Riding the wind of rebirth

“That’s how it is,” Master Ma said with a smile. “The porcelain craftsmen of the imperial kilns are those who have been learning from their elders since they were a few years old, practicing on those pottery wheels day after day for decades. Modern people have no access to those things, and even if they did, it would be difficult for them to persist in practicing for decades and reach that level of craftsmanship.”

"This is just the most basic and simplest aspect of porcelain making. To imitate it well is already incredibly difficult. The glaze, painting technique, and inscription are all major hurdles. So, to say that you can make a porcelain piece so realistic that it can be mistaken for the real thing is really not an easy thing. The so-called 'being fooled' is often a special event under special conditions for experts. However, for ordinary enthusiasts, the water is too deep, and they need to be cautious."

"For everyone here, the best and simplest way is naturally to choose a reliable advisor. You don't need to have a keen eye yourself to enjoy the pleasure of collecting."

"Hehehe, I'm just afraid that what we can afford you will be boring, and what you think is good, we can't afford." Mo Yan laughed, "This is more appropriate to say to President Feng and President Pan."

Zhou Zhi couldn't help but laugh when he heard him say that. The saying "There are golden houses in books" has not yet been reflected in the writers present, but it won't be long before it is.

Putting aside the pleasant conversation with old friends, Zhou Zhi thoroughly enjoyed the meal, mainly because he finally saw the images of several classic Sichuan dishes that he had found in his illustrated book of famous Chinese dishes, which he had acquired from Japan.

It's mainly a visual adjustment.

For example, the dish Snowflake Chicken Noodles is a classic in Sichuan cuisine. The usual way to prepare it is to let it float on the broth like a cloud. But here, it is made into a standard cake shape according to the picture book "Collection of Famous Chinese Dishes". Then it is carved into a traditional longevity character pattern. This takes a lot of effort.

For example, there's a dish called "Budding Squid Flower," which is prepared using the traditional method of pan-frying and stir-frying to create a savory flavor. The key is the knife skills. Each squid slice has two layers of diagonal cuts at the bottom, creating a flower pattern. When the hot water boils, each slice curls up, forming a flower bud on top and two layers of three-petaled petals below. It's snow-white, crystal clear, and incredibly cute.

Because he had never seen this method used in Zhang Yuanfu's restaurant, Zhou Zhi even thought that the knife skills for these two dishes had been lost. Seeing it here suddenly, he couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

"Master Ma, how much did this meal cost?" Zhou Zhi couldn't help but tug at Master Ma's sleeve and ask in a low voice.

"It's alright. Bring your own drinks for 8,800 yuan, plus a 20% service charge." Master Ma said in a low voice, "Wanqiu's connections are quite effective."

Zhou Zhi's eyebrows twitched. He was starting to understand why he hadn't seen the knife skills used in those two dishes at Zhang Yuanfu's Rongleyuan Restaurant. The cost of living in Sichuan wasn't high enough to afford such a feast, so Master Zhang hadn't had the opportunity to showcase his skills.

Speaking of which, I also run a club. Although Suihuaxuan is called a homestay, the people who can stay there are actually politicians and wealthy people, or important clients of the Clover Group. Now it seems that, at least in terms of the meal standards, they really have "condescended".

Zhouzhi has no intention of changing it. This kind of dish is the standard of the old "imperial cuisine". Of the more than 10,000 yuan per table, at least 7,000 yuan is a superficial fee such as "face fee".

However, it was certainly an eye-opening experience.

The next day, Zhou Zhi and Mai Xiaomiao visited the Chinese Chess Academy.

The chess academy is located at the southern end of Tiantan East Road in Beijing, adjacent to the South Second Ring Road, and with Tiantan Park to the west, boasting a prime location. The main building has four floors, and the academy features a 400-square-meter hall in the basement, on the first, second, and fourth floors, all exquisitely decorated.

The basement's multi-functional hall is used for various cultural and entertainment activities, the first-floor hall can host large banquets, and the second and fourth-floor halls are for chess competitions. The two competition halls can accommodate hundreds of people simultaneously for matches and commentary. Other rooms can be used as standard and premium game rooms, in addition to a restaurant and guest rooms. The full name of this place should be "National Sports General Administration Chess and Card Games Management Center," which is not only the highest-level governing body for Go, but also for Chinese chess and international chess. Bridge is another activity that is trained and managed here.

The Chess Academy building was completed in 1992 and has a total area of ​​over 9,000 square meters. By today's standards, it can be said to be of a very high standard for sports venues.

In the center of the lobby stands a bronze bust of Chen Shuai, his brow furrowed in thought. On the screen wall behind the bust are engraved his four-character poem.

They sat facing each other, calmly discussing strategy, studying chess techniques, and innovating.

Although chess is a minor art, it embodies the highest moral character; it is a unique Chinese art with a long and deep-rooted history.

Inheriting and carrying forward the legacy, relying solely on future generations, respecting the capable, and striving to win the championship.

Chen Shuai was an avid chess player. He believed that playing chess could cultivate a person's character, perseverance, wisdom, and decisiveness. The fact that Go was among the first national teams to be included in the national team was related to his strong promotion and advocacy.

"Marshal Chen also said, 'When the nation prospers, so does the chess world.'" President Chen of the chess academy and Chess Saint Nie accompanied Zhou Zhi on the tour. Standing before Marshal Chen's statue, President Chen explained to Zhou Zhi, "Marshal Chen's words truly demonstrated foresight and vision. Your research on Xiao Zhi is incredibly advanced; you're probably the only one of its kind in the world right now, aren't you?"

“As far as we know, South Korea and island nations also have it, and there are even more chess players,” Zhou Zhi said. “However, the core technologies and approaches are different. Compared to South Korea’s game program, ours is closer to human thinking and reasoning. In terms of the application of nonlinear calculations, Dean Chen, you are right, it is currently unique in the world.”

"Although I don't understand computers, I can deduce how amazing Xiaozhi is from the news in February this year that Kasparov defeated IBM's Deep Blue," Dean Chen praised.

"Oh? How did Dean Chen deduce that?"

"The logic is simple. Chess is far less complex than Go. Deep Blue can't beat the world champion, while Xiao Zhi has more wins than losses against Nie Weiping and Chang Wenjun. This shows that Xiao Zhi's level is at least above IBM's Deep Blue." Dean Chen said, "Deep Blue can calculate one hundred million or two hundred million moves per second, right? It seems to be a combination of a bunch of mainframes? Your level is even higher than that, which is amazing."

Zhou Zhi was amused. Dean Chen's assessment based on practical results was not far off: "Deep Blue's computing structure is still a traditional structure. It uses the AIX operating system and a C language program development environment. The programs written are also linear programs. It mainly relies on massive computing power for hard calculations, which is somewhat similar to the 'exhaustive search' method."

"Our approach belongs to the structure and algorithm of 'deep learning'. This time, we used the 'energy probability algorithm' to construct a new neural network and replaced the previous deep residual algorithm with the convolution algorithm."

"Previous algorithms required passing the neural network signal results to a designated layer one by one, much like a railway that had to pass through stations. However, with the convolution algorithm, these steps can be skipped, and the signal can be 'jumped' directly from the starting layer to the designated layer, greatly improving system performance."

"Well, so we're on the plane!" Nie Qisheng rubbed his forehead. "Now my brain can't keep up!" (End of Chapter)