Chapter 268 I've Seen It
The North Fourth Ring Road in Beijing is bustling with people and vehicles, and is extremely noisy.
The two buildings stand side by side, with the sign in the middle reading: Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage.
Around eight o'clock, men and women entered the compound.
Yesterday, the Human Resources Department notified the heads of institutes, departments, and laboratories to attend a lecture today in the multi-functional hall on the 17th floor of the building. They did not need to report to their departments. Several leaders then went to the adjacent Wenbo Building.
Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu, one carrying a bag and the other with their head down, had just reached the building entrance when they heard heavy footsteps behind them.
A man in his forties, wearing glasses, jogged over, calling out as he chased after him, "Wu Si, Wu Si..."
The two turned around: "Dean Ma!"
"Director Sun is here to listen to the lecture too?"
After running up to greet him, Vice President Ma adjusted his glasses and asked, "Director Wu, may I ask you a question?"
Wu Hui paused for a moment: So polite?
The two were former colleagues: both were vice deans of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, and worked together for three years, with Wu Hui ranking slightly higher.
Until last year, Wu Hui was transferred to the Archaeology Department of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage...
He nodded: "Dean Ma, please speak!"
“Fine!” Ma Qinglin didn’t stand on ceremony at all. “Director Wu, it was you who suggested to the bureau that the iron cultural relics protection project be suspended, right?”
Wu Hui and Sun Jiamu were both stunned: Who leaked the information?
Dean Zhang, or which bureau chief?
No wonder Lao Ma was so serious?
A perfectly good national-level project, which has been under research for two years and is about to yield results, is it just going to be stopped like this?
That is Wu Hui. The two not only worked together and collaborated, but Wu Hui was also his former boss. If it were anyone else, Vice Dean Ma would have grabbed him by the collar and spat in his face.
But it's okay. After listening to today's lecture, everyone will know why he stopped the project.
Wu Hui sighed: "Yes, it's me!"
It really is you?
Vice President Ma looked puzzled: Director Wu, this project was initiated when you were still in office, right?
You applied for it, and you stopped it. What kind of trick are you playing?
"Director Wu, could you please explain the reason?"
"Of course I can, but it's too complicated to explain in a short time!" Wu Hui joked. "Didn't your boss mention it when he let you slip?"
"They did!" Vice Dean Ma nodded. "They said that the technology we're currently researching has already been thoroughly studied by others. They also said that in terms of innovation, scientific rigor, academic value, practical value, and even social value and influence, it surpasses ours in eight dimensions..."
Wu Hui remained silent.
That's definitely Dean Zhang's tone and wording.
But Old Zhang, you're just stirring up trouble and making things worse.
"Dean Ma, don't listen to your nonsense. It is indeed a bit ahead of its time, but it's not that exaggerated."
Wu Hui glanced at his watch. "It can't be explained in a few words. How about this: after the lecture, we can sit down and discuss it slowly!"
Upon hearing that they should sit down and discuss the matter, Vice President Ma's expression softened considerably: what he cared about was not halting the project, but rather halting it without explaining why.
How much manpower, material resources, and funding was consumed during the two years of the Eleventh Five-Year National Science and Technology Support Program (Level II) key project?
As the person in charge, he couldn't sleep if he couldn't figure out why the project was halted...
Ma Qinglin forced a smile: "Okay, I'll set the table tonight, and Director Sun will come too!"
"good!"
Wu Hui nodded, then exchanged a glance with Sun Jiamu: "Still setting up a table?"
After listening to the lecture, you, Vice Dean Ma, can still eat? I'll call you that...
In a flash, the three entered the building and went up to the seventeenth floor.
It's quite large, a conference room that can hold almost a hundred people, and it's fully equipped.
Three young men were adjusting equipment on stage, with two lines of large characters displayed on the electronic screen behind them:
A brief analysis of the origin and evolution of the porcelain-making techniques of Hejin Kiln's fine white porcelain.
Presenter: Northwest University Cultural Relics Restoration Center.
After glancing at it twice, Ma Qinglin hesitated for a moment: Before coming to the Institute of Cultural Heritage, he was the deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Museum and concurrently the director of the Department of Scientific Conservation of Cultural Relics. His major was relevant, he lived nearby, and he was very familiar with Northwest University, especially the School of Cultural Heritage.
He only remembered that the School of Cultural Heritage at Xida University had established a Cultural Heritage Protection Center, but he had little recollection of this Cultural Relics Protection and Restoration Center.
If it was established later and is affiliated with the Cultural Heritage Center, then its title would definitely have a prefix. Since it doesn't, it means that this restoration center is independent.
Is it too wasteful for two centers to be engaged in cultural relic protection and restoration at the same time?
Secondly, the Academy of Cultural Heritage sent an expert team to Yuncheng last year to carry out systematic protection of the Yellow River Iron Ox in Yongji, but they did not hear of any discovery of the Hejin Kiln.
So, it's the one that was newly discovered this year?
The problem is, that's Shanxi territory, and the research was conducted by Shanxi universities or cultural relics departments, so how did it become Xida University?
What's even stranger is that there's a research topic and the institution that's presenting, but no main speaker?
Just as he was wondering, Wang Qizhi went up on stage, said a few words to the youngest of the two men and one woman, and then flipped through the documents on the podium.
Suddenly, Vice Dean Ma narrowed his eyes: Today's speaker is Wang Qizhi?
He joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Literature as vice dean in 2004, and Wang Qizhi was transferred away the following year. The two worked together for more than a year and got to know each other quite well.
The Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences has eleven institutes, nine key laboratories, and forty research leaders, including directors and deputy directors. Wang Qizhi is the most special one among them.
Its defining characteristic is its impulsive and unpredictable nature; it's like a mule that's easily swayed. Its strengths are strong research capabilities and decent management skills.
Therefore, Wang Qizhi is more than capable of giving a lecture at the Academy of Arts & Sciences. But this Hejin kiln, frankly, is something I have no recollection of…
While they were thinking, the two found their names and sat down in the first row. Wang Qizhi heard the noise and smiled at them.
Ma Qinglin lowered his voice: "Director Wu, is this Hejin Kiln the same as the ancient kiln in Puzhou recorded in historical documents?"
"No, the ancient kilns in Puzhou fired cloisonné ware (pottery), and although the Hejin kilns also fired pottery (pottery pillows), the majority of their products were still porcelain!"
Wu Hui rested his chin on the stage. "This is a new discovery by Wang Qizhi's students. The last kiln site was only explored last month!"
What is this? You only discovered it last month?
Ma Qinglin paused for a moment: "So, you mean you've discovered several sites, but haven't conducted any systematic excavation yet?"
"Yes, after today's lecture, the bureau will hold a seminar to plan the excavation project!"
Ma Qinglin was stunned. He pointed to the electronic screen and asked, "Director Wu, the kiln site hasn't even been fully excavated yet, so how did this lecture come about?"
Wu Hui looked hesitant, unsure how to explain.
The location has just been explored, the time period has just been determined, the excavation work has just begun, and only a very small part of the site remains have been cleared. Yet, we are already analyzing and judging the origin and evolution of the technology.
It's no wonder that Vice Dean Ma was so shocked; Wu Hui had never encountered anything like this before.
But the problem is, that's how it happened, naturally and logically?
Seeing that he didn't speak, Ma Qinglin frowned: "The kiln site was discovered by Wang Qizhi's students, not Wang Qizhi. Then who led the exploration team?"
“His student, the one he was talking to!” Wu Hui pointed to the stage. “He also did the subsequent analysis and research.”
Vice Dean Ma's eyes widened.
Regardless of his age or whether he graduated with a bachelor's degree, can he clarify the connections and inheritance relationships between porcelain-making techniques from different periods?
Even if the site has not been systematically excavated, and the kiln structure cannot be studied, how can he analyze the porcelain firing process and temperature control procedures?
More importantly, it's only been a month since the exploration began?
For a typical project team, following the normal procedure, they would at most complete the basic analysis of the body and glaze components, which is about one-tenth of the entire project.
But this child has researched the entire process of tracing the origins of the crafts and the evolution of the technology.
The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. Vice Dean Ma stared at Lin Sicheng and said, "It can't be... that Old Zhang used connections to get this kid a gold medal?"
Wu Hui was baffled: Don't you know what kind of personality the old man has? Even if Wang Qizhi came, it wouldn't make a difference. What kind of back door could he possibly use?
Besides, he and Lin Sicheng don't even know each other, so why should he give them money?
But then, the electronic screen flashed, and the four words "Northwest University" flashed by. A thought seemed to flash through Wu Hui's mind: Hey, don't tell me?
Who knows, Lin Sicheng might actually know the dean?
At that time, the Institute of Cultural Relics was still the Institute of Cultural Relics. Before Old Zhang became the director, he was the director of the Shaanxi Cultural Relics Bureau.
Even earlier, in the early 1970s, he was a top student majoring in archaeology in the History Department of Northwest University. Later, the year he took the college entrance exam again, he pursued graduate studies in the History Department of Northwest University, also majoring in archaeology. Four years later, after graduating, he joined the Shaanxi cultural relics system, where he worked for over twenty years.
So, does that mean he and Lin Sicheng are alumni?
Wait a minute...the two are more than just alumni!
Wang Qizhi once said that Lin Sicheng's grandfather also graduated from the Department of Archaeology at Northwest University. He also studied for his master's degree in Archaeology at the Department of History at Northwest University in the year the college entrance examination was reinstated, and then stayed on as a faculty member.
How old is Lin Changqing again? Sixty, or sixty-one?
Old Zhang, isn't he just sixty today?
The key point is that they both went to graduate school in the year the college entrance examination was reinstated, and they studied the same major. Aren't they in the same department, the same class, and the same dormitory?
After graduation, one of us went to Xijing to work in archaeology, and the other taught archaeology at Xida University. We couldn't possibly not see each other for twenty years.
Ha ha……
Wu Hui found it increasingly strange: No wonder that day at the bureau, after Old Zhang finished reading the report, he stopped Old Ma's project without even saying a word of refusal.
The bureau chief was suspicious for several days: When did this stubborn old man become so reasonable?
So that's where it all started...
Wu Hui pursed his lips tightly and remained silent.
Then, Lin Sicheng went on stage.
He smiled and picked up the microphone: "Hello, teachers. I am the speaker today. Let me introduce myself first: Mr. Wang Qizhi is my teacher, and I am his... um, graduate student..."
Before he could finish speaking, "buzz," it was as if he had stirred up a beehive.
Shock, disbelief, and disbelief: How did a graduate student get to a national-level academic center and give an academic lecture in front of a group of experts who are in charge of national-level research institutions?
Vice President Ma turned around, as if to say: Director Wu, did you see that?
Wu Hui sighed: Luckily, Lin Sicheng didn't tell the whole truth, otherwise the scene would have been in an uproar.
Lin Sicheng arrived in Shanxi in early March and stayed there for four months without returning to Xi'an. It's as if he didn't even take his graduation exams; how did he become Wang Qizhi's graduate student?
Even if it's a school-sponsored graduate program recommendation, does the applicant still have to go through the procedures in person?
Therefore, Lin Sicheng at present can at most be considered an undergraduate student...
The commotion was a bit too much, and out of respect, Lin Sicheng didn't continue.
He waited quietly with a smile on his face, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over the front row, sensing that Wang Qizhi's expression seemed a little off.
No...this is bad?
Lin Sicheng coughed quickly and gave him a wink.
In such an occasion, with his own students standing on the stage, Wang Qizhi certainly wouldn't cause trouble.
He just wanted to stand up and see which bastards were making all this noise.
Fine, let them argue then, I'll make sure you're blinded by the light...
In a flash, Wang Qizhi, who had just straightened up, sat back down, and the cold smile on his lips vanished without a trace.
The discussion was lively and noisy. Lin Sicheng looked around the venue and then at the seniors and leaders who were listening to the lecture.
Many familiar faces: the former dean, Vice Dean Ma, Director Lü of the Palace Museum, and heads of key laboratories from the Institute of Cultural Studies, the National Museum of China, and the Palace Museum.
Of course, many of them haven't reached that level yet; they might just be team leaders or project executors.
But in a few years, it will definitely be...
In my previous life, when was the first time I stood here giving a speech?
It must have been in 2016, on the eve of my departure from the Palace Museum, that I assisted Director Lü (Palace Museum Ceramics Research Institute) in completing a special project funded by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage: a survey on the current status of the Palace Museum's collection of porcelain and a study on protection strategies.
Then Director Lü brought me here to give an academic report, and I was the main speaker at the time.
I didn't seem nervous at all; my speech was very fluent and smooth.
The second time was in 2019, when I was invited as a special expert to assist the National Museum of China's Metal Cultural Relics Conservation Center (a key scientific research base of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage) in completing a project commissioned by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage: Risk Identification of Museum Collections - Taking Metal Cultural Relics Defects as an Example.
The third time was in 2024, again as a specially invited expert, assisting the National Museum of China's Metal Cultural Relics Conservation Center in completing a key national science and technology support project (National 13th Five-Year Plan): Research on the deterioration mechanism and key protection technologies of fragile iron cultural relics in the museum's collection.
At that time, Vice Dean Ma sat in the first row.
And the first time I met Vice Dean Ma was also here, but that was fifteen years ago:
In 2009, which is next year, Vice President Ma will preside over and be responsible for completing the National Science and Technology Support Program (National Eleventh Five-Year Plan), the research on comprehensive protection technology of iron cultural relics, and will also give an academic report in this hall.
That year, when I first entered the Forbidden City, Old Mrs. Wang brought me here to broaden my horizons and managed to get me a "Guest Assistant" certificate.
Looking back, it feels like coincidences everywhere: the first time I stood on this platform in my past life, I talked about porcelain. And in this life, I'm still talking about porcelain.
The first time I came here in my past life was to listen to Vice Dean Ma give an academic report on iron artifact research. The first time I came here in this life is to invite Vice Dean Ma to listen to my academic report on iron artifacts.
History seems to have taken a big turn and formed a closed loop?
Honestly, standing here today, Lin Sicheng still feels somewhat guilty:
Because he assisted Professor Li Mo of the National Museum of China in completing the conservation technology for the museum's iron artifacts, the National Museum of China used the mathematical models and technical data that Vice President Ma had been researching continuously from 2006 to 2019 at the beginning of the bidding and project establishment.
Including the BTA corrosion inhibition technology he will discuss later, some of the results were plagiarized from Vice President Ma's project results after 2009. Now, they are standing in front of him and openly talking about it, and because of this, the Institute of Literature and Art's iron project was terminated, which is equivalent to destroying his two years of hard work?
Lin Sicheng couldn't help but feel ashamed.
But Lin Sicheng did not regret it.
From 2008 to 2024, how many years is that?
Sixteen years in total.
It can save the country sixteen years of time, hundreds of millions of yuan in research funds, and countless human and material resources.
Lin Sicheng felt that it would be worthwhile to steal it in advance.
The same applies to the research and development of egg white jade, including the site of the Hejin Kiln. Although he was tricked by the locals, Lin Sicheng was not actually that angry.
He actually felt that breaking up was a good thing.
Without the constraints of local government, he can act freely.
In 2018, after more than a decade of research, Jingdezhen Ceramic University confirmed that the Ming Dynasty sweet white glaze technique originated from the Ming Dynasty egg white glaze.
In the following year, 2019, research by the Jingdezhen Ceramic Research Institute confirmed that the Yuan Dynasty egg-white glaze was a new white glaze porcelain created by the Hutian Kiln in Jingdezhen based on the Song Dynasty celadon porcelain and combined with the Mongolian custom of "white is auspicious".
Therefore, once today's lecture is released, it will be equivalent to advancing these two research findings by ten and eleven years, respectively.
It is indeed unfair to Jingdezhen Ceramic University and the Ceramic Research Institute.
But from another perspective: knowing full well what the outcome will be, yet watching helplessly as more than a decade of time, countless funds, and even youth are wasted?
Lin Sicheng felt that this was the greatest irresponsibility: letting down himself, letting down his rebirth, and even letting down the country and society.
Besides, since we're already here, we should at least do something...
For a moment, my thoughts were racing, and my mind wandered to other worlds.
The noise in the venue grew louder and louder.
Suddenly, there was a "clang".
The old dean bent his knuckles and tapped the table, and the meeting room fell silent.
The chattering fell silent, and they looked away from Lin Sicheng as if she were an alien.
The old dean glared at Lin Sicheng and said, "What are you standing there for? Speak!"
Lin Sicheng suddenly realized what was happening: "Thank you, Dean!"
He smiled and picked up the microphone again.
"Dear teachers, I will continue: I am a student of Mr. Wang Qizhi, and also the head of the Northwest University Center for Cultural Relics Conservation and Restoration and the Xijing City Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Center..."
"The center was established in August 2007. To date, it has developed restoration techniques such as Tang Dynasty court gilding, gold amalgam, gold lacquer inlay, and lacquer decoration..."
This includes restoration techniques for Qing Dynasty cloisonné enamel, underglaze, and colored glaze porcelain, as well as Ming Dynasty cloisonné enamel, monochrome glaze, underglaze red, and blue-and-white porcelain. Currently, research is underway on thin-bodied porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the techniques and restoration methods for doucai porcelain…
With a "boom," the venue, which had just quieted down a bit, became noisy again.
Don't assume that just because you're an expert, you should be as steady as a rock, unmoved even if Mount Tai collapses before your eyes.
Experts are human too.
In some ways, they are even more naive than ordinary people. The key is that they understand more, and their feelings are only more profound than those of ordinary people.
This center was established last August, so it's been almost a year now, right?
Look at the technologies developed by this center in this year: half of the eight major gold and silver crafts of the Tang Dynasty have been studied, and almost half of all the types of official kiln porcelain from the Qing and Ming Dynasties have also been studied.
In addition, copper-bodied enamel and cloisonné should also be added, as well as Ming blue and white porcelain?
Everyone present knows just how complex the craftsmanship of these three artifacts is.
Among all the world's treasures, the Palace Museum has the largest collection of Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain, and its porcelain restoration technology is the most advanced. If you don't believe me, ask them if they have developed restoration techniques for these three types of cultural relics.
If we calculate the time frame, how many years have they been researching this?
Subconsciously, someone turned their head to look at Director Lü of the Forbidden City.
Director Lü glared back: I didn't say that, why are you looking at me?
Soon, as if infected, more and more people started turning their heads to the side...
Director Lü sighed, "Alright, I have indeed seen it!"
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