Zheng Quchi guessed that he probably intended to make an ornamental piece.
As for what exactly it is, we'll have to look at the combination of other components before we can draw a conclusion.
But there's a saying: look at the essence of the design, and judge the performance of the equipment by its external features.
Anything built using architectural structures follows certain rules. For a large decorative piece like this, to create an impact in terms of design elements and visual appeal, it must be made possible by innovative and meticulously crafted components.
Putting aside everything else, this would inevitably take a lot of time and energy. If he were to do it alone, he would be too greedy and try to swallow an elephant whole. Even if he were to add a few more people, he could only produce something that was all show and no substance in just eight or nine days.
After all, superficial visual enhancements don't necessarily guarantee outstanding results.
Therefore, there's a high chance that this piece... won't be selected.
Zheng Quchi continued walking forward, where several craftsmen were discussing something intensely, and she vaguely heard their conversation.
"I am a craftsman by trade. Tell me, it is impossible to make a bow to shoot down the sun, but it is possible to bend a bow to shoot down a giant eagle?"
Archer?
According to the Record of Trades, carpenters can generally be divided into seven major trades: wheelwrights, carriage makers, bow makers, hut makers, craftsmen, cart makers, and carpenters.
Wheels are specifically designed to manufacture wheels.
Model makers of vehicles, carriages, and the like.
Bow, archer.
Lu: Luqi refers to the handles of weapons such as knives, swords, halberds, spears, and thatch.
Craftsman: A worker who builds houses or similar structures.
Zi: This type of person has a variety of jobs, mainly wooden musical instruments, but also some archery targets, drinking vessels and the like.
“You don’t understand. I’ve looked at the works of the Jichun Craftsmen’s Guild in previous years. They were beautiful and practical. Your bow design can reduce the force and increase the number of shots. Although it is practical, it is not good-looking and people will look down on it.”
"It is said that this year's judges are from seven prominent families in six countries, so the judging will definitely be more rigorous than in previous years. After all, there have been many outstanding works in the past few years, and ordinary wooden crafts do lack a sense of eye-catching appeal."
"But time is tight and the task is heavy, so we can forget about large machinery. Let's think about making something unexpected instead."
"How about making a multi-treasure inlay?"
The "inlay of a hundred treasures" he mentioned refers to the process of inlaying multiple processed precious materials onto the same object to highlight the composition theme and enhance the decorative effect.
I've seen this inlaid Zheng-style square in the exhibition hall before. It's a Song Dynasty artwork. It's an inlay technique that combines mother-of-pearl with gemstones, ivory, coral, and jade.
Zheng Quchi recalled the relevant information, but she thought that no one would agree to this proposal.
really.
"Even if we go bankrupt, we still can't gather all those treasures. And how do we embed those gems into the object? Can we outsmart those scoundrels from Kucha? Let's not end up with something that's neither fish nor fowl and makes us a laughingstock."
"I am skilled in carving large pear wood cabinets from the south. We can make one that is over ten feet tall, and then design it in a unique way. Instead of embedding treasures, we can carve a scene of lions playing and offering treasures, creating a magnificent and spectacular scene. Then, we can inlay the edges with goldware to create a rich and exquisite line..."
"But is there enough time?"
"I doubt it will work... but we can finish it if we rush it. The carving part is the most time-consuming and labor-intensive, so we can find more people to help..."
The furniture in Fuxian County has always been monotonous and common, bulky and heavy, practical but not very aesthetically pleasing, let alone introducing any carving techniques. This person's idea is good. Listening to his description, Zheng Quchi was already looking forward to their works.
I just overheard three conversations.
One is clearly good at structural frameworks, another at exterior carving, and the third at aesthetics and time management; they make a suitable small group.
Then, she continued walking forward.
She saw a craftsman trying to be innovative, producing a bunch of oddly shaped pieces of wood, but unfortunately his skills couldn't match his ideas, and he kept sighing and wasting batch after batch of wood.
Dude, if we really can't figure this out, let's join each other. Two heads are better than one.
After she had worried herself sick for him, she continued walking until she saw a craftsman named Zheng Quchi and was amazed.
It's almost halfway done.
When did you start preparing for this?
She just felt like she recognized it... Upon closer inspection, wasn't this the plus version of the soil-removing tool she had made before?
Don't think that just because you're wearing an "enhanced" coat, I won't recognize you.
All simple lifting operations are accomplished by a single-beam boom, a winch, a rope, and a pulley system.
Her earth-lifting device was the most primitive fixed pulley, but it was a double pulley with two pulleys of different diameters mounted on the same axle. The larger diameter pulley was the winch, which was used as the prime mover. A person would move the winch to drive the smaller diameter pulley to rotate and lift things up.
Among these, she designed the weight reduction design and the steering system.
In the chapter "Offensive Strategy" of Sun Tzu's Art of War, it is discussed that when attacking an enemy city, it is necessary to build a chariot with a watchtower. The chariot is a kind of mobile watchtower with a pulley on a pole. It can be seen that the pulley has been expanded to be used in military applications during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Following the course of history, someone should have designed it in this era as well. She had asked others and learned that there were actually fixed pulleys in this era, but they were only single pulleys with one windlass, which resulted in very low efficiency in the construction.
Therefore, her earth-moving tool was a kind of inspiration for innovation and improvement...
For example, this craftsman might have drawn inspiration from it.
The book "Tiangong Kaiwu: Zuoxian" describes a brine extraction machine for well salt in Sichuan Province. It consists of a windlass and two fixed pulleys, and is powered by an ox pulling the windlass.
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