Chapter 219 The Third Generation of the Ming Dynasty's Black Army
Spring sunshine pierced through the thin mist, and the melting frost under the eaves dripped onto the bluestone slabs.
The Grand Cherokee gleamed, the Mercedes gleaming like a jewel. A group of people stood in front of the car, saying goodbye one by one.
"Professor Lin, thank you for your hard work these past few days!"
"Professor Shang, if anything happens, please call me anytime!"
"Director Han, please!"
This trip to Shanxi will be quite long, ranging from two to three to five months. There will be many places to visit, and relying solely on phone communication can easily lead to mistakes, as seen in the case of Tongchuan.
Having learned from past mistakes, Wang Qizhi didn't dare to be overconfident and decided to personally accompany Lin Sicheng. The affairs of the center could only be entrusted to these three people.
He gave detailed instructions on everything, big or small.
Lin Sicheng wasn't too worried.
The distance is several hundred kilometers, but it only takes two or three hours by plane. Even the farthest part, northern Shanxi, can be reached by car overnight.
Furthermore, the center is currently focused on research and development and training, which Professor Shang can handle.
Of course, some things need to be explained, such as what General Manager Zhao said.
"Mr. Zhao, commercial restoration is not out of the question, but it can't be done right now... It's not that we don't trust you, but the top priority at this stage is only one thing: applying for World Heritage status!"
"The Shanghai Museum failed to pass the approval process two years ago, and it failed again this time. As the saying goes, things don't happen more than three times. If they hear that other institutions are competing with them for the quota, they will definitely go all out to compete with us."
"But don't worry, once the application is approved, I'll cover whatever you bring in. Like you said, opening a branch in Beijing isn't out of the question..."
Zhao Xiuxian nodded repeatedly.
Lin Sicheng and Zhao Xiuneng had both told him these principles. He had even thought of them before the coral was given away.
He could understand the stakes involved; he knew that keeping quiet was the key to making a fortune, and he could calculate who would gain more and who would lose less.
The reason I keep mentioning it is because I'm afraid someone else will beat me to it.
"Don't worry, Teacher Lin, I understand!" Zhao Xiuxian patted his chest. "I won't tell anyone!"
"Okay!" Lin Sicheng smiled. "Give my regards to the old lady!"
Zhao Xiuxian nodded solemnly.
After waiting quite a while, Wang Qizhi finally finished giving his instructions. He waved his hand, and the nine men got into the two cars.
Zhao Da and Zhao Er were the drivers, while Zhao Xiuneng, his two assistants, and the data clerk, Xiao Liu, rode in a Mercedes-Benz. Lin Sicheng, Wang Qizhi, and Ye Anning rode in a Grand Cherokee.
Ye Anning's involvement was incidental: Poly Auction's June spring auction required submissions to begin three months in advance. When the company was assigning staff to its branches, she volunteered to go to Shanxi.
According to her, it's a complete waste for Lin Sicheng to have so many skills and not use them. She suggested he take a look for her when he has time, so she wouldn't end up buying a bunch of fakes.
But Lin Sicheng estimated that he wouldn't make it in time: most of the destinations for this inspection were in cities and counties, and he wouldn't be able to stay in Taiyuan and Datong for more than a few days.
"It's not like only Taiyuan and Datong have antiques," Ye Anning said dismissively. "Wherever you go, I'll go!"
"That's true!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "The city level definitely has them, but I don't know if the county level has them?"
Why go down to the county level?
"Most of the kilns we visited this time are located at the county level. For example, Chengni inkstones are in Xinjiang, and black-glazed carved kilns are in Pingding. Where else would we go if we didn't go to the county level?"
Ye Anning didn't care at all: "Then I'll go to the county too."
"Just joining in the fun, huh?" Lin Sicheng scoffed. "What will you do if you don't get anything out of it?"
"Looking for my uncles?" Ye Anning asked matter-of-factly. "Three uncles, two or three items from each of them, isn't that enough for me to get by?"
Wang Qizhi shook his head without hesitation: "Don't look for me, I didn't."
"No need to bother you!" Ye Anning waved her hand dismissively. "My aunt said that if no one helps me, she'll take care of it!"
Wang Qizhi was stunned: After all that talk, you're still going to join the fun?
But this time was different from the last: Lin Sicheng said he was going to the county, but once he went there, he would definitely have to go down into the kiln.
We were supposed to go down last time, but Tongchuan didn't allow it.
To be honest, even his uncle couldn't endure this hardship, let alone Ye Anning.
The thought of enduring temperatures of 60 or 70 degrees Celsius for several days made Wang Qizhi shudder for Lin Sicheng: "If you can't handle it, just look around from the outside. It's best not to go down into the kiln."
Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Without going into the kiln, you won't know the principle of kiln transformation and color development, and it's also difficult to control the temperature and atmosphere!"
Wang Qizhi thought for a moment and said, "I'll try to get some data when I get there!"
Lin Sicheng didn't say anything; he guessed it would be difficult.
The projects in this case are fundamentally different from Yaozhou porcelain: although they are all restorations of ancient lost techniques, Yaozhou porcelain has been successfully inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, while Chengni inkstones and Pingding black glaze are still in the approval and application stages.
Secondly, Yaozhou porcelain has never left Tongchuan, or more precisely, it has never left Chenlu Town in Yaozhou District, so no one is competing with them.
However, Chengni inkstones are different. From the Tang to the Ming Dynasty, from Jiangzhou downwards: Zhengping, Yicheng, Quwo, Wenxi, Yuanqu, Taiping, Jiang and other counties, roughly the area around the Linfen Basin, all had a history of being fired.
Now that it has developed to the point where it has spread to three prefecture-level cities, since it is "Jiangzhou Inkstone", why can you apply for World Heritage status while I can't?
Therefore, before the third review is completed and before the public announcement stage, who would dare to hand over the core data to outsiders?
Having learned from the experience in Tongchuan, Lin Sicheng felt it was best not to force anyone to do something difficult, even though he had a basic understanding of the firing process and most of the techniques.
Besides, his goal was simply to improve the restoration technique, not to imitate it. He could figure it out after taking a few glances at the kiln. There was no need to force him to be the bad guy.
After pondering for a moment, the car entered the Lianhuo Expressway, passing through Weinan and Huayin, and then entered the Yunfeng Expressway after exiting Tongguan.
However, this section is under renovation, with a maximum speed limit of 60 km/h, and many construction sections only allowing speeds of 30 km/h. By the time we arrived in Yuncheng, it was already past 2 PM.
After a quick bite and putting his luggage in the hotel, Wang Qizhi, along with his assistant and data clerk Xiao Liu, went to the municipal government for a meeting.
Not long after the three left, Ye Anning knocked on the door. Fang Jin opened it, and she stood in the doorway and peeked out: Lin Sicheng was leaning against the sofa watching TV.
"I thought you were already busy?"
"It's not like we'll be missing half a day," Lin Sicheng glanced at her. "Want to go out?"
Ye Anning nodded: "Shall we go to the Guansheng Temple?"
Huh?
Jiezhou, the hometown of Guan Yu, is Yuncheng. The Guan Yu Temple in Yuncheng is the earliest built, largest, most standardized, and best-preserved Guan Yu Temple complex in the country, and is known as the "Ancestor of Martial Temples".
Early morning and late afternoon are secondary; the key is the lively atmosphere...
"Today is the 30th of the first lunar month, and the day after tomorrow is the day the dragon raises its head, to welcome the Four Sages (Yao, Shun, Yu, and Guan)!" Lin Sicheng counted on his fingers. "Sister Anning, you want to go out and have fun, right?"
"No... I checked before I came. The largest antique market in southern Shanxi is at the Guansheng Temple in Jiexiu. The antique market will be closed for three days starting the day after tomorrow, which is why I was in a hurry!"
Ye Anning argued confidently, "I also called General Manager Zhao, you'll see if you don't believe me!"
Zhao Xiuneng peeked out at the opportune moment and even smiled at him.
But Lin Sicheng could tell at a glance that Zhao Xiuneng had been coaxed out by Ye Anning: "President Zhao, Lin Sicheng said he's going to Guansheng Temple, are you going or not?"
Can Zhao Xiuneng really say he won't go?
In fact, Lin Sicheng also really wanted to go: since the Song Dynasty, Yuncheng has been welcoming the Four Saints on the second day of the second lunar month for more than a thousand years. Since he had come across it, he definitely wanted to take a look.
"But the day after tomorrow isn't the second day of the second lunar month, and we're still preparing today, so there's probably not much to do!"
Ye Anning stubbornly insisted: "I already said, we're going to the antique market!"
hehe?
Assistant Ye, the company asked you to collect cultural relics, and you're planning to collect them from street stalls?
That is indeed the largest antique market in southern Shanxi, but Panjiayuan is still the largest in the country. Why don't you try collecting one?
Counterfeit goods won't drown you.
Ye Anning just wanted to go out and have fun.
"Go!" Lin Sicheng turned off the TV. "Is Senior Brother Fang going too?"
"Teacher Lin, I'm not going. I need to organize some materials!"
"good!"
Lin Sicheng nodded and picked up his coat.
Not far away, just across a salt lake, you can see the north gate of Guansheng Temple as soon as you leave the hotel.
In his previous life, Lin Sicheng had been invited by the Shanxi Provincial Department of Industry to visit Shanxi once. He and several experts formed an advisory group to provide guidance on the protection of the craftsmanship and brand building of the three treasures of Shanxi.
He stayed there for about half a year, during which time he gained a detailed understanding of Jiangzhou Chengni inkstones, Jincheng Fahua ware, and Pingyao push-lacquerware.
All three are lost techniques that have been restored. The lacquerware was successfully inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2006, and the Chengni inkstone has passed the third review and will soon enter the public announcement period.
Only the cloisonné enamelware, I remember, will not be explored until next year, and it took eight years to be successfully restored in 2017.
This is because it is unique: the base is a ceramic body, but it uses the firing process of porcelain, while the glaze composition and glazing method are the same as those of glass.
Therefore, it can be described as pottery, porcelain, or even glassware.
The process is very special and complex, making it extremely difficult to replicate.
Lin Sicheng was looking for an opportunity to see if he could cooperate with the local industrial sector.
He had a general understanding of the process, but the difficulty lay in the core data. For example, the glaze ratio and the sintering temperature; both of these required repeated testing and trial firings.
As long as there are enough samples, he can recover in as little as two or three months, or as long as six months.
Even if it's just for the sake of "successfully restoring the site nine years ahead of schedule" and discovering unique local traditional crafts in advance to add new growth points for local industry and economic development, this is something that should be done.
Local authorities will certainly not refuse. As long as this matter can be settled, the remaining Chengni inkstones and Pingding black glazes will naturally follow.
But the difficulty lies in finding an opportunity.
This is not blue and white porcelain; it's from the Yaozhou kiln. There are documents and samples available. However, it's only mentioned briefly in the "Notes on Southern Kilns."
Even if you say you learned it from a book, shouldn't you specify which book it is?
After a moment of reflection, the car arrived at its destination. Lin Sicheng got out of the car and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Sure enough, the largest antique market in southern Shanxi?
The stalls started right outside the mountain gate, crowding the huge passageway with stalls packed tightly together and shops side by side. They continued past the archway and all the way into the commercial street, even the entrances to restaurants were lined with antique shops.
The items were of all shapes and sizes, dazzling the eyes.
As he walked and looked around, like a fleeting glimpse, Lin Sicheng stopped when he saw a porcelain stall.
All of them are blue and white porcelain, including plates, cups, bottles and jars. Most of them are complete pieces, while some are broken pieces with chips or cracks.
In the back corner, there were two boxes of porcelain shards.
Believe it or not, there are quite a few genuine items on this stall, although most of them are folk kilns from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period.
Upon closer inspection, he squinted again: on top of the porcelain shard box was a stand, the base of what he couldn't tell was either a bottle or a jar, only half of it remained.
Three blue characters in regular script remained on it: Tian Shun Nian...
What is the Tian Shun era? Is it the Tian Shun era system of the Great Ming Dynasty?
Is that strange?
This is the third generation of the Ming Dynasty's corrupt officials...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
