering periods: Ming and Qing Dynasties. Distribution: Throughout China, Asia, Europe…

"Boom!"

Zheng Ming felt as if his brain had exploded, and all the blood rushed to his head.

Even a layman knows what sweet white glaze, doucai, and blue-and-white underglaze red are. Even a complete novice can understand what this means.

Besides, he's practically an expert.

The firing techniques for these tribute porcelains and imperial wares all originated from the celadon porcelain of Hutian Kiln. This is the same as the egg-white jade that Lin Sicheng tirelessly pursued and never forgot.

However, the Hejin kiln is completely absent from the entire official kiln system and its dissemination. Even within the folk kiln system, it was at the very bottom.

Huozhou porcelain is slightly better. It briefly entered the official kiln system during the Yuan Dynasty and was used exclusively for the royal palaces during the Ming Dynasty.

But compared to so many imperial kilns and so many famous porcelains, its influence is almost negligible.

Don't believe me?

Don't compare it to sweet white glaze or doucai porcelain; just compare it to Dehua white porcelain. Take one piece of each of the three types of porcelain and ask around in the collecting community.

Dehua White: This is amazing, representing the pinnacle of white-glazed porcelain from folk kilns during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Huozhou porcelain: Hmm, I seem to remember that.

Hejin Porcelain: What is this thing?

Just a minute ago, I was thinking: if I wanted to continue researching Yingqing porcelain, I couldn't avoid Hejin porcelain and Huozhou porcelain. But in the blink of an eye, I was slapped in the face?

If you still don't believe me, take another piece from each category and ask around in archaeological and academic circles: unless the experts have lost their minds, they would ignore the imperial porcelain and Dehua porcelain and instead study the little-known Hejin porcelain and Huozhou porcelain.

So, it really grew wings and flew away?

But who could have imagined that Yingqing porcelain would be so widely distributed, with so many famous porcelains inheriting its techniques, and that its technological evolution could reach such a high level?

In contrast, Chiang Cheng-ying was neither surprised nor suspicious, as if he wanted to be calmer and more composed.

But no one knew that he had given up hope and completely given up on the idea.

Without so many imperial porcelains and official kilns, and without Dehua white porcelain and Huozhou kiln, the discovery of Hejin kiln would have been enough to cause a sensation in the archaeological world and become famous throughout the country: during the Jin and Yuan dynasties, it was the only fine white porcelain production center in the north.

Just as Lin Sicheng said back then: Mayor Jiang, don't worry, it's definitely one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in China.

Even if the addition of the Huozhou Kiln reduces its influence by half... no, perhaps even more: to 40%. But it will certainly be listed among the top ten archaeological discoveries alongside the Huozhou Kiln. It will still make the names of Hejin and Yuncheng household names.

Now, it's almost certain that these two kilns will be listed as newly discovered sites, because their impact is more than ten times greater than before.

The problem is that the competitors vying for the benefits are more than a hundred times stronger, and each one is more famous than the last.

For example: If there are ten spotlights on the stage, do the audience pay more attention to the eight bright and dazzling ones, or to the two dim ones that are almost invisible?

Forget about following me, I can't even find me by searching...

Seeing that he was motionless and his face was blank, Zheng Ming lowered his voice and said, "It's okay, at least Hejin Kiln is still the best in the province!"

Number one in the province?

Ha, Director Zheng, where do you rank Huozhou Kiln?

Zheng Ming belatedly realized that his words were inappropriate, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "At least we have the Huozhou Kiln as a reference, so we have enough samples. If we put more effort into restoring the craftsmanship of Yingqing porcelain, our influence will be considerable."

Jiang Chengying perked up: That's right, restoration techniques?

Since so many famous porcelains and imperial wares originated from Yingqing porcelain, if the craftsmanship is restored, can we directly label Hejin porcelain as "egg white jade"?

If we move fast enough, it's not impossible for us to compete with Jingdezhen for the inheritance of these famous porcelains.

But after thinking about it for a moment, he sighed in despair: Compared to the Forbidden City and Jingdezhen, the research capabilities within the province are pitifully weak.

He might not even be as good as Lin Sicheng.

Knowing what he was thinking at a glance, Zheng Ming winked and said, "If it's so easy to study, why are the experts from the Palace Museum coming here?"

Jiang Chengying thought for a moment and suddenly realized: they had no samples, let alone the specific structure of the kiln.

That's why there's such an urgent desire to explore the Huozhou Kiln.

How did Lin Sicheng manage to research this so quickly and thoroughly?

Because this kid made a fortune quietly, and secretly brought back a lot of broken artifacts from Huozhou.

However, proving the inheritance relationship is one thing, and restoring the process is another: without knowing the kiln structure, it is impossible to simulate the specific firing process and firing technique after the clay body is put into the kiln.

This is the most crucial step in restoring porcelain craftsmanship, so having a sample alone is useless...

Although he thought this way, Jiang Chengying still felt something was wrong: Could it be that, like last time, he was willing to lose all sense of shame in order to terminate his contract with Lin Sicheng?

This is our superior authority, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. If we go too far, we'll be in deep trouble...

Zheng Ming understood perfectly, and sighed, "Let's try a different strategy this time!"

Superiors are human too. The saying "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" is nothing more than making excuses and playing the victim.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage, as a ministerial-level unit, and the Palace Museum, as a national-level research institution, are not lacking in achievements and honors. If they could simply put in a few more kind words and get some experts to offer some guidance to other provincial units, wouldn't the research progress pick up?

Lin Sicheng is very capable, but as I said before, local development should be the prerequisite.

Want to study it? Want to recreate the process? No problem. But you'll have to put a Shanxi prefix first...

The two discussed it in hushed tones, while the people below also buzzed with discussion.

Lin Sicheng wasn't in a hurry and waited quietly. After five or six minutes, the noise subsided a bit.

He tapped the microphone, and over a hundred heads jerked up, their eyes piercing straight at him.

"The above is a summary of the technological evolution and distribution of Yingqing porcelain, Hejin porcelain, and Huozhou porcelain. Due to time constraints, I will distribute the materials to the teachers later, so I won't go into details. Next, I will discuss the technological characteristics, differences, and restoration research of various types of porcelain..."

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng scrolled the mouse, and the image on the screen changed accordingly. It transformed into a porcelain bowl that was white with a bluish tinge and bluish with a white tinge.

"This is a replica of Jingdezhen celadon porcelain, characterized by its color-changing threshold: the glaze layer is lake green when it is around 0.15mm thick, and turns moon white when it is less than 0.08mm thick. Secondly, its light transmission mechanism: the quartz crystal phase is >78%, and the light transmittance reaches 65%..."

"The difficulty in the craft lies in the molecular-level ratio of the glaze: iron content >1% → glaze color turns grayish; <0.5% → loss of the blue hue... The fine white porcelain discovered in Hejin Kiln is the latter: iron content is less than 0.5%, the main glaze is white, the blue hue is faint and has a subtle grayish tint..."

"Wait!" Lin Sicheng was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

Yao Jianxin raised his hand, half-believing and half-doubting: "Teacher Lin, what you just said was: imitation firing, which means that the craftsmanship of Yingqing porcelain has been restored?"

"right!"

Yao Jianxin was stunned for a moment, his face turning pale: "Which organization restored it? Jingdezhen, the Palace Museum, or the Institute of Ceramic Research at the Academy of Arts and Sciences?"

"These institutions have heavy research workloads, and the professors are all quite busy, so it's not appropriate to trouble them," Lin Sicheng smiled. "It was restored by the Northwest University Cultural Relics Restoration Center!"

Before the words were even finished, the meeting room, which had been quiet for only a few seconds, suddenly buzzed again.

Jiang Chengying and Zheng Ming looked at each other, their faces turning ashen.

What did I just say? As long as the craftsmanship of Yingqing porcelain is restored, its influence will be considerable. But less than three minutes after I finished speaking, Lin Sicheng slapped them both across the face.

What kind of restoration is this?

Ren Xinbo, Dan Wu, and the heads of various units who had previously assisted Lin Sicheng in exploring the site all seemed frozen in place.

They knew then that Lin Sicheng's ultimate goal was to restore the Egg White Jade. They never doubted whether Lin Sicheng could do it.

Until the last Song Dynasty site in Beijian Geda was discovered.

There were too few ash pits, the waste residue layer was too shallow, and there weren't enough standard samples, so the so-called process restoration was out of the question. Therefore, although they didn't agree with the leadership's approach, they could understand: rather than wasting time and effort only to end up with nothing, it was better to cut their losses in time.

But I never imagined that Lin Sicheng could actually recover?

There are also some people who don't believe it at all, such as Yao Jianxin.

He looked like he had a toothache, his face contorted, his lips trembling: "Teacher Lin, may I ask you a question?"

"sure!"

"Okay, Professor Lin, the sites of Hejin Kiln and Huozhou Kiln haven't been excavated yet. How did you simulate the kiln structure, and how did you test the kiln atmosphere, glazing, and firing process?"

“It seems Director Yao didn’t hear clearly, so let me repeat it!” Lin Sicheng pointed to the screen, “This is neither Hejin porcelain nor Huozhou porcelain, but a replica of Yingqing porcelain made by restoring the original craftsmanship.”

"The Hejin and Huojin kilns have not been excavated, but several Hutian kilns have been excavated and studied for decades..."

"Bang~ Bang~"

Those two short sentences were like two hammer blows to the head, leaving Yao Jianxin seeing stars.

Ren Xinbo and Tan Wu, standing nearby, were as white as paper: "That's right, the bowl on the screen is Yingqing porcelain, not Hejin porcelain, and certainly not Huozhou porcelain."

To restore the techniques, Lin Sicheng could simply study the structure of the Hutian Kiln... no, he wouldn't need to study it; he could just borrow materials and copy the data. Therefore, whether or not the Hejin and Huozhou Kilns are excavated has absolutely nothing to do with whether he can restore the techniques.

He even went so far as to thoroughly study the craftsmanship characteristics of Hejin porcelain: because the precise ratio of the glaze material for Yingqing porcelain was not mastered, the color was too white and too gray.

Does that mean he also restored the craftsmanship?

Yao Jianxin couldn't resist raising his hand again: "Teacher Lin, could I ask you another question?"

You're quite polite, aren't you?

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Okay!"

"You just said that the Hutian Kiln was excavated decades ago, so why hasn't Jingdezhen restored it?"

"The reason is simple: they didn't have enough standard samples for their research. To put it simply: Song Dynasty porcelain was prized for its celadon glaze and thick body. Although Yingqing porcelain was also tribute porcelain, it did not become mainstream. Even at the Hutian Kiln, the majority of the porcelain produced was celadon, and very little Yingqing porcelain was produced."

"Therefore, almost no cultural relics have survived. Consequently, although many sites have been excavated, very few genuine celadon thin-bodied porcelains have actually been unearthed. Most of them are thick-bodied sky-blue glaze porcelains in a broader sense..."

Yao Jianxin's lips were pale and his throat was dry: "So, you used the kiln structure of Hutian Kiln and the fragments of Huozhou porcelain to reconstruct the craftsmanship of Yingqing porcelain?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Yes!"

What do you mean by "right"?

Yao Jianxin shuddered, his whole body trembling...

The meeting room erupted in chaos: Isn't this just using someone else's resources to achieve their own goals?

Zheng Ming and Jiang Chengying's faces were as black as the bottom of a pot: it turned out that they were once so close to successfully restoring the egg white jade.

How close?

All that's needed is to follow the contract, instead of discarding them after they've served their purpose. Naturally, Lin Sicheng will collect enough experimental samples from Huozhou. Then, he can study and reconstruct them…

Only at this moment did some people feel true regret... no, fear!

They could already imagine what would happen to them after today's meeting and when they reported to their superiors.

But time was limited, and Lin Sicheng couldn't wait for them to digest the information slowly.

He tapped the microphone again: "Distinguished leaders and teachers, let me give a brief introduction first. If you have any questions, we can discuss them later!"

No one responded, but the sound was definitely much quieter.

Lin Sicheng scrolled the mouse, and a smooth, white teacup appeared on the screen:

"This is a reproduction of Yongle sweet white glaze, made using a restored technique. It is hailed as the pinnacle of Chinese white porcelain, pushing the pure aesthetics of Chinese porcelain to its extreme, precisely because:"

The color development mechanism of full-spectrum scattering, the jade-like tactile feel formed by molecular-level interface fusion, and the cloud-like visual effect formed by residual anorthite rudimentary crystals with a size of <0.1μm in the glaze layer…”

"The difficulty lies in the critical point between vitrification and glazing: success and failure are separated by only one degree. Above 1326℃, collapse (glaze layer cracks). Below 1324℃, underfiring (not reaching the sintering temperature, the glaze surface is dull). Therefore, the firing rate is extremely low; in the Ming Dynasty, the yield was only three percent..."

Seeing that Yao Jianxin seemed to have come back to life a bit and was about to raise his hand again, Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Director Yao, perhaps what I said was a bit complicated, so let me put it simply:

Sweet white glaze is a product of the pursuit of extreme thinness based on the egg-white glaze technique of the Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, if you can reproduce celadon, you can reproduce egg-white glaze, and you can also reproduce sweet white glaze.

Therefore, it is not necessary to understand specific kiln structures, nor is it necessary to have sufficient standard samples to analyze the body and glaze formulas. It is only necessary to adjust parameters based on the existing Yingqing porcelain, and continuously try and fail.

Yao Jianxin hesitated, unsure of what else to ask.

Ask Lin Sicheng: the Palace Museum and Jingdezhen have been researching for so long without making any progress, while you only took two months.

But the words stuck in his throat.

Because apart from Lin Sicheng, no one knew that there was a successor relationship between Yingqing porcelain, egg white glaze, and sweet white glaze.

Moreover, photos of the samples were on the screen, and experts from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Palace Museum were sitting on the stage. Even if you gave him ten times the courage, Lin Sicheng wouldn't dare to speak so carelessly.

With a long sigh from Yao Jianxin, the meeting room grew quieter and quieter.

The screen flashed, and then it switched to another one.

Thinner and more transparent, as thin as an eggshell and as transparent as glass.

"The Chenghua eggshell cup, also known as the chicken cup or the Sanqiu cup, has an underglaze body. Its unique craftsmanship lies in its light-transmitting microstructure: the quartz crystals in the glaze layer are oriented."

"The difficulty lies in thinness, lightness, and centering. These three process precisions directly affect the stress strength of the blank after it is put into the furnace at a high temperature of nearly 1,400 degrees Celsius."

To put it bluntly, of the thousand unglazed cups thrown into the kiln, less than one was successfully fired; the remaining nine hundred and ninety-nine were just rubble…

This time there was no buzzing, no booming; it was as if the pause button had been pressed.

This is a fucking eggshell cup.

Add a few chickens and some grass, and that's the chicken cup...