Riding the wind of rebirth

“Originally, screens were used for covering, but gradually became decorative furniture for interiors. Hanging screens on the wall not only retains their decorative function but also saves space, making them popular among literati since the Ming and Qing dynasties. Jun porcelain fragments, with their noble status, were inlaid into screens, turning decay into magic, and were all the rage in high society during the Republic of China period.” Mr. Ma introduced his prized collection: “More than ten years ago, I saw it in a shop in the capital that specialized in secondhand items. At that time, it was covered in dust and stuck in a corner, ignored by everyone. I asked the old master what the price was, and he glanced at me and said it was 1,600 yuan, and that would be in foreign exchange certificates.”

"Later, I often went there, not just to see if the items were there, but more to learn about Jun ware." Master Ma laughed. "The master craftsmen could also see my love for these things, and later they let me see them, treating it as free labor to clean the shop."

"Finally, one day the old craftsman said to me, 'If you want it, you can pay for it in RMB.' I nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and then went to the bank to withdraw the money. At that time, the exchange rate between RMB and foreign currency was two to one. Three thousand two hundred yuan was enough to buy two color TVs, one large and one small, in those days."

Zhou Zhi estimated that, according to his father, the family's income at that time was only fifty yuan for him and his mother combined. This amount of money was the income of the whole family for five years without eating or drinking.

It's estimated that at the time, in the entire county, only Aunt Zhao, who knew how to make woolen suits and overcoats, could come up with that amount of cash; even the county secretary and magistrate would have had a hard time finding someone like her.

"I took the money, went home to get a blanket, and returned to the store. This piece, which I considered a national treasure, was finally mine. I wrapped it in the blanket, tied it to the back of my bicycle, and was overjoyed. I hung it in my small room, and it made the place shine. During that time, I would stand in front of the Jun porcelain screen for a while every day, admiring its endless, silent beauty."

This Jun ware hanging screen doesn't actually have high cultural value. The outer frame was made during the Republic of China period, and although the porcelain shards inside are from the Jin and Yuan dynasties, they are all fragments.

Why does Master Ma consider it a national treasure? Mainly because of the different perspectives. For porcelain collectors, this thing is indeed a rare gem.

First and foremost is its scarcity. There are already very few Jun porcelain pieces in existence, so the opportunity to observe them or even handle them personally is even more precious.

In addition, the broken porcelain shards expose the body from the side. The body exposed at the bottom and the body exposed at the bottom, after long-term wear and wiping, form a patina. This shows the sintering characteristics of the Song porcelain body at different depths, as well as the composition of the clay used at that time.

It's rare to see even a single piece of Jun porcelain normally, but this hanging screen has as many as forty broken porcelain shards, and the glazes cover most of the known Jun porcelain colors, making it a perfect "Jun porcelain specimen library".

The sheer "completeness" of this piece is something most collectors can only dream of, because fragments of Jun ware are already hard to find, and to have them pieced together into a complete screen is even more impossible. This completeness and scarcity determine its value in the eyes of collectors.

"Zhouzi, is this a brush washer? Why is it labeled 'washer' here?" If Mai Xiaomiao hadn't spoken up, Zhou Zhi's gaze would probably have remained fixed on the four porcelain screens inlaid with beautiful porcelain shards in moon white, sky blue, rose purple, and begonia red.

Upon hearing Mai Xiaomiao's question, Zhou Zhi then noticed that under the four porcelain screens, Master Ma had placed a complete artifact.

Clearly, everyone is more interested in the complete piece.

"This is also called a brush washer. People in the Song Dynasty liked to add the word 'zi' to the end of elegant and lovely things like this. For example, a wine warmer was called a 'warming seat', and a narrow-spouted pot was called a 'wine pitcher'. This thing fits the characteristics of the Song Dynasty. At that time, it was called a 'washer'. This is the eight-yuan washer. It was the proudest thing in Mr. Ma's life."

"Eight yuan? Which year?" Liu Zhengyun asked.

"In 1980." "Then I could afford it too."

"Back then, foreign exchange certificates had just been issued, and there were foreign currency dealers outside the Friendship Store," Mr. Ma chuckled. "That's when I got this item. Of course, you can get it if you want."

This was a special phenomenon during a special period. At that time, in order to generate foreign exchange, the country allocated a batch of porcelain and calligraphy that were considered suitable for export. Almost every piece of the treasures that appeared in the Friendship Store at that time was a fine work from the official kiln.

It's hard to say whether it's fortunate or unfortunate, but very few foreigners at that time were able to come to China and study Chinese culture and aesthetics. Therefore, their aesthetic preferences were mostly similar to the needs of the "export orders" that porcelain kilns in various dynasties could receive. They especially loved the porcelain from the Qing Dynasty's three reigns, which had bright colors, complex patterns, delicate body, and thin glaze.

Foreigners, however, do not particularly like Song dynasty porcelain, which is characterized by its elegant colors and understated style and which was difficult for the three Qing emperors to replicate despite their best efforts.

This Jun ware washer is a typical example of understated elegance.

This washer is long and slender, resembling half a cut melon. However, the ancients designed it with a protruding petal-shaped rim and a ring handle below the rim for easy use.

The Jun ware single-handled washer is not large and has not undergone kiln transformation. It is a light sky blue color. This understated cultural aesthetic style is exquisitely reflected in this simple washer, but in fact, the craftsmanship is quite exquisite.

The authenticity of an object can be immediately discerned by its sky-blue glaze; in industry jargon, this is known as "opening the door to authenticity."

"Its glaze is very varied. If you look closely, you can clearly see its various shades of blue opalescent glaze. The lighter blue is called sky blue, the darker blue is called azure, and the whiter than sky blue is called translucent white. This way, everyone can understand it well." Zhou Zhi smiled and said, "However, if we only talk about color, modern computer color matching can actually produce any color."

"However, the reason why Jun ware is difficult to imitate is multi-layered and comprehensive," Zhou Zhi said. "After a thousand years of accumulation, the body and glaze of Song porcelain have undergone magical changes. The body has become thicker and more lustrous, while the glaze has more crackling and cloudiness. These changes start from extremely subtle details and are slowly eroded by time into their current form. This process gives Song porcelain a delicate, jade-like, and tranquil beauty. This kind of beauty cannot be imitated by any violent antiquing."

"The so-called 'antiquing' is actually about achieving in a short period of time what takes a long time to achieve. To achieve the effect that takes hundreds or thousands of years in just a few years or even a few days is extremely difficult. Even if the firing technique has reached a superb level, this kind of charm that depends on time to leave behind is very difficult to imitate."

"In the trade, this kind of aura is called 'old-fashioned' and the kind on new porcelain is called 'fire color'," Master Ma said. "The age of porcelain is a process in which the old-fashioned aura accumulates more and more while the fire color fades less and less. Being able to see these changes clearly is a matter of discerning eyes."

"But when I visited the National Museum of China and the Palace Museum, many of the porcelain pieces looked very new," Mo Yan asked another question.

"Because in feudal times, there was a series of strict systems for the preservation and maintenance of porcelain collected by the imperial court," Zhou Zhi said. "Those porcelains could survive for hundreds or even thousands of years without the kind of damage that people generally considered acceptable. This perfect condition was seen as 'new' in everyone's eyes." (End of this chapter)