Chapter 39 The Chinese are the ancestors of tile-making! ...
Sun Ying is a professor at the Huaxia Dance Academy and a leading figure in the Chinese dance world. "Treading the Song" is one of his works. He began studying classical Chinese dance in the 1960s and 70s, when classical dance styles were just being established and could be described as a barren wasteland.
He and his colleagues searched through various ancient books, murals, ancient sculptures, and so on. They also incorporated movements from opera, acrobatics, and even martial arts, and brought in ballet training systems. Finally, Chinese classical dance gradually flourished and blossomed into a splendid art form.
"Treading the Song" is a prime example, blending modern art with classical charm.
Professor Sun Ying, now in her advanced age, is very proud of her work, "Treading Song," which, even after decades, still looks timeless and is a classic that can be preserved for generations.
He has an outgoing personality and modern ideas. Even though he is older, he surfs the internet just like young people and occasionally browses short video platforms. He is happy to see that more and more people are falling in love with classical dance.
Professor Wang naturally didn't miss out on the wave of discussion sparked by Zhao Feiyan, and he also took note of the controversies.
Professor Sun, who hadn't posted in a long time, finally couldn't resist and published a long article on his Weibo account:
Hello everyone, fellow classical dance enthusiasts, I am Sun Ying.
The veteran artists don't really like the term "fans" and prefer to call people "audience".
I am very pleased that "Treading the Song" has been loved by everyone for decades. Recently, I saw a young friend named "Zhao Yizhu" dancing "Treading the Song" online, and I really like it.
In her own version, Zhao Xiaoyou incorporated her understanding of the piece, transforming the originally lighthearted image of strolling hand-in-hand in spring into a refined, Zen-like classical beauty. Personally, I think it's a brilliant adaptation. For a solo dance, where there are no hands to hold, changing the approach is perfectly acceptable. Moreover, Zhao Xiaoyou clearly brought her own unique style to the extreme, making for a truly exhilarating performance.
Although Tage (踏歌), originating among the common people of the Han Dynasty, later spread to the imperial court and flourished during the Tang Dynasty. For the ancients, Tage was an integral part of life; they sang when happy, when sad, and even during sacrificial rites. They could dance anytime, anywhere, without any set movement patterns. My creation, "Tage," merely borrows from its influence, but I dare not and have no right to confine it to any particular style.
Furthermore, classical dance has developed to its current state precisely because it embraces innovation and change while upholding traditional culture. Our dancers should not be bound by too many rules and regulations, and we hope that audiences can be tolerant and generous in their appreciation of their ideas and innovations. Only in this way can classical dance go further and more steadily.
Finally, Zhao Xiaoyou has a solid foundation in dance, and her understanding of classical dance is particularly insightful. If I were still young and able to create a new dance drama, I would definitely invite her to play the lead role.
After reading the entire article word by word, Liu Chan finally let out a long sigh of relief and couldn't help but pump his fist.
This time it's a sure thing!
He scrolled through the comments and, sure enough, most people were praising Sun Ying's article for its veteran artist demeanor—unpretentious, sincere, and willing to speak up for young people. Even some fans who initially disapproved had changed their minds.
Professor Sun is right. I need to reflect on myself; perhaps my preconceived notions led me to develop a prejudice against it.
[Actually, I also wanted to say that I scoffed at it the first time I watched it, but after watching it several times, I found that it's actually quite good.]
[Speaking of which, Professor Sun is so old yet still so open to new things, while we are still clinging to the past. It's truly shameful.]
These are genuine enthusiasts of classical dance. They might initially mock and criticize due to temporary prejudice, but once they set aside their prejudices, they can frankly acknowledge the other person's skill level. Under this prevailing trend, a small group of stubborn haters is no longer a threat.
Zhao Feiyan's fans were overjoyed and flooded Sun Ying's Weibo with flower emojis as a token of their gratitude.
The situation is very promising.
Liu Chan quickly forwarded the long article to Lu Xiaoqi and Zhao Feiyan.
Zhao Feiyan nodded in satisfaction: "This old lady has good judgment."
Because she was dancing solo, she couldn't achieve the "joint singing and dancing" effect and always felt something was missing, so she added a touch of the court music and dance style of the time. Also, because her costume was rather solemn, she abandoned the graceful and charming temperament and instead chose movements from a sacrificial ceremony.
I never expected that Professor Wang could see it. No wonder he is the one who created "Treading the Song".
Zhao Feiyan was certain that this dance would still be popular even if it were performed in the music bureaus of the Han Dynasty.
......
"Still haven't found out where she went to school?" Sun Ying put down her phone, took off her reading glasses, and asked her assistant.
The assistant frowned: "We've asked all the dance academies in China, and there really isn't such a student."
Sun Ying was somewhat surprised: "Could it be that you are truly self-taught?"
There are many classical dance enthusiasts online who frequently post their dance videos, which may look quite decent at first glance. However, to industry insiders, they are completely wrong. They can tell whether someone has undergone proper, systematic dance training.
After watching all of Zhao Feiyan's dance videos, including the poorly made ones, Sun Ying concluded that she must be a professional. Curious about who had taught such an outstanding student, he asked his assistant to inquire, but the result was that no one in the entire domestic dance community could be found.
It was as if she had suddenly fallen from the sky.
"It's not just you asking; many people are asking too," the assistant said with a smile. "And when everyone compares their answers, they're all a bit confused."
Sun Ying: "If it's self-taught, that would be even more remarkable."
He suddenly remembered and asked, "Any progress on Xiao Qin's matter?"
The assistant was taken aback, then shook his head: "I haven't heard anything about any progress."
Sun Ying revealed a childlike smile: "Come on, let me give her a call and tell her that I've found the leading lady she's looking for!"
The "Little Qin" he mentioned is Qin Shaohua, his last disciple, who is also an outstanding choreographer and later became a director of musicals. Qin Shaohua originally had a permanent position in a song and dance troupe in the capital, but she couldn't stand the troupe's lack of ambition and complacency, so she resigned in anger a few years ago and went to the south to start her own song and dance troupe.
However, those with high artistic talent are not necessarily suited for business.
Qin Shaohua's dance dramas in the past two years have been somewhat highbrow and niche, gaining critical acclaim but only mediocre box office revenue, and the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Some time ago, she came up with a script called "Treading on the Golden Lotus," which she was very optimistic about and intended to gamble on as her last chance.
If that still doesn't work, then the dance troupe will have no choice but to disband.
Sun Ying was quite optimistic about that book, but her own disciple's career had been really bad these past two years, and problems arose at the last minute.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh.
When the call reached Qin Shaohua, she was intently watching the dance troupe rehearse offstage.
“The people behind aren’t keeping up! I’ve told you so many times, as soon as the music starts, you have to keep up immediately…” She is usually kind, but she is very strict when choreographing dances.
As she hurriedly went out to answer the phone, everyone on stage collapsed to the ground.
Some people muttered, "Our dance drama might not even get staged, so why are we still rehearsing it?"
"Maybe Teacher Qin can actually find a suitable leading lady."
"It's tough. With Sister Shi gone, who in our troupe can take on this role? And it's not that easy to find someone outside," another person sneered. "Sister Shi, of all times, chose to leave at this time, planting such a huge landmine for us. If it weren't for Teacher Qin, would we have her now?"
"They're off to make big money, why would they care about a small dance troupe like ours?"
"Alright, alright, everyone, say less."
It turns out that the original lead actress for Qin Shaohua's "Treading on the Golden Lotus" was a female dancer surnamed Shi from the dance troupe. She had already passed the rehearsals, but she changed her mind at the last minute and resigned, catching Qin Shaohua off guard.
During this time, besides rehearsing dances, Qin Shaohua asked acquaintances and friends to find a suitable female lead. But finding someone who can play the female lead in a dance drama is not easy. Even if someone is available, they have their own careers and it is difficult to squeeze out a break in their schedule.
Although Qin Shaohua didn't show it on her face, she was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, unable to spare the time or the mood to look at her phone. The people in the dance troupe had been avoiding her lately, so naturally they wouldn't share anything online with her.
Therefore, when she heard her mentor recommend a dancer named Zhao Yizhu, she looked blank and asked, "Who is this?"
Sun Ying chuckled at her, "Look at you, you call yourself young, yet you're not as up-to-date with internet trends as this old man? Anyway, I think that girl is pretty good; you might want to consider her. Of course, she might not agree to be with you..."
He sent the video to Qin Shaohua.
Qin Shaohua stood there, looking at it again and again. In the end, the dejected look on her face disappeared, and joy shone in her eyes.
......
While Zhao Feiyan was being discussed by Sun Ying and others, Lu Xiaoqi was here with the craftsmen looking at samples of various raw materials that had been delivered.
After contacting several suppliers who had previously worked on Qinghe Ancient Town, they were all very proactive. Most of them even sent sales representatives in person with samples for the customers to inspect, rather than mailing them samples. The ancient architecture circle is small, and the news spread quickly, leading to other companies sending sales representatives to seek cooperation.
This includes timber, roof tiles, floor tiles, and so on.
As for timber, Phoebe zhennan is certainly unaffordable, but Phoebe zhennan from Ya'an, Sichuan is also quite good. It is said that Ya'an Phoebe zhennan was used when the Qianlong Garden in the Forbidden City was restored.
However, the price of Ya'an nanmu is also quite high. According to the salesperson, the most commonly used wood in modern antique-style buildings is actually Fujian fir and Inner Mongolian pine.
Carpenter Li asked, "Do you have any huanghuali or zitan?"
He used to prefer using these two types of furniture.
Xiang Qi frowned and asked, "Do you have any timber with a larger diameter?"
He complained that the logs provided by the manufacturer were all too small.
The salesman wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had originally taken these strange-looking craftsmen seriously because his factory had a good supply of goods and business was booming. But after they easily listened to him and tapped on the samples he brought, they immediately became obedient.
Now that he understood their pickiness, he could only smile wryly: "You two must be joking, right? Where are there any trees with a diameter of more than 80 centimeters left? They've all been cut down long ago! The ones that survived all have signs protecting ancient trees, so who would dare to touch them? Even the Northern Song Dynasty imperial palace in Kaifeng, which the government wanted to rebuild, couldn't find such timber. And rosewood and huanghuali are incredibly expensive now."
The craftsmen looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting that the timber industry had fallen to such a state.
"Never mind, these will do." Xiang Ming was a little disgusted but had no choice. "We're just doing repairs, so we should try to save Miss Lu money. Besides, this isn't like we're repairing the palace."
The others then nodded.
Lu Xiaoqi breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought that with a hundred million, she could finally rest easy, but she only realized what it meant to spend money like water when it came to actually purchasing repair materials.
These things are all too expensive!
Even inexpensive materials like Scots pine and cedar cost around 800 to 1,500 yuan per cubic meter. She didn't want to use new materials like 3D printing as a substitute, because if she wanted to authentically recreate the ancient atmosphere, wooden construction was still the most suitable.
Fortunately, Qinghe Ancient Town only needs renovation and not a complete reconstruction, and the work is being done in phases, which prevented her from feeling so hopeless. It's worth noting that the restoration of the famous Wuzhen Xizha scenic area used over 50,000 cubic meters of timber and cost a total of 900 million yuan!
Moreover, that was the price from twenty years ago.
Lu Xiaoqi just wanted to look up to the sky and sigh. How difficult was it for her to not be anxious about money?!
Of course, she couldn't show any fear in front of the manufacturer, so she calmly accompanied Yuwen Kai and the others as they looked at all the materials.
Until Yuwen Kai frowned, looking at the two tiles in his hand.
There were characters on the two tiles that he didn't recognize.
One piece is covered with flat tiles, while the other features a ferocious beast face, which is quite eye-catching.
The sales representative from the trading company enthusiastically explained to him: "These are Kyōya tiles from Japan. The ones with animal faces are the famous 'Oni-men' tiles. Kyōya tiles are currently the highest-end tiles on the market for antique-style buildings, and their quality is better than domestic tiles. Many high-end ancient building projects in China use this type of tile..."
This trading company represents many imported materials, but its main brand is Kyoya from Japan. Lu Xiaoqi had inquired and learned that this company's products are indeed very good, practically dominating the high-end market in the domestic ancient architecture industry.
Yuwen Kai was displeased, but asked indifferently, "Do you have any tiles from within the country?"
The sales representative was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "Sir, don't be fooled by the high price of Jingye tiles; they will save you a lot of trouble later on. They are stronger than domestic tiles and can last at least eighty years, while domestic tiles can only last forty or fifty years."
Lu Xiaoqi glanced at his quote and couldn't help but gasp: "Twice the lifespan, but the price is more than twice that of domestically produced tiles!"
"This is a high-end project..." the sales representative began, but before he could finish, Yuwen Kai interrupted him.
He said angrily, "No need to say more, I will never use Japanese tiles."
The sales representative was taken aback, frowning slightly, clearly embarrassed by his attitude. He had always been well-received when promoting Jingye; he had never encountered such an awkward situation before.
But who is Yuwen Kai? He was originally a powerful minister, a nobleman who grew up in a wealthy and powerful family. When he wanted to, he could use his demeanor to make people feel like they were basking in a spring breeze, but when he didn't want to, he wouldn't care about other people's expressions or feelings.
Lu Xiaoqi tried to smooth things over: "The main thing is that this isn't a high-end project; we can't afford such expensive tiles..."
The sales representative lamented inwardly; Jinye Tiles had given him significantly more commission—that was all money! However, since the customer objected, he had no choice. After a few forced laughs, he finally offered to show him some domestic tiles: "How about you take a look at Yixing ceramic tiles? They're among the best in China..."
Yuwen Kai nodded without saying anything more.
He looked at the glazed tiles beside him. Qinghe Ancient Town mainly uses blue tiles, but there are also some places that need to use glazed tiles.
These are two different types of glazed tiles. They are the same color, but you can tell the difference in quality if you look closely.
"The one on the left is made in Jiexiu, China, and the one on the right is made in Japan." The sales representative smiled, still wanting to try another one. "I suggest you take a look at the one on the right. This is a product launched by Jingye in recent years. It's harder and has a brighter glaze than domestic glazed tiles. This is a unique Japanese technology, and it's in no way inferior to the glazed tiles used in our Forbidden City!"
"And..." he paused, then added mysteriously, "It's currently running a promotion, and I can get a discount for us, which will bring the price down to 5% lower than domestically produced ones. That's incredibly cost-effective!"
Yuwen Kai glanced at him sideways and figured it out. This salesman was mainly pushing Japanese tiles, and these domestic ones were probably just extras for comparison. And they might even be picking ordinary quality ones.
He didn't say anything, only asked, "Are there any other colors?"
The sales representative was overjoyed: "Yes! Last year, Jingye produced the lost peacock blue glazed tiles! Even now, no one in China has been able to replicate this technique. Everyone who has seen it says the color is beautiful. However, there are very few samples of that color, and it's extremely valuable, so I didn't bring it with me today..."
Yuwen Kai waved his hand dismissively: "Then we'll talk about it when you bring them. Keep these samples for now, I'll consider it."
The salesman opened his mouth as if to say something, but a glance from Yuwen Kai sent a chill down his spine, and he dared not speak again, stammering, "Okay, then we'll do as you say, teacher."
Lu Xiaoqi spent another half a day with them looking at the list, but she got dizzy from all the looking, so she simply let go and went back to the office building. Anyway, all she was responsible for was signing the purchase list and arranging the financial transfer.
Walking back to the office building, you can see construction teams everywhere, a bustling scene, and people coming and going everywhere.
Several projects are being carried out simultaneously, including water and electricity maintenance, network repairs, and building renovations.
Not only within the ancient town, but the office building itself has also undergone a dramatic transformation. Gone is the quiet and desolate atmosphere; now, the sounds of voices and footsteps can be heard frequently. Besides her, Chen Yingying, Liu Chan, and Su Jun, there are several other people present.
Finance, social media assistant, administration and HR assistant... Chen Yingying is gradually enriching the structure of the logistics department of Qinghe Ancient Town.
Lu Xiaoqi returned to the office, where Su Jun was also present. In Chen Yingying's organizational structure, Su Jun was her assistant, so they now shared an office.
She noticed Su Jun looking at something on his laptop and couldn't help but find it amusing. It seemed surprisingly natural. Walking over, she saw he was playing Minesweeper.
Lu Xiaoqi: ......
She coughed heavily.
Su Jun remained expressionless: "...You need to balance work and rest."
Lu Xiaoqi laughed and pretended to be funny: "Don't play such stupid little games. I'll install some fun ones for you another day."
Su Jun's voice was gentle: "I'm afraid I won't have time to play if I pretend to be someone else."
Lu Xiaoqi, feeling guilty, chuckled awkwardly, "How could that be?"
Su Jun looked up at her, and she touched her nose, her eyes darting around.
Su Jun chuckled and shook his head.
Lu Xiaoqi looked around, slumped into her boss's chair, and pulled out her phone, ready to slack off openly.
What should we play?
Tap your finger and play the cat-finding game!
Su Jun leaned closer: "...Miss Lu doesn't seem to be very intelligent either."
Lu Xiaoqi chuckled: "This is the kind of stress reliever."
For example, when she was just clicking around, she completely forgot that she was about to incur a large expense for materials.
Just as I finished thinking, I received a call from the finance department: "Boss, please double-check the fish restaurant's mini-program. If everything is fine, I'll pay the balance."
Lu Xiaoqi then remembered that the mini-program had been completed yesterday, and she had even tried it out, but she was so busy that she forgot to give feedback. It was a very simple mini-program, and the other party had done a good job.
"Okay, no problem, let's make the final payment."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Xiaoqi was heartbroken, like a miser who had squandered his gold coins. It wasn't actually that expensive, only ten thousand yuan. Back then, she had confidently told Song Wu's wife that they were rich and could make ten of these mini-programs. But now…
Ah, those were truly unbearable memories.
Su Jun couldn't help but smile.
His boss was completely different from the cunning and calculating officials he had encountered before. She could never hide too many emotions on her face, so straightforward... yet quite adorable.
After the finance department completed the final payment, Lu Xiaoqi received a voice notification from the system.
"You have completed this week's task. The task reward of 20,000 yuan has been transferred to your bank account."
"Player, if I may remind you, you have accumulated two card draw chances. Please draw a card as soon as possible."
Lu Xiaoqi: "Okay, I'll take it out in the next couple of days."
She felt a little better; she spent 10,000 and got 20,000 back—she made a profit!
"Look, I earn 10,000 a week, 40,000 a month, and 500,000 a year. In just 100 years, I'll have 50 million!" she lazily told the system. "At this rate, in just 500 years, I'll have enough money to restore Qinghe Ancient Town!"
The system ignored her sarcastic remarks: "Once players obtain the basic maintenance function, they will not need to invest too much in raw materials later. According to my calculations, 100 million can fully support the first batch of investment in the ancient town."
The system felt its calculations were flawless and did not understand her anxiety.
Lu Xiaoqi said quietly, "Of course you don't understand the feeling of having to face such huge expenses every day as soon as you open your eyes, and now you're completely living off your savings with no income."
She's not some rich heiress or heiress. The biggest expense she ever made was buying a small apartment, and the biggest loan she ever took out was a mortgage of several hundred thousand yuan. At her peak, she had less than a million yuan in her bank account. Now, her expenses are often hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of yuan. How can she not feel pressured?
It was absolutely terrifying.
Lu Xiaoqi called her feelings "born poor". Look at those real estate tycoons who went bankrupt and ran away a few years ago. They owed the banks tens of billions of yuan. It's true that the bolder the person, the more land they can produce. No wonder it's real estate.
She can't do it; she doesn't have the mental fortitude.
Lu Xiaoqi said somewhat dejectedly, "Do you think I was never destined for great wealth and status?"
Su Jun was already used to her fluctuating emotions due to anxiety these past few days, and said gently, "Of course not. You just have a sense of awe, which is a good thing."
He had seen many people who lost their reverence for wealth and power fall from high positions to prison, or who became arrogant and extravagant after gaining power, ultimately ending up in a regrettable situation.
"Knowing how to respect is a very important virtue," Su Jun said earnestly. "And there are actually very few people like that in the world."
Lu Xiaoqi looked into his eyes, her expression genuinely sincere. She felt inexplicably comforted, yet also a little embarrassed: "It's not as exaggerated as you say..."
The system was speechless: "Player, I already said something similar to you a couple of days ago."
Lu Xiaoqi said matter-of-factly, "You know what? Some words have different effects when spoken by different people. He's so handsome, whatever he says is right!"
The system shut down.
......
Inside the ancient town.
The salespeople had already gone home, so Yuwen Kai summoned two bricklayers from Xiangjia Village and asked them to carefully examine the samples in his hands. There were many things he couldn't say in front of outsiders.
The two bricklayers, their faces grave, tapped on several different tiles to listen to the sound and weighed them in their hands.
After a while, they put down their glasses and pointed to the plain domestic ceramic tiles and the Japanese-made Kyoto tiles on the table, saying, "Indeed, the tiles made in Japan are better."
The people of the Ming Dynasty had become accustomed to calling the island to the east "Wa" (倭国), and they also deeply resented them. At that time, Wokou (倭寇) frequently invaded the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, raping, plundering, and harming the people. They fought against the Ming army several times, and the court even held a grand ceremony to present prisoners of war.
Therefore, when the bricklayers revealed this fact, they were equally unhappy.
The Chinese are the ancestors of tile-making! How could they have lost to Japan?
Yuwen Kai pondered for a moment, touched the earthenware tile, then touched the Jingye tile, and looked up to ask the two men, "Is it possible to fire it?"
Unexpectedly, the two bricklayers were silent for a moment, then shook their heads: "We are not good at this kind of blue tile, we can only give it a try."
Just as Yuwen Kai was feeling somewhat disappointed, the bricklayer pointed to the glazed tiles, which were also made in Japan, and said proudly, "But we can fire these glazed tiles, and we can fire them much better than they can!"
Their ancestors used to make glazed tiles for the Forbidden City!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
