Chapter 226 looks somewhat familiar.
The sky was high and the air was crisp, the clouds were light and the breeze was gentle.
After leaving the Xipo Mine, continue north along the gravel road. Half an hour later, you'll see a pickup truck parked on the side of the road.
A stone tablet stands nearby, with two lines of text: Batiangliang Kiln Site Complex, Zhangma Village, Xiangning County.
Wang Qizhi had made prior arrangements, and the Xiangning County Cultural Bureau specially sent a section chief to receive them. After introductions and a few pleasantries, the pickup truck led the way, and the three vehicles drove onto the rural road.
After driving another ten kilometers, several cars stopped.
The old cement road was cracked by weeds, and several mud pits and troughs were left by the roadside.
They simply used colored ribbons to create a barrier, then the staff untied the ropes and led them inside.
The pits and grooves, some square and some round, some deep and some shallow, are formed by piling up stones. You can still clearly see the narrow drainage channels in the middle.
Lin Sicheng glanced at it briefly and said, "This should be a Qing Dynasty site!"
Assuming they had done their research beforehand, the section chief nodded: "It was indeed during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, they mainly produced black porcelain and purple clay teapots, which were sold as far away as Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia!"
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Boss, is there anything earlier?"
"Yes, we still need to head north!"
After getting in the car and driving on, Ye Anning saw several mud kilns by the roadside and asked, "Lin Sicheng, what era are these kilns from?"
Lin Sicheng glanced at it: it was made of mud bricks, most of which had collapsed, with the holes at the bottom where the clay blanks were put into the kiln and the finished products were taken out of the kiln.
"During the Republic of China era, this kiln, modeled after the Cizhou kiln, was probably used for firing earthenware pots and vats!"
The section chief in the passenger seat gave a thumbs up.
Driving further in, Lin Sicheng saw several corrugated steel sheds and his spirits lifted: judging by their size, they looked like abandoned porcelain pits.
And there are quite a few, at least five or six.
After getting out of the car and not even reaching the front, Lin Sicheng paused again: Was he too happy too soon?
There were many porcelain shards and broken pieces, scattered at the bottom of the pit and on the earthen walls. There were basins, bowls, cups, and dishes of all kinds, and although most of them were white porcelain, they were all everyday utensils.
He didn't go down into the pit; he just asked for a piece of porcelain to look at. Lin Sicheng sighed.
The items are wrong, and the date is wrong. This is from the Ming Dynasty, and it's all coarse porcelain.
Although the porcelain clay has been filtered, its iron content is still very high, so it can only be whitened with lime and bauxite. As a result, the body of the porcelain body will be very thick.
Like that unfinished bowl on the pit wall, not yet ready to be fired, the porcelain body was a full centimeter long...
"Sir, is there any period that goes back even further, such as the Yuan Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, or even the Northern Song Dynasty?"
“There used to be some, but it was all in the Xipo Town area. Most of it was destroyed when clay mines were opened in the 1960s. The rest was destroyed when ceramic factories were built in the 1970s…”
"There are pottery kilns dating back to the Han Dynasty and even earlier, such as the Yangyun pottery kiln in Baishugou, which dates back about 5,000 years. The Xi'ao site (Zaoyuan culture) is even earlier, roughly 7,000 years ago..."
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Thank you, leader. We won't look at those two places!"
Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng exchanged a glance: Xipo Town, isn't that the place we just visited this morning?
The mine leaders and the leaders of the Zisha ware factory also said that when the mine first started, they dug out a lot of ancient kiln pits and waste porcelain pits, and there were a lot of porcelain shards and fragments.
But in the 1960s and 70s, people couldn't even get enough to eat, so how could they talk about protection?
Of course, the goal is to level the road and start construction as soon as possible so that ordinary people can earn a living.
The two sighed inwardly, a look of worry creeping onto their brows.
Lin Sicheng then took out the porcelain shards and showed them to the section chief, who both said they had never seen them before.
Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng were even more worried.
That's basically it, nothing more to see. The cars drove to the county. Upon arriving at the hotel, Wang Qizhi said a simple meal had been arranged, but the section chief said he needed to return to his unit to report.
After expressing their gratitude, Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng personally saw them off at the hotel.
As soon as they entered the revolving door, the two paused for a moment: Lin Sicheng sat on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, twirling the delicate white porcelain in his hand.
At first glance, he seemed quite calm and didn't appear particularly disappointed. But the problem is, even when Lin Sicheng was extremely angry and wanted to kill someone, didn't he have this same expression?
The two exchanged a glance and walked over.
"Don't be discouraged, if things don't work out, we can always go back to Xijing!" Wang Qizhi sat down opposite him. "Losing one Chengni inkstone won't be a big deal!"
Zhao Xiuneng nodded in agreement: "That's right, there are so many places with famous porcelain, there's no need to insist on staying in Shanxi."
Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: No... it's only been a few days?
It took almost a week, all in all.
How long was the last time he was in Yaozhou?
It's almost been a month.
In comparison, here you don't have to suffer any mistreatment or have to put up with anyone's attitude. You can spend your days sightseeing, eating delicious food, just like on a vacation.
Besides, it's not like he doesn't know the craft; he's just looking for an excuse to recreate it. If one door closes, another opens; even if you can't find the Northern Song white porcelain kiln site, you can still find Fahua ware.
If we can't find cloisonné enamelware, it's only three months, it's not like we can't wait.
After a moment's thought, Lin Sicheng chuckled and said, "Teacher, Senior Brother Zhao, don't be in such a hurry!"
Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng shook their heads in unison: "We're not in a hurry!"
We were afraid you'd be anxious.
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Alright, let's wait for President Zhuang to arrive, and then we'll talk about it after he's met the old factory director he mentioned and seen those pieces of white porcelain!"
The two remained silent.
Even if it's exactly the same as these pieces, and is indeed Song Dynasty porcelain, the section chief just clearly stated that the kiln sites from the Song and Jin Dynasties were leveled long ago.
So what's the use of just finding porcelain?
Even if we were to take a step back and assume that one or two kiln sites were found by chance, could we really shut down all the clay mines and purple clay ware factories?
Both of these businesses are pillar industries in the county, supporting thousands of people.
Wang Qizhi sighed with regret: If I had known it would be this difficult, I shouldn't have urged Lin Sicheng to look for a kiln site in the first place...
Just as he was pondering this, the phone buzzed, and Lin Sicheng answered it without thinking.
"Mr. Zhuang, I'm troubling you again... Ah, you've arrived? Okay, we'll be right out..."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Sicheng got up and left: "Teacher, Senior Brother Zhao, President Zhuang has arrived. He'll take us there now!"
"No...why are you in such a hurry?"
"They said the elderly person is getting on in years, and their family is very strict, so they don't dare let them stay up too late!"
Wang Qizhi looked outside: the sun was hanging in the sky at a 45-degree angle, still quite a distance from the mountain peak.
Before they could react, Lin Sicheng had already reached the door, and Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng gave chase.
Fang went in to call for a luggage cart. Ye Anning and the data clerk, Xiao Liu, were still checking in at the bar. When the three of them turned around, there was no one left in the lobby.
Looking back, the Mercedes had already driven out of the parking lot...
Not far away, on the edge of the county town, there are neither apartment buildings nor single-story houses, but cave dwellings.
It was built exceptionally well, like a giant staircase, with one floor above another, leaning against the Loess Plateau.
After getting off the car and exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhuang Zijing led them toward the house in the middle.
As he walked, he introduced, "This old factory director's surname is Wang, and he's quite a legendary figure: In the 1950s, when the Xipo Ceramics Factory was established in the county, he was originally a laborer mixing clay and couldn't even read many words. Later, through self-study, he first transferred to the molding workshop, then to the kiln, and later became a technician, designer, and head of the design team..."
"In the mid-1970s, the ceramics factory established a purple clay workshop, and he served as the workshop director. Three years later, the purple clay workshop moved to the county town and became a separate purple clay factory, with him serving as its first factory director... At that time, the Xipo Purple Clay Factory was the earliest purple clay factory established in North China, and with no experience to follow, they could only go out to learn. Later, commissioned by the county, the old factory director led key technical personnel to Yixing..."
But let alone learning the technology, they couldn't even get into the gate of the Yixing Purple Clay Factory. The old factory director was unwilling to give up and lived next to the factory, thinking about it every day. Later, he came up with a way to sneak in by following a truck delivering raw materials. After finding the head of the production department, he secretly followed him home.
Boiling water, mopping floors, picking up the kids, cooking, taking care of the elderly—he helped with whatever chores were needed around the house. He persisted for over a month, finally achieving his goal and entering the Yixing Zisha (purple clay) craft factory. After apprenticing for half a year, he recruited three craftsmen from the Yixing factory…
At first, the group listened attentively, but by the end, they almost broke their backs: it turned out that the old factory director had no good intentions when he went there; he was there to kidnap people.
The factory in Yixing was right not to let him in.
"Oh, right, one of them is the chief instructor of the Yixing Purple Clay Technology Training Department, named Tan Ganru. After he came, he became the chief engineer of the Xipo Purple Clay Factory... The old factory director followed him and actually became a provincial master craftsman and appraiser..."
When Tan Ganru was mentioned, Lin Sicheng had an impression of him: This man could be considered a famous purple clay master in the north, and his most famous work was the pine-section teapot, which was lifelike and vivid.
He was also highly skilled in appreciating Zisha ware and porcelain. The Palace Museum invited him to conduct an exchange on the appreciation of Zisha ware. In his previous life, Lin Sicheng had even seen his appreciation notes at the Palace Museum.
Unfortunately, he passed away young, in 1986.
Amidst sighs, the group entered the courtyard. Hearing the commotion, a man in his fifties came out of the gate to greet them.
"It must have been Mr. Zhuang from Hejin who introduced you!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhuang Zijing hurriedly went to greet him. "That's my dad!"
"Okay, please come in!"
The middle-aged man lifted the curtain, and several people entered the living room.
It's quite spacious and bright, and there's an electric heater on, making it cozy.
An elderly man sat on the sofa, his eyebrows and hair were snow-white, and he looked to be around eighty years old. His eyes were bright, and he seemed to be in good spirits.
He subconsciously stood up, and Lin Sicheng gave him a slight nod. Zhao Xiuneng quickly took two steps and pressed the old man back down.
"Old factory director, please sit down, don't get up!"
The old man smiled and sat back down.
Then a woman around fifty years old came out; she was probably the old man's daughter-in-law. She brewed tea for everyone.
As he gets older, it's not good to bother him too much, so Lin Sicheng got straight to the point and took out a few pieces of porcelain.
"Old factory director, could you please take a look and see if you recognize this?"
"Puzhou (present-day Yuncheng) celadon?"
The old man squinted. "It looks like something from before the Ming Dynasty... Yuan, Jin, or Song?"
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "It should be Song!"
"It does look somewhat similar. Look at the glaze color; it's unique to our area. It must have been fired in the Xipo Ancient Kiln!"
Lin Sicheng nodded and pointed to the piece of white porcelain: "Old factory director, take a look at this one too."
The old man took it in his hand, glanced at it, and exclaimed, "Eh? Is this also Song Dynasty porcelain?"
"It should be!"
"It's Song Dynasty white porcelain from Puzhou!"
The old man adjusted his reading glasses. "When Tan Gong was still alive, several Jin Dynasty tombs were unearthed in Yongji, and he invited us to take a look. There were several pieces of this fine white porcelain at the time. Judging from the shape and firing technique, it should be from the Northern Song to the Jin Dynasty... Tan Gong said at the time that it was most likely fired on the western slope..."
Lin Sicheng's spirits lifted: "Old factory director, if we're looking for the kiln site, is it still possible to find it?"
"It's difficult! First came mining, then factories. Regardless of whether it was from the Song, Yuan, Ming, or Qing dynasties, anything that was in the way was torn down. So even if there were any, they would be buried under the mines and factories. It's impossible to stop work and let you slowly search and dig!"
"Forget about the Song Dynasty pieces; there probably wasn't even a shard left. But thankfully, when the Yixing clay factory was expanded, two Ming Dynasty porcelain pits were unearthed on the west side. Lao Tan and I picked out a few good pieces and kept them. If you need them, take them!"
As he spoke, the old man pointed to his son: "Bring out those items I just mentioned!"
Presumably prepared in advance, the man went into the inner room and brought out a tray.
There were four or five pieces of varying sizes, all of which were damaged: a white-glazed vase with half of its base missing, a plum vase that had not yet been fired, and a white-glazed bowl with three cracks.
The remaining double-eared vase with branch pattern was pieced together: the lower half of the white porcelain shards was not a single object from the upper half.
Upon closer inspection, apart from that bowl, the rest were only poorly fired. The clay was not only coarse but also thick, and the glaze was poorly applied.
For example, that vase, the upper part is passable, but the lower part not only has glaze running but also glaze cracking, and it feels bumpy to the touch.
The bowl is alright, with a printed peony scroll pattern, but the clay body is poorly made and asymmetrical.
However, one thing is certain: the clay body is exactly the same as the two porcelain shards he brought, so it can be basically concluded that these pieces were made of the same porcelain clay.
On the contrary, it was the last two pieces of broken porcelain that caught Lin Sicheng's eye: carved patterns on a white background?
He had seen many carved porcelain pieces, especially from the Cizhou kiln in Hebei. But most of them were plain white porcelain with slips of other colors, such as red clay, brown clay, or black clay.
Then, following the pattern, remove the slip to reveal the unglazed white pattern underneath.
But these two pieces were first carved on the unglazed body, and then black paint was filled into the lines?
What should this be called? White-ground carved black-painted porcelain.
Lin Sicheng looked at it with curiosity for a long time.
Then, he handed it to Zhao Xiuneng: "Senior Brother Zhao, have you ever seen this before?"
Zhao Xiuneng shook his head.
Wang Qizhi glanced at it and shook his head: "I've never seen it before either!"
The old man chuckled, "Don't say you haven't seen it before, I haven't seen it either, and neither has Lao Tan..."
He paused for a moment, then said with absolute certainty, "But it must have been burned here!"
Of course: the same tire material, exactly the same as the ones Lin Sicheng brought.
But strangely, Lin Sicheng felt that the two porcelain pieces looked somewhat familiar.
He was certain that this technique had not been mentioned in any documents. But he seemed to recall seeing a similar object somewhere before.
Lin Sicheng tried hard to recall, but to no avail. Then, he turned the porcelain shard over.
It's not thin, and it's pitted and uneven, as if it were peeled off from some extremely thick porcelain.
Huh, a porcelain pillow?
Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up: Where had he seen a porcelain pillow before?
Haha...The Forbidden City!
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