"This guy's up to no good again, Boss Zhuang. Don't worry about him, I'll call him right away..."
After waiting at the door for five or six minutes without any movement from inside, Yu Zhengjun quickly picked up his phone and dialed. Once the call connected, he immediately yelled at Xu Guoqing to come and open the door.
"Old Yu, you brought food for Da Huang, couldn't you have just tossed it in through the door? Why did you have to call me over?"
Xu Guoqing was slow on the uptake; after the call connected, he waited another seven or eight minutes before he heard footsteps and voices coming from inside the door.
As the iron gate creaked open, a middle-aged man with long hair, a scruffy beard, and thick glasses appeared before them.
The middle-aged man's hair was quite distinctive. At first glance, it appeared to be three colors: white, red, and blue. Zhuang Rui took a closer look and realized that it was dye. It seemed that the man was busy with something.
However, this image is far from the master in Zhuang Rui's mind. He looks like a decadent old boy. This image, even without dressing up, is comparable to a hippie in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.
The middle-aged man glanced at Zhuang Rui and the others, then turned to Yu Zhengjun and said, "Old Yu, didn't I tell you? The factory is for rent, not for sale. My lab can't be touched. And if we're going to rent it, it won't be to the Japanese. Those damn Japanese porcelain-making techniques were stolen from us back then..."
Zhuang Rui and the others were amused by Xu Guoqing's words; it turned out he was a patriotic hothead.
"Old Xu, can't you be a little more normal at other times, except when you're firing porcelain?"
Yu Zhengjun was somewhat exasperated with his old friend. After dumping the packaged food into a basin by the door, he said, "Old Xu, I told you before, this is President Zhuang. He came all the way from Beijing. You old rascal, you should at least let us in and have a seat..."
"President Zhuang? I don't know that President Zhuang."
Xu Guoqing had obviously forgotten what Lao Yu had mentioned to him, but although he was obsessed with ceramics, he still understood basic human relationships and let the group in.
The factory yard is quite large, but apart from the lime-paved roads, weeds grow on both sides of the roads. One of the workshops facing the gate is locked, and it's unclear how long it has been since it was put into operation.
"The only place I have where people can sit is the lab. Let's go to the lab to do it..."
Xu Guoqing led everyone around the workshop, and Zhuang Rui immediately saw a large chimney. Although it wasn't very tall, it was very thick. Below the chimney was the laboratory that Xu Guoqing had mentioned.
"Oh, I just remembered, Lao Yu, isn't this Boss Zhuang the one you told me about, the one who could tell that my tricolor pottery figurine was fake? Is that right?"
As soon as he pushed open the laboratory door, Xu Guoqing suddenly turned around as if possessed by a demon, startling everyone behind him.
"Yes, Mr. Zhuang came to see you after seeing your tricolor pottery figurines. May I ask if you can let us in first and pour us a glass of water?"
Yu Zhengjun was familiar with Xu Guoqing and knew that the man was a bit eccentric, so he pushed him aside and let Zhuang Rui and the others in.
Chapter 787 Flaw
"Old Yu, could you help me greet the guests? Mr. Zhuang, you're the expert, let's go inside and talk..."
Upon hearing Yu Zhengjun nod in agreement, Xu Guoqing grabbed Zhuang Rui, completely disregarding the paint still on his hands, leaving five finger marks on Zhuang Rui's pristine white shirt.
"This... Mr. Zhuang, I'm so sorry, I really am sorry. I wanted to ask you for advice on what flaws in my work you were able to spot?"
Even though Xu Guoqing was clueless about social etiquette, he knew that his actions were somewhat inappropriate. He awkwardly let go of her hand, but still looked anxious. His bright eyes were fixed on Zhuang Rui through his glasses.
Zhuang Rui looked at the mark on his sleeve and couldn't help but smile wryly. He could tell that Xu Guoqing was not mentally unstable, but he just focused all his attention on studying ancient ceramic techniques, so to outsiders, he seemed a bit strange.
However, people who have made outstanding achievements in certain fields all have one or another quirk. Picasso, for example, could not live without women. Even when he was over ninety years old, he was still surrounded by beautiful women.
Many scientists also have peculiar habits unknown to outsiders, but once they become famous, these quirks and flaws have all turned into virtues.
"Call me Zhuang Rui..."
Zhuang Rui said with a smile.
"Oh? I thought your name was President Zhuang. Come on, let's go inside and talk..."
Xu Guoqing scratched his head sheepishly, adding another color to his hair, but in Zhuang Rui's eyes, this forty-year-old man seemed very simple.
Zhuang Rui was also curious about what Xu Guoqing's studio looked like, so he followed him in from one side.
Peng Fei sensed that Xu Guoqing had some mental issues and was afraid he might harm Zhuang Rui, so he followed him inside. Li Dali was there specifically to accompany Zhuang Rui, so there was no reason for him to wait outside. The group then entered Xu Guoqing's laboratory.
"Wow, this... is your studio?"
As soon as Zhuang Rui stepped into that side room, he was startled. The room was at least four or five hundred square meters in size, but what was in the middle left Zhuang Rui speechless.
It turns out that the huge chimney Zhuang Rui saw from the outside was actually inside the house. A brick chimney with a diameter of almost ten meters appearing inside a house was quite impressive.
Nearby, shelves of varying heights were displayed, and on each shelf were hundreds of porcelain pieces, almost all of which had been prepared but not yet colored and fired.
That's not all. In one corner of the room, there are also a pulverizer, a Raymond mill, and a highly professional air jet mill. These are all very professional pulverizing tools that can grind ore and some dried hard soil into very fine powder.
Zhuang Rui knew that truly exquisite imitation porcelain required a great deal of effort. Not only did it require building kilns using ancient methods, but it also required using the original porcelain clay.
Even the glaze pigments used for coloring require grinding colored mineral powders yourself, then heating them at high temperatures to mix them. Commercially available chemical raw materials are absolutely unacceptable.
Even after these processes are completed, defective products often appear during firing. Modern imitations made in this way are not cheaper than some old antiques, and may even be more valuable.
Zhuang Rui could tell that Xu Guoqing had completed all the processes of shaping, painting, glazing, and firing all the objects here by himself. Just this alone required mastering several disciplines. If Xu Guoqing didn't have that kind of fanatical attitude, he really wouldn't have been able to do it well.
"Zhuang Rui, you still haven't told me how you saw through the flaws in my works..."
To be honest, Xu Guoqing was extremely confident in his imitations of the sancai (three-color glazed pottery) figurines, because he strictly followed the ancient secret recipes in terms of both the clay and the firing process.
In Xu Guoqing's mind, unless a carbon-14 test is performed, he does not believe that the objects can be detected as fake by the naked eye or other instruments.
"Hehe, I'll call you Xu Gong..."
Since the other person was older than him, it wouldn't be appropriate to call him by his name, so Zhuang Rui came up with a way to address him.
"Any name is fine, just tell me quickly..."
Xu Guoqing had absolutely no interest in what Zhuang Rui called him; he just wanted to know what shortcomings and areas for improvement were in his Tang tri-color pottery.
Zhuang Rui smiled and shook his head, saying, "Mr. Xu, may I ask, from which dynasty did the idea of official kilns begin?"
"It started in the Song Dynasty. Although there were kilns in the Han and Tang Dynasties that were exclusively for royal use, the supervision was not as strong, and they were not distinguished from those used by the common people... It was from the Song Dynasty that royal ceramic utensils were distinguished from those used by the common people. But Zhuang Rui, what does this have to do with my Tang tri-color pottery?"
Xu Guoqing started firing Tang Sancai a few years ago. He felt that he had completely deciphered the craftsmanship of Tang Sancai and that it was no longer challenging. Therefore, he has been studying Cizhou ware from the Song Dynasty in recent years. So he was able to answer Zhuang Rui's question easily.
"Yes, it was indeed an official kiln established during the Song Dynasty. Among the ceramics from the Han and Tang Dynasties, apart from Tang tri-color pottery which is considered a masterpiece, there aren't many good pieces that have been passed down to posterity. This also proves the principle that things aren't necessarily better the older they are. Otherwise, why would the oldest stones on this mountain be the least valuable?"
Zhuang Rui's words not only confused Xu Guoqing, but also Li Dali and Yu Zhengjun, who were bewildered as to what Zhuang Rui's words had to do with Xu Guoqing's problem.
“Perfect, XCMG, the only flaw in your tricolor terracotta figurines lies in the perfection.” Before Xu Guoqing could even ask, Zhuang Rui gave the answer himself.
Xu Guoqing still didn't understand, muttering to himself, "Perfect? Is there anything wrong with perfection? It should be a replica that's exactly the same as the real thing..."
"Perfection is certainly not wrong, but it depends on the era. If it's official kiln porcelain from the Song Dynasty onwards, then perfection is the goal. The thickness of the lines on a single petal, the distance between two petals—there can be no mistakes whatsoever. But for sancai porcelain, you've gone too far in achieving perfection..."
After the Han and Tang dynasties, any official kiln porcelain with even the slightest flaw had to be broken. It could not be used in the imperial palace, nor could it be circulated among the common people. This is the main reason why exquisite porcelain pieces passed down from the Song dynasty onwards are extremely rare and precious.
Zhuang Rui's words gradually brightened Xu Guoqing's eyes. He had been playing with porcelain shards that his father had dug up from the Cizhou kiln site since he was a toddler, and his research on porcelain was extremely profound.
However, he was far from understanding human nature. Now, after hearing Zhuang Rui's explanation, Xu Guoqing slowly began to understand.
"Zhuang Rui, are you saying that when sancai porcelain was fired in the Tang Dynasty, due to the lack of unified supervision, many flawed sancai pottery figurines were preserved, while my porcelain pieces are all flawless, which is why you were able to spot the flaw? Is that right?"
Xu Guoqing was also a very smart person. After hearing Zhuang Rui's suggestion, he thought about it for a moment and understood the key point. It turned out that the perfection he pursued had become a flaw in the eyes of others.
"Yes, that's right, Mr. Li. When you take these tricolor glazed tiles to others for appraisal, do many people say they can't tell the difference?"
Zhuang Rui nodded and turned his face toward Li Dali.
"Yes, several experts have also said that these objects are too perfect..."
What Mr. Li said is true. Several experts couldn't find anything wrong, but they still felt something was off. In the end, they didn't issue an appraisal certificate, only saying that they couldn't tell for sure.
"I understand now, it's like the moon waning after it's full, or water overflowing when it's full..."
Xu Guoqing was slightly disappointed, but then an excited expression appeared on his face. He said to Zhuang Rui, "Han and Tang porcelain doesn't pursue perfection, but I'm currently studying Cizhou ware. Zhuang Rui, come and see if you can find any flaws?"
"What? You've started firing Cizhou ware now?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. It turned out that this guy had stopped collecting Sancai (three-color glazed pottery) and started collecting Cizhou ware from the Song Dynasty. You should know that although Cizhou ware was a folk kiln, it was the largest folk kiln system in northern China in ancient times.
Not only in the Song Dynasty, but also in the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, porcelain production continued. It has a long history of production and strong vitality, and the number of exquisite porcelain pieces that have been passed down to us is also the largest.
Furthermore, during the Southern Song Dynasty, a small portion of the Cizhou kiln also produced official kiln wares specifically for the Southern Song court. Therefore, the Cizhou kiln porcelain circulating in the market today is not cheaper than the market prices of other Song Dynasty official kiln porcelains.
"Yes, it's a pity that I've finished making all the embryos and everything, but I don't have the money to fire them..."
Xu Guoqing's excited expression suddenly fell. You see, the firing process of antique porcelain is the most important step, and the firing time can be as long as half a month. The charcoal consumed is a huge expense.
Unlike the ceramic plates we use now, which are made by throwing the blanks into a kiln and firing them directly with coal, the whole process is automated by computer.
Xu Guoqing's modern antique-style kiln, although it can also be temperature-controlled by computer, is now in dire financial straits. He can barely afford electricity, let alone charcoal.
"Open the door, open the door quickly..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to take a look at the porcelain blanks made by Xu Guoqing, he faintly heard knocking coming from the gate, and the wolfhound started barking.
"Mr. Zhuang, you two chat, I'll go out and take a look..."
Yu Zhengjun was practically a second master to Xu Guoqing. He knew that Xu Guoqing was currently struggling with funding issues and would definitely not take the initiative to open the door.
Chapter 788 Mountain Tree
“Mr. Xu, although your items are very lifelike, they are still missing something…”
Xu Guoqing didn't care at all who came outside, so Zhuang Rui, as a guest, naturally had even less reason to meddle. Maybe they were just there to collect payment.
The flaws that Zhuang Rui and Xu Guoqing just pointed out are actually a bit far-fetched.
When you're doing an appraisal for someone else, this reason is something you can't say openly. You can't exactly tell someone that your item is fake because it's too perfect, right? You'd definitely get spitting in their face for that.
"Zhuang Rui, what other flaws are there? Tell me, are they in the craftsmanship?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Xu Guoqing's eyes immediately lit up. He repaired ancient kilns and fired ancient porcelain entirely out of personal interest and hobby, though of course, this interest and hobby was a little too enthusiastic.
"It's not about the craftsmanship, Mr. Xu. From a craftsmanship perspective, the tri-color pottery figurines you've fired are already flawless. However, although you've captured the spirit of Tang tri-color pottery, they still lack a sense of historical depth and vicissitude..."
Seeing that Xu Guoqing seemed a little confused, Zhuang Rui continued, "I once acquired a bronze sword from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Legend has it that this sword could automatically unsheathe and emit a sword-ringing sound when its owner was in danger. I personally think that this is a kind of spirituality that history or the makers endowed to the object..."
This kind of spirituality can resonate deep within people's hearts, allowing them to feel the silent journey of historical vicissitudes, the rise and fall of dynasties, and the development and progress of civilization.
"Xu Gong, while your Tang tri-colored pottery is exquisitely beautiful and flawless, it lacks the profound weight that comes with the passage of time. Older generations can sense this..."
Zhuang Rui's words were not unfounded. The idea that all things have a spirit is not a fool's tale. Leaving aside Zhuang Rui's eyes and the appraisal masters in the industry, even those thieves who frequently dig up graves and steal things would have this feeling after handling many objects.
Just like why modern people like to wear jade ornaments, while aesthetic decoration is certainly one reason, the spirituality of jade is also very important.
For example, if you can personally handle a good piece of jade for ten or twenty years, your understanding of that jade will undergo a complete transformation, and you will feel a sense of belonging to it. This is definitely not feudal superstition. Friends who have the means can give it a try.
Getting back to the topic, there are reasons why these sancai (three-color glazed) vessels were once identified as genuine by several "experts." Firstly, they couldn't find any flaws, and secondly, the "fees" for authentication were substantial. With money paving the way, even scholars would bow down.