Chapter 291: Paint a Few Chickens, and You Have a Chicken Cup

The entire hall was silent, not a sound to be heard.

The venue was quiet to a bizarre degree.

Over a hundred pairs of eyes were fixed tightly on the stage, staring at that young face without blinking. At the same time, all sorts of thoughts surged through their minds:

Two months to find an ancient porcelain kiln site dating back seven or eight hundred years, covering an area of several hundred mu, and to substantiate its craft origins, technical characteristics, and historical value?

It sounds like a fantasy; never mind two months, would two years even be enough for you?

But if it's Lin Sicheng, it really is enough.

Let's count: from arriving in Yuncheng in early March to finishing in early July, how many kiln sites did Lin Sicheng find with Tian Jie and Gao Zhangyi?

From large to small, from the Neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty, a full five sites.

At the same time, he also led Huang Zhifeng and Qin Tao to research the craft origins, distribution ranges, and technical connections of Hejin White Porcelain, Carved Flower Porcelain, and Porcelain Pillows clearly and thoroughly.

Averaging it out, how long did he spend on each site and each type of craft?

Less than a month.

Furthermore, the Hozhou Kiln is not like the Hejin Kiln; there were no historical records, no remains left on the surface, and no previous discoveries.

From the Yuan to the Ming, records of Huo Ware and the Peng Kiln of Hezhou appeared in more than one historical source, not to mention that a team of experts from the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Forbidden City had conducted systematic surveys in the seventies.

With so many clues and materials, and sufficient samples of broken wares, two months is more than enough for Lin Sicheng.

As if by telepathy, Zheng Ming and Jiang Chengying exchanged a glance, and both read four words in the other's expression: So that's how it is?

No wonder when they were surveying the Beijian Relic Site in Guzhen at the end, and found the site area was small with very few broken wares remaining, Lin Sicheng was so calm and unruffled.

And even less wonder that when the two of them killed the donkey the moment it left the mill, breaking their agreement and kicking Lin Sicheng out of the game, Lin Sicheng was so indifferent.

It turns out that at that time, Lin Sicheng already knew: if there was no Hejin Kiln, there was still the Hozhou Kiln.

He wanted to continue his research, and there were plenty of samples; the ones lacking samples were merely Hejin and Yuncheng.

It was the perfect opportunity to go with the flow, dissolve the agreement, and free his hands. Whatever discoveries or results he achieved afterward would have nothing to do with Yuncheng or Hejin.

The two of them finally understood why Lin Sicheng was able to join the steering group.

All five sites in Hejin were discovered by him, and the Hozhou Kiln was also re-examined by him; no one knew the situation of these sites better than he did.

Standing from the perspective of the National Cultural Heritage Administration: since there is a shortcut to take, there is no need to suffer unnecessarily. By recruiting Lin Sicheng into the steering group, couldn't they bypass many detours?

Standing from Lin Sicheng's perspective, why did he insist on joining the expert group?

Putting oneself in his shoes, who could swallow this insult?

Looking at Lin Sicheng again, Zheng Ming and Jiang Chengying didn't quite know how to evaluate him: this scheming, this shrewdness, this ability, this execution... how old are you?

But that is secondary; the point is that Lin Sicheng discovered two sites simultaneously.

Same era: both from the Song and Jin periods. Same craft: both inherited from the Song Dynasty Jingdezhen Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Porcelain.

But the area of the Hozhou Kiln is five or six times that of the Hejin Kiln, and it covers the Tribute Porcelain systems of the Jin, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, while the Hejin Kiln is only suspected.

Again, from the perspective of the National Cultural Heritage Administration: which is more important, which has greater influence?

Even if they were equal, a bowl of meat that one person used to eat now has to be shared by two. The key is, the person sharing the meat is very likely the cook who worked hard to make the good meat, only to be driven away by them?

At the thought of the scenes where he discussed with Deputy Bureau Chief Zheng how to break the contract and how to drive Lin Sicheng away, Jiang Chengying regretted it so much he wanted to vomit blood: stealing a chicken only to lose the rice, lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

But who the hell could have known?

Compared to that, Zheng Ming felt slightly better.

Although the process was somewhat tortuous, all roads lead to Rome, and the meat is still in the pot.

Adding a Hozhou Kiln, although it caused the value and influence of the Hejin Kiln to be discounted several times over. But what is lost externally is compensated internally:

Although it didn't reach the level of Imperial Porcelain, in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Hozhou could be considered an Official Kiln, and its influence was only greater, not less.

Furthermore, whether it is the Hejin Kiln or the Hozhou Kiln, they are both sites in Shanxi. Regardless of which one is more representative or has higher value, it does not affect the expansion of the province's fame and influence.

To put it bluntly: as long as there is excavation, as long as there is research, one cannot bypass the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, and all the honors that should be there will be there.

Otherwise, could it grow wings and fly away?

While he was pondering, Lin Sicheng stood up:

"To make it easier for the leaders to understand more intuitively, and to allow each unit to clearly understand the plan and scheme for this archaeological work, I will now briefly elaborate on some of the research progress and results achieved so far..."

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng took a U-disk out of his bag and handed it to the staff. At the same time, two secretaries were distributing documents to everyone on the podium.

Immediately, a PPT file appeared on the screen: The Distribution and Evolution of Craft Techniques of Song Dynasty Jingdezhen Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Porcelain. And the Representativeness and Influence of Thin-body Porcelain in the Imperial Tribute Porcelain System during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.

Looking at the large and eye-catching title on the material, Zheng Ming frowned slightly: Hejin Porcelain is Hejin Porcelain, or labeling it Hozhou Porcelain would also work; why keep bringing up Jingdezhen and the Hutian Kiln?

And why make the title so grand?

Lin Sicheng must have done it on purpose... no, one could completely remove the "must have."

He is angry at himself and Jiang Chengying for being treacherous and killing the donkey the moment it left the mill, so he is taking revenge in a roundabout way.

But it doesn't matter; no matter how much you emphasize Jingdezhen and Shadow Blue Porcelain, the fact that the craft was lost after the Song Dynasty is indisputable. If you want to continue researching and substantiating the distribution and evolution of the craft, then you inevitably cannot bypass Hejin Porcelain and Hozhou Porcelain.

Thinking of this, Zheng Ming twitched the corner of his mouth, and his locked brows relaxed.

Just as he was thinking about whether to comfort Jiang Chengying, a "buzz" erupted in the venue.

It was like poking a beehive; over a hundred voices suddenly erupted and converged together. Noisy, clamorous, and chaotic.

Everyone off-stage had their eyes fixed on the screen, their faces full of shock, suspicion, and disbelief.

Zheng Ming was stunned for a moment and turned his head abruptly.

That's right, it was still that title: Song Dynasty Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Porcelain. But below it, there were many more subheadings:

Evolution of the Official Kiln System: Song Dynasty Jingdezhen Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Porcelain (Luan Bai Yu Ci) — Yuan Dynasty Egg White Glaze (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln), Ming Dynasty Yongle Sweet White Glaze (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) — Chenghua Eggshell Ware (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) — Chenghua Doucai (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) — Blue and White Glaze Red (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln) — Qing Dynasty Devitrified Porcelain.

Folk Kiln System: 1. Song Dynasty Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Porcelain — Late Song and Jin Dynasty Hejin Kiln Fine White Porcelain. Covered Era: Jin Dynasty. Distribution Range: Southern Shanxi.

2. Song Dynasty Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Porcelain — Jin Dynasty Hozhou Kiln Thin-body Porcelain — Yuan Dynasty Thin-body Porcelain (Department Porcelain) — Ming Dynasty Wangfu Carved Flower Porcelain. Covered Era: Jin, Yuan, Ming. Distribution Range: Shanxi and the Northwest.

3. Ming Dynasty Yongle Sweet White Glaze — Dehua Kiln White Porcelain. Covered Era: Ming, Qing. Distribution Range: Nationwide, Asia, Europe...

"Boom~"

Zheng Ming felt as if his brain had exploded; all the blood rushed to his head.

Even a layman would know what Sweet White Glaze, Doucai, and Blue and White Glaze Red are. Even an outsider could understand what this meant.

What's more, he was half an Expert himself.

The firing techniques for these Tribute Porcelain and Imperial Porcelain all originated from the Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Porcelain. In other words, the Luanbai Jade that Lin Sicheng was so tirelessly and obsessively thinking about.

But in the entire Official Kiln inheritance system and distribution process, there was absolutely no sign of the Hejin Kiln. It was even at the very bottom of the Folk Kiln system.

Hozhou Porcelain was slightly better; it briefly entered the Official Kiln system during the Yuan Dynasty and was used exclusively for Wangfu porcelain during the Ming Dynasty.

But in the face of so many Imperial Kilns and so many famous porcelains, its influence was practically negligible.

Don't believe it?

Don't even compare it to things like Sweet White Glaze or Doucai; just compare it to Dehua White. Take one piece of each of the three types of porcelain and ask around in the collector circles.

Dehua White: This is impressive, the pinnacle of Ming and Qing Dynasty Folk Kiln White Glazed Porcelain.

Hozhou Porcelain: Hmm, seems like I have a bit of an impression.

Hejin Porcelain: What on earth is this?

A minute ago, he was still thinking: if one wants to continue Artifact Research on Shadow Blue Porcelain, one inevitably cannot bypass Hejin Porcelain and Hozhou Porcelain. But in the blink of an eye, his face was slapped soundly?

If you still don't believe it, take one of each again and ask around in the archaeology and academic circles: unless an Expert has been kicked in the head by a donkey, they wouldn't leave Imperial Porcelain and Dehua White unstudied to instead study the completely unknown Hejin Porcelain and Hozhou Porcelain.

So, did it really grow wings and fly away, damn it?

But who could have imagined that the distribution of Shadow Blue Porcelain would be so wide, that there would be so many famous porcelains inheriting the craft, and that the technical evolution could reach such a high level?

Compared to him, Jiang Chengying was neither shocked nor suspicious; he seemed a bit more composed and indifferent.

But no one knew that he had already given up hope and completely lost heart.

If there weren't so many Imperial Porcelains, Official Kilns, and also Dehua White and Hozhou Kiln, the discovery of the Hejin Kiln would definitely have been enough to shock the archaeological world and become famous throughout China: the only Fine White Porcelain production Center in the north during the Jin and Yuan periods.

Just as Lin Sicheng said at the beginning: Mayor Jiang, don't worry, one of the top ten new archaeological discoveries in China is guaranteed.

Even if there is one more Hozhou Kiln, the influence would be reduced by half... oh no, maybe a bit more: reduced to forty percent. But being ranked alongside the Hozhou Kiln as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries is definitely no problem. It can still make the names of Hejin and Yuncheng a household word.

And now, these two kilns being listed as new discoveries is definitely a sure thing, because the influence is more than ten times greater than before.

But the problem is, the opponents coming to share the benefits are more than a hundred times stronger, and each one is more famous than the last.

To give an analogy: on a stage with ten spotlights, do the audience pay more attention to the eight that are blindingly bright, or the two that are almost invisible in the dark?

Forget about paying attention, you can't even find them...

Seeing him motionless with a blank expression, Zheng Ming lowered his voice: "It doesn't matter, at least Hejin Kiln is still number one in the province!"

Number one in the province?

Heh, Director Zheng, where do you put the Hozhou Kiln?

Zheng Ming realized belatedly that his words were inappropriate, thought for a moment, and added: "At least with Hozhou Kiln as a foundation, the samples are sufficient. If we put in more effort to restore the Shadow Blue Porcelain craft, the influence won't be that low."

Jiang Chengying perked up: That's right, Craft Restoration?

Since so many famous porcelains and Imperial Porcelain originated from Shadow Blue Porcelain, if the craft were restored, couldn't one directly label Hejin Porcelain as "Luanbai Jade"?

As long as the speed is fast enough, it's not impossible to compete with Jingdezhen for the inheritance relationship of these types of famous porcelain.

But after thinking about it, he sighed dejectedly: with the Forbidden City in front and Jingdezhen behind, the research strength in the province was pitifully weak compared to them.

It might even be inferior to Lin Sicheng.

Seeing what he was thinking, Zheng Ming gave him a look: "If it were that easy to study, why would the Experts from the Forbidden City come here?"

Jiang Chengying thought for a moment and suddenly realized: they don't have samples, and they don't know the specific structure of the Kiln Furnace.

That is why they are so desperate to excavate the Hozhou Kiln.

Then why did Lin Sicheng study it so quickly and thoroughly?

Because this kid is making a fortune in silence, quietly bringing back many broken artifacts from Hozhou.

But proving an inheritance relationship is one thing, and Craft Restoration is another: without knowing the Kiln Furnace structure, one cannot simulate the specific firing process and firing technique after the clay body enters the kiln.

This is the most critical step in Artifact Restoration, so having samples alone is useless for him...

Although he thought this in his heart, Jiang Chengying always felt something was wrong: could it be like last time, where he would even lose all shame just to terminate the contract with Lin Sicheng?

This is a superior unit, the National Cultural Heritage Administration; if it goes too far, we will both be in big trouble...

Zheng Ming naturally understood and sighed: "Let's change the strategy this time!"

Superior leaders are also human; the so-called "the crying baby gets the milk" is nothing more than presenting difficulties and acting pitiful.

And as the National Cultural Heritage Administration is a ministerial-level unit and the Forbidden City is a national-level research institution, they are not short of such achievements and honors. If we say a few nice words and let the Experts give a few pointers to the provincial unit, wouldn't the research progress pick up?

Lin Sicheng's ability is very strong, but as I said before, local development must be the prerequisite.

Want to study, want to do Craft Restoration, no problem. But you have to add a Shanxi prefix first...

The two discussed in low voices, and the crowd below was also buzzing with discussion.

Lin Sicheng was not in a hurry and waited quietly. After five or six minutes, the noise subsided a little.

He tapped the microphone, and over a hundred heads lifted in unison, and over a hundred pairs of eyes pierced straight at him.

"The above is the technical evolution and distribution of Shadow Blue Porcelain, Hejin Porcelain, and Hozhou Porcelain. Time is limited, and I will distribute the materials to all the teachers later, so I won't ramble on. Next, let's talk about the craft characteristics, differences, and Artifact Research of various porcelains..."

As he spoke, Lin Sicheng scrolled the mouse, and the images on the screen changed. It turned into a porcelain Bowl that was white with a hint of blue, and blue with a hint of white.

"This is a replica of Jingdezhen Shadow Blue Porcelain. The characteristic lies in the critical color rendering: when the Glaze Layer thickness is about 0.15mm, it appears lake green, and when it is less than 0.08mm, it turns moon white. Secondly, the light transmission mechanism: Quartz crystal phase > 78%, light transmittance reaches 65%..."

"The difficulty of the craft lies in the molecular ratio of the Glaze Material: iron content > 1% → glaze color turns gray; < 0.5% → loses the blue charm... And the Fine White Porcelain discovered at the Hejin Kiln is the latter: iron content is less than 0.5%, the main glaze is white, the blue color is faint, and it subtly reveals a gray tint..."

"Wait!" Before Lin Sicheng finished speaking, he was suddenly interrupted.

Yao Jianxin raised his hand, half-believing: "Teacher Lin, what you just said: replica, does that mean the craft of Shadow Blue Porcelain has already been restored?"

"Yes!"

Yao Jianxin was stunned for a moment, his face turning pale: "Which unit restored it? Jingdezhen, the Forbidden City, or the Cultural Relics Research Institute Pottery Research Center?"

"These units have heavy research tasks, and the teachers are all very busy, so it's not easy to trouble them, so it's none of them." Lin Sicheng smiled, "It was restored by the Northwest University Cultural Relic Restoration Center!"

Before the words had even faded, the conference hall, which had been quiet for only a few seconds, let out another "buzz."

Jiang Chengying and Zheng Ming looked at each other, their faces ashen.

What had they just said? That as long as the craft of Shadow Blue Porcelain was restored, the impact would be significant. Yet, less than three minutes after they finished speaking, Lin Sicheng had slapped them both across the face.

How the hell were they supposed to restore anything now?

Ren Xinbo, Dan Wu, and the various Persons in Charge who had been assisting Lin Sicheng in surveying the ruins all stood there as if frozen.

They had known back then that Lin Sicheng's ultimate goal was to restore Luanbai Jade. They had also never doubted whether Lin Sicheng could do it.

That was until they discovered the final Song Dynasty site at Beijian Geda.

The ash pits were too few, the slag accumulation layers were too shallow, and there were not enough sample specimens, so there was naturally no need to talk about so-called Craft Restoration. Therefore, although they did not agree with the leaders' approach, they could understand it: rather than wasting time and effort only to end up with nothing, it was better to cut their losses in time.

But they had never imagined that Lin Sicheng could actually succeed in restoring it.

There was also a group of people who simply did not believe it, such as Yao Jianxin.

He looked as if he had a toothache; he twisted his face and trembled his lips: "Teacher Lin, may I ask a question?"

"Of course you may!"

"Alright, Teacher Lin, the sites for the Hejin Kiln and Huo Prefecture Kiln have not yet been excavated. How did you simulate the structure of the Kiln Furnace, and how did you test the kiln atmosphere, glaze formation, and firing process?"

"It seems Director Yao did not hear clearly, so I will explain it again!" Lin Sicheng pointed to the screen, "This is not Hejin Porcelain, nor is it Hozhou Porcelain, but Shadow Blue Porcelain imitation-fired after Craft Restoration."

"The Hejin Kiln and Huo Prefecture Kiln may not have been excavated, but several Hutian Kiln sites have been, and they have been excavated for decades now, and studied for decades as well..."

"Bang~ bang~"

These two short sentences were like two iron hammers striking his forehead; Yao Jianxin was left seeing stars.

Beside him, Ren Xinbo and Tan Wu had faces as white as paper: That's right, the bowl on the screen was Shadow Blue Porcelain, not Hejin Porcelain, and certainly not Hozhou Porcelain.

To restore the craft, Lin Sicheng only needed to study the structure of the Hutian Kiln... no, he didn't even need to study it; he could just borrow the data and copy the figures. Therefore, whether or not the Hejin Kiln and Huo Prefecture Kiln were excavated had absolutely nothing to do with whether he could restore the craft.

He had even gone so far as to clearly research the craft characteristics of Hejin Porcelain: because the precise ratio of the Shadow Blue Porcelain Glaze Material had not been mastered, the color leaned toward white and gray.

Does this mean the craft had also been restored by him?

Yao Jianxin could not help himself and raised his hand again: "Teacher Lin, may I ask another question?"

He was being quite polite, wasn't he?

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Go ahead!"

"You just said it yourself: the Hutian Kiln has been excavated for decades now. Why hasn't Jingdezhen restored it?"

"The reason is simple: they didn't have enough sample specimens to conduct research. Let me put it simply: Song Porcelain prizes Celadon as the most prestigious and thick-bodied as the best. Although Shadow Blue Porcelain is also considered Tribute Porcelain, it never entered the mainstream. Even at the Hutian Kiln, the bulk of production remained Celadon, and very little Shadow Blue Porcelain was fired."

"Therefore, almost no Cultural Relics have survived. Because of this, although many sites have been excavated, not much genuine thin-bodied Shadow Blue Porcelain has actually been unearthed. Most of it is just Sky Blue Glaze with a thick body in the broad sense..."

Yao Jianxin's lips turned pale, and his throat went dry: "So, you used the kiln structure of the Hutian Kiln and the remnant sample specimens of Hozhou Porcelain to restore the craft of Shadow Blue Porcelain?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Yes!"

Yes to what, exactly?

Yao Jianxin shuddered, his whole body trembling...

The conference hall was in an uproar: wasn't this just borrowing a chicken to lay eggs?

Zheng Ming and Jiang Chengying's faces were as black as the bottom of a pot: so, they had once been that close to the successful restoration of Luanbai Jade?

How close?

They only needed to act according to the Contract, instead of getting rid of the donkey the moment it left the mill. Naturally, Lin Sicheng would have collected enough experimental samples from Huo Prefecture. Then, he would have researched and restored it...

Until this moment, some people finally felt true regret... oh no, fear!

They could already imagine what their fate would be once this meeting ended and they had to report to their leaders.

But time was limited, and Lin Sicheng could not wait for them to slowly digest this.

He tapped the microphone again: "Respected leaders, respected teachers, I will give a brief explanation first. If there are any questions, we can discuss them afterward!"

No one responded, but the noise had indeed quieted down significantly.

Lin Sicheng scrolled the mouse, and a moist, white Tea Cup appeared on the screen:

"This is the Yongle Sweet White Glaze imitation-fired after Craft Restoration. The reason it is hailed as the pinnacle of China's White Porcelain, pushing the pure aesthetics of Chinese porcelain to the extreme, lies in:

The color-rendering mechanism of full-spectrum scattering, the jade-like tactile sensation formed by molecular-level interface fusion, and the misty visual effect created by the Glaze Layer containing residual calcium feldspar nanocrystals smaller than 0.1μm..."

"The difficulty lies in the critical point between glaze vitrification and glaze formation: there is only a one-degree difference between success and failure. Above 1326℃, it collapses (the Glaze Layer cracks). Below 1324℃, it is under-fired (the sintering temperature is not reached, and the glaze surface lacks luster). Therefore, the firing rate is extremely low; in the Ming Dynasty, the yield was only three percent..."

Seeing Yao Jianxin look as if he had come back to life and was preparing to raise his hand again, Lin Sicheng smiled: "Director Yao, perhaps what I said is a bit complex, so let me put it simply:

Sweet White Glaze is a product generated by pursuing extreme thinness on the basis of the Yuan Dynasty Egg White Glaze craft. Therefore, if one can restore Shadow Blue Porcelain, one can restore Egg White Glaze, and likewise, one can restore Sweet White Glaze."

"Thus, there is no need to understand the specific kiln structure, and even less need for enough sample specimens to analyze the body-glaze formula; one only needs to adjust the parameters based on Shadow Blue Porcelain and continuously test and correct."

Yao Jianxin mumbled with his lips, not knowing what else to ask.

Should he ask Lin Sicheng how the Forbidden City and Jingdezhen had researched for so long without progress, while he had only taken two months?

But the words reached his lips, and he could not ask them.

Because apart from Lin Sicheng, no one knew that there was a succession relationship between Shadow Blue Porcelain, Egg White Glaze, and Sweet White Glaze.

Moreover, the photos of the samples were right there on the screen, and the experts from the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Forbidden City were sitting on the podium. Even with ten times the courage, Lin Sicheng would not dare to spout nonsense.

Following a long sigh from Yao Jianxin, the conference hall became quieter and quieter, and quieter still.

The screen flashed, and it changed to another one.

It was thinner, more translucent, as thin as an eggshell, as translucent as glass.

"Chenghua Eggshell Cup, the underglaze body of the Chicken Cup and Three Autumn Cup. The craft characteristic lies in the unique light-transmitting microstructure of the porcelain: the quartz crystals in the Glaze Layer are oriented in an array."

"The difficulty lies in the thinness, even more so in the lightness, and also in the centering. And these three types of craft precision directly affect the stress strength of the body after the raw cup enters the kiln at a high temperature of nearly 1400 degrees."

To put it bluntly, if one thousand raw cups enter the kiln, fewer than one will be successfully fired; the remaining nine hundred and ninety-nine will all be shards..."

This time there was no buzz, and certainly no boom; it was as if a pause button had been pressed.

This, for god's sake, was an Eggshell Cup.

Then paint on a few chickens and a few clusters of grass, and this is a Chicken Cup...

(End of chapter)