Chapter 255 A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.
"Director Sun, the teacher didn't lie to you, I really did happen to see it!"
Lin Sicheng explained with a smile, "Last autumn, my teacher took me to the Shaanxi History Museum to learn about Tang Dynasty gold and silver craftsmanship. I happened to see two porcelain pillows in the museum's collection."
"One is a porcelain pillow with a children playing with lotus flowers donated by the Jin Museum in the 1980s, which was unearthed from a Jin Dynasty tomb in Niucun Ancient City, Houma (a county under the jurisdiction of LF City, Shanxi Province). The other is an octagonal pillow with a poem about the Yellow River unearthed from a Northern Song Dynasty tomb in Yulin (Shaanxi Province)."
Because the kiln origin wasn't specified, I asked about it at the time. The staff said that the Shaanxi History Museum only made a preliminary guess that these two pieces should come from the Ding, Ci, or Gong kilns during the Northern Song or Jin dynasties. But which kiln specifically was still undetermined. Until we received several porcelain pillows and fragments in Yongji..."
As he spoke, Lin Sicheng pulled out a few photos: "The top one is a cultural relic we collected in Yongji, and the bottom two are porcelain pillows from the Shaanxi History Museum."
I felt something was off, so I asked Professor Huang to do some testing and analysis. The results showed that the four porcelain pillows were not only from similar periods, but their glaze and clay composition were also indistinguishable...
Later, Senior Brother Zhao said that he had seen similar porcelain pillows at the Capital Museum and the Hebei Museum. After discussing it, Senior Brother Zhao went to Beijing...
Is it really just because of a good memory?
Sun Jiamu glanced at Wang Qizhi, whose eyes were darting around aimlessly.
Yes, Lin Sicheng did go to the provincial museum with him, but only two or three times. When did Lin Sicheng go to the ceramics gallery and see any porcelain pillows?
However, since the photos were already presented, they couldn't be fake. But Wang Qizhi racked his brains and still couldn't recall anything...
Not knowing what he was up to, Sun Jiamu didn't pay any attention and stared at a few photos:
"To be honest, I also recall that the Capital Museum, Prince Gong's Mansion, and the Ming Tombs all seem to have similar porcelain pillows in their collections... If it can be proven that they originated from Hejin, rather than the Ding or Cizhou kilns as previously assumed, the significance would be immense..."
Sun Jiamu counted for him: "Add the Qing Dynasty kiln at Laoyaotou, the Tang Dynasty kiln at Beiwuqin, the Jin Dynasty kiln at Guduo, the Yuan Dynasty kiln, and the coke site, and we can apply for this year's new archaeological discoveries. There shouldn't be any major problems..."
It's not just no problem, it's more than enough. It's just that Sun Jiamu's status is different, so he didn't dare to speak too confidently.
Lin Sicheng understood what Director Sun meant: even if they didn't find any Song Dynasty kilns in the end, there was no need to be discouraged. What they already had was enough to make him famous in the archaeological and cultural heritage fields.
"Thank you, Director Sun!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "We should be able to find Song Dynasty kiln pieces; it's just a matter of size!"
“I know!” Sun Jiamu smiled. “What I mean is, even if we don’t find the egg white jade, we still have a Neolithic site to fall back on. We need to finish what we started; you can’t just abandon it and leave, can you? Besides, it won’t take long. Excavation and research will take at most two or three months…”
Wang Qizhi was stunned: So that's why Director Sun has been following us so closely these past few days. So this is what he was waiting for.
But to be honest, Wang Qizhi thought the chances were slim. It wasn't about whether Lin Sicheng was willing to go, but rather the "what if" scenario Sun Jiamu mentioned.
In Lin Sicheng's words: There are Tang kilns, Jin kilns, Yuan kilns, and even Qing kilns. It is impossible that they suddenly stopped firing during the Song Dynasty.
Since there are Song Dynasty kilns, there must be eggshell-white jade...
Just as the thought was forming in his mind, the walkie-talkie crackled to life, and Tian Jie's voice came through: "Teacher Lin, we found it... white porcelain, lots of white porcelain... white glazed porcelain, carved porcelain, poetry pillows, white jade bowls... exactly the same as the ones we collected in Yongji..."
Lin Sicheng slowly exhaled: "The exact location?"
"It's not far, just in the North Stream. You'll see it as soon as you turn around!"
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, we'll be right there!"
Lin Sicheng's tone was calm, as if he had expected it all along, but the others perked up: "White jade bowl, isn't that just egg white jade?"
Everyone turned around in astonishment.
It wasn't far, maybe three hundred meters, maybe four hundred. In the shadows, you could see archaeologists in camouflage uniforms, machinery standing on the edge of the plateau, and several newly erected red flags.
After a long moment of stunned silence, the group of experts turned around and looked at the pictures on the hood. The one in the very center, with its huge characters "Beijian," seemed to pierce their pupils like needles.
They only heard about how Lin Sicheng found the other kiln sites. But Director Sun personally accompanied him to inspect the later sites:
Each location is more accurate and faster than the last.
Within a week, four kiln sites were found, averaging one every two days, which was even more exaggerated than the rumors.
The experts also saw the drawing by Lin Sicheng yesterday. They even discussed it privately at the time.
Based on the discovered kiln sites, inferring the extent of the suspected archaeological site is an essential part of field archaeology.
However, one point needs to be made: even if we speculate, it's only a general estimate of the area, not the exact location. And how large is the North Stream on Lin Sicheng's map?
It's just a terrace north of Guzhen Village, which locals call Beijian Geda, and its total area is no more than three acres.
This is no longer speculation, but a direct designation, so experts are somewhat skeptical.
Okay, now that you've seen it with your own eyes, there's no need to doubt it anymore.
Lin Sicheng asked Fang Jin to pack up the blueprints. He didn't take the car, but instead carried the shovel down to the ditch and walked north along the field path.
Sun Jiamu and a group of experts followed closely behind.
Wang Qizhi followed at the back and sighed inwardly: "They were just leaving the site unexcavated, but Director Sun gave the expert team a day off and brought them here for a visit."
Come on, take a look. Don't underestimate him just because he's young; he's really capable.
This effectively elevated Lin Sicheng's authority to an unparalleled level.
If Lin Sicheng were to join the Bureau of Cultural Relics someday, wouldn't it be a natural and logical progression for him to take on any archaeological tasks or be in charge of any research projects?
Wang Qizhi was confident that no one would object. Even if someone was unaware and wanted to question it, they would first ask around. Then, upon hearing the answer, they would think, "Good heavens... what's there to question?"
I must say, Director Sun has thought quite far ahead...
It's only about 300 meters, and you'll arrive in no time.
Tan Wu had already arranged for people to erect fences, enclosing the entire terrace. Four exploration machines were probing the edge from the outside in.
Tian Jie and Gao Zhangyi each led a team and had already uncovered the two ash pits they had explored.
They didn't dare use villagers to explore the pit; the bottom was entirely covered with scraping material by skilled workers. Staff members dispatched by the county stood in the middle and at the top of the slope, transporting the cultural relics.
A soft blanket was laid over the pit, and seven or eight staff members from the cultural relics bureau were carefully cleaning the porcelain shards with brushes.
Upon closer inspection of the good ones, the group remained speechless in astonishment.
White porcelain, many kinds of white porcelain: carved, engraved, printed, white glaze.
Bowls, cups, plates, bottles, boxes, pillows... everything is available.
There are also a small number of black porcelain and sancai pottery, but the quantity is less than one-third.
After looking at it for a while, Sun Jiamu picked up a piece of white porcelain and squinted his eyes: the porcelain body was white and dense, both firm and thin.
How thin is it?
It's just a millimeter.
The glaze is glossy and lustrous, like jade. When lightly tested, a few streaks of bluish tint appear within the glaze.
But it's very faint, barely visible, seemingly there yet not there.
As Lin Sicheng said: The so-called egg white jade is like looking at a hard-boiled egg and seeing the yolk through the egg white.
Sun Jiamu wouldn't dare call himself a porcelain expert, but having spent half his life in archaeology and excavated countless porcelain kilns, he was certain that he had never seen white porcelain with this color and texture before.
I wouldn't say how good it is, but it's definitely unique.
He couldn't help but sigh: This kid actually found it?
As he was marveling at the site, Tian Jie gave a detailed report: "Preliminary investigations indicate that the site covers an area of approximately one thousand square meters: it includes two semi-downdraft kilns, the structure of which includes ventilation openings, a fan-shaped single firebox, a kiln bed, and double smoke chambers..."
"Two cave-style workshops have been preserved, including mud-refining pools, slurry-dipping vats, stove sites, stone millstones, stone mortars, etc., covering the entire process of raw material preparation, blank making, and drying..."
"Eight ash pits containing kiln residue, defective porcelain shards, and kiln furniture. The estimated weight of the porcelain shards and kiln furniture specimens is between 800 kilograms and one ton, half of which are kiln furniture, one-quarter are white porcelain pillows and sancai (three-color glazed) pottery pillows, and the remainder are fine white porcelain..."
If you do the math, the fine white porcelain sample weighs only about two hundred kilograms.
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Secretary-General Tan, notify each experimental center to send someone to collect the samples!"
Tan Wu was stunned for a moment: He had thought that Lin Sicheng would take it all?
He quickly took out his phone, about to dial a number, but then thought it best to ask beforehand: "Okay, Teacher Lin, how are the quotas allocated?"
Lin Sicheng said without hesitation: "The existing six companies will be divided equally!"
Which six companies?
The university houses the Xida Cultural Relics Restoration Center, the Provincial Ceramic Research Center, the Provincial Archaeological Center, the Provincial Cultural Heritage Center, and the Municipal Ceramic Research Center and Cultural Heritage Center.
Two hundred kilograms of samples were divided among six companies, with each company receiving only about thirty kilograms?
Everyone present was an expert; they had never heard of any organization researching and restoring lost porcelain-making techniques, with samples measured in "kilograms."
It must be at least a ton.
It's only a few dozen kilograms; you probably couldn't even analyze the composition of the glaze. Let alone the kiln temperature, atmosphere, or glazing process.
Instead of doing that, why not concentrate the resources on the company with the strongest research capabilities and the most likely to replicate the process?
Just as Sun Jiamu was about to speak, Wang Qizhi shook his head.
If we're talking about which one is the strongest and which one has the fastest research progress, it's definitely the Xida Restoration Center: while the other five institutions still don't know what egg white jade is, Lin Sicheng has already tried to adjust the glaze ratio for egg white jade.
But even if the other five companies feel this way, they will not admit it: when it comes to rank, title, salary, benefits, and even ownership of achievements, they will fight for it no matter what.
As the saying goes: what if?
So instead of arguing, it's better to distribute it equally.
Whether or not they can figure it out depends on their individual capabilities...
Tan Wu went to the side to make a phone call. Sun Jiamu looked around and lowered his voice: "Lin Sicheng, the sample only weighs a few dozen kilograms. How are you going to conduct the research?"
"There are kilns and workshops, and the remains are quite complete, so the basic process can be deduced."
Secondly, while fine white porcelain is scarce, the two Guduo sites yielded a large quantity of coarse white porcelain from the Jin Dynasty, totaling approximately two tons. Although the craftsmanship has declined somewhat, it still retains some techniques, making it quite valuable for research…
Sun Jiamu stared wide-eyed: "Using degraded, inferior porcelain to deduce the pinnacle of craftsmanship in fine porcelain? Lin Sicheng, aren't you talking nonsense?"
What is the most complex step in the porcelain-making process?
Firing.
You need to know how to control the temperature: how many stages there are, what temperature each stage is, whether it's bisque firing or glaze firing, whether to use firewood or coal, and how often.
It is also important to know the atmosphere: whether it is reducing, oxidizing, or neutral, and how to quantify and control it.
More importantly, it is necessary to figure out the main coloring elements of this glaze: whether it is iron, copper, silicon, calcium, or some trace element.
To put it bluntly: although both are white porcelain, coarse white porcelain and fine white porcelain are made using completely different firing processes. This includes temperature, atmosphere, and even the glaze ratio.
Just one point: Why were celadon and yellow-white porcelain unearthed at Guduo and Shangxiabali, instead of egg-white jade?
The claim that the craftsmanship has deteriorated is actually a misinterpretation; the core technology has been lost. Even the ancients of the Jin Dynasty didn't know which part was lost. If they had known, the quality wouldn't have declined with each firing, ultimately forcing them to switch to black porcelain.
Therefore, there is only one way to restore the craftsmanship: a massive number of samples of egg white jade porcelain are needed, and through analysis and testing, the data must be continuously deduced and improved little by little.
But only a few dozen kilograms?
It wasn't that Sun Jiamu was underestimating him: Even if Lin Sicheng came, it wouldn't work...
Sun Jiamu stared at him: "Lin Sicheng, if you can't say it, I'll communicate with the local departments!"
Lin Sicheng smiled, then shook his head: "Thank you, Director Sun, but all of this was agreed upon beforehand..."
Is it that same line again?
When he was put in the expert group to oversee the Neolithic site, he said this: "Thank you, Director Sun. It was agreed with the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau that we need to find the Luanbaiyu site first..."
Sun Jiamu opened his mouth as if to say something, but then sighed: Never mind, I won't try to persuade you anymore.
To be honest, for Lin Sicheng, having things go too smoothly isn't all good.
The sooner we mess this up, the sooner he'll be in the cultural relics bureau...
After pondering for a moment, Sun Jiamu looked up and said, "Lin Sicheng, how about we make a bet: if you can replicate the craftsmanship and even just fire one replica, the bureau will take care of the rest for you: journal recommendations, archaeological discovery applications, World Heritage nominations... You won't even need to write a proposal or application; you'll just need to sign it..."
"If you can't reconstruct it, then stop obsessing over the details and focus on getting the Nantai site out of there first. After that, the Hejin Kiln will definitely need systematic excavation and research. You were the one who found all the kiln sites, so you have to take full responsibility..."
Lin Sicheng's eyes lit up: Is there really such a good thing?
Seeing his eagerness, Sun Jiamu sensed something was amiss and quickly patched things up:
"Let's get this straight first, it's only for fine white porcelain samples. Once you've finished your research, that's it. Don't try to fool people with coarse white porcelain... Also, the Hejin kiln might take two or three years to complete, so think it through..."
More than two or three years.
In his previous life, the Hejin Kiln was excavated intermittently for more than five years. Five years is enough time for him to complete his master's and doctoral studies.
Of course, that's assuming he lost the bet...
After a moment's thought, Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Director Sun, a gentleman's word is his bond?"
Sun Jiamu replied firmly: "A promise is a promise!"
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