(East-West Question) Li Jianmao: Why can Changsha kiln become an important witness of cultural exchanges between China and the West?
China News Agency, Changsha, February 24th: Li Jianmao: Why can Changsha kilns become an important witness of cultural exchanges between China and the West?
China News Agency reporter Bai Zu and Liu Shuangshuang Deng Xia
After the Battle of Taurus and the "An-Shi Rebellion", the land Silk Road was basically blocked due to the war, and the Maritime Silk Road, mainly characterized by the export of porcelain, gradually prospered and replaced the land route, becoming the main channel for trade between China and the West.
The thousand-year-old shipwreck "Black Stone" discovered in the waters of Indonesia in 1998 is the earliest archaeological evidence of direct trade between China and the Arab region so far, and it has a milestone status in the development history of the Maritime Silk Road.
The "Black Stone" shipwreck was loaded with tens of thousands of Chinese Tang Dynasty cultural relics, including more than 56,000 pieces of Changsha kiln porcelain, which shows the status of Changsha kiln in the "troika" of export porcelain in the Tang Dynasty.
How did Changsha kiln rise and go on the road to export?
Why can it become an important witness of cultural exchanges between China and the West?
Li Jianmao, vice president of the China Ancient Ceramics Society, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions" and made an in-depth interpretation.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Service reporter: Changsha kiln pioneered the underglaze multi-color technique, breaking through the single tone of celadon and white porcelain in the Tang Dynasty in China, which can be called "a milestone in the history of ceramics". How did Changsha kiln rise? What stages of development have you gone through?
Li Jianmao:
Changsha kiln was developed based on the celadon firing of Yuezhou kiln and the integration of northern porcelain making technology.
Yuezhou kiln was commonly known as Xiangyin kiln before the Sui Dynasty. It was first fired in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Changsha kiln is located in the Tongguan area of Wangcheng, and it should have been a peripheral kiln of Yuezhou kiln at first.
After the "Anshi Rebellion", the ceramic industry in the Tang Dynasty capital, including the three-color kiln industry, was destroyed, and some kiln workers moved south to Hunan.
Since there were no major wars and famines in Hunan, and the economy was relatively prosperous, some kiln workers lived in Tongguan near Changsha and gradually integrated with local kiln workers.
During this process, Yuezhou kiln was influenced by the ceramic crafts such as northern colored glaze, and gradually created a unique colored porcelain, that is, Changsha kiln.
From the chronological inscriptions of the Changsha kiln utensils and the porcelain unearthed from the chronological tomb, it can be seen that the production of Changsha kiln porcelain can be no later than the seventeenth year of Zhenyuan (AD 801) at the earliest, and no earlier than the fourth year of Tiancheng in the Five Dynasties. (929 AD).
Specifically, Changsha kilns arose at the turn of the eighth and ninth centuries, flourished in the late Tang Dynasty, and declined in the Five Dynasties.
Changsha kilns have only existed for more than 100 years, which can be said to be short-lived, but they have left an indelible mark in the history of Chinese ceramics and cultural exchanges between China and the West.
The Tanjiapo Long Kiln site clearly shows the production process of Changsha kiln porcelain.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Huafeng
China News Service reporter: How did Changsha kilns go from a small town in Hunan to exporting? What is its status in the ancient Maritime Silk Road?
Li Jianmao:
According to research, there are "troikas" of Tang Dynasty porcelain for export, namely Changsha kiln colored porcelain, northern kiln white porcelain and white-glazed green colored porcelain, and Yue kiln celadon.
From the more than 56,000 pieces of Changsha kiln porcelain loaded on the "Black Stone", it can be seen that Changsha kiln should be the leader in the "troika".
There are several factors for Changsha kiln to embark on the road of export: First, the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road.
Hunan is located inland, but it is rich in water transportation resources, and has very close external relations from the Warring States Period to the Tang Dynasty.
Changsha kiln products mainly flow down the Xiangjiang River through Yuezhou, pass through Dongting to Wuchang, and then flow down the Yangtze River, from Yangzhou, Guangzhou, Mingzhou (Ningbo) and other places to overseas.
The second is the strong export awareness of Changsha kiln.
In order to meet the needs of foreign businessmen, Changsha kilns have taken a unique approach to make or customize export-oriented products according to the preferences of buyers, and their shapes and patterns are integrated with foreign cultural elements.
Fragments of Persian pottery were collected at the Changsha kiln site, which are the living utensils of Persian merchants, which indicates that foreign merchants have visited the kiln.
Judging from some decorative patterns, foreign businessmen should directly go to the kiln mouth to order with the patterns.
Changsha kiln is even more unique in brand marketing. The words "Fan Jiaji, the famous Shizhu Mencius in Daocao City, Hunan Province", "Bianjiaxiaokou is the best in the world" and "Zhengjiaxiaokou is famous in the world" found on the porcelain can be explained.
The third is the price advantage of Changsha kiln.
Some of the Changsha kiln porcelain on the "Black Stone" is marked with the inscription "Wuwen", which is cheaper than Xing kiln white porcelain and Yue kiln celadon; and it is decorated with underglaze paintings that are not easy to fall off, which can be said to be of high quality and low price. .
In 2014, the "Black Stone" shipwrecked Tang Dynasty Changsha Kiln Porcelain Exhibition was held at the Changsha Municipal Museum. The more than 150 pieces of Changsha kiln on display were the "Black Stone" water-exposed porcelain purchased by local collectors from overseas and the exquisite artifacts unearthed from the Changsha kiln site. .
Photo by China News Agency reporter Deng Xia
China News Service reporter: How does Changsha Tongguan Kiln integrate and innovate Chinese and Western cultures to meet the living needs and aesthetic concepts of export targets?
Li Jianmao:
Changsha kilns have products specially designed for export. These products are tailored to the needs of overseas markets and are tailored according to use functions, customs and aesthetic needs. They imitate overseas pottery, bronze ware, gold and silver ware and brocade in a large number of shapes and patterns. The artistic elements in the product, or directly produced according to the sample.
There are indications that Changsha and Dongting Lake areas in the middle and late Tang Dynasty were important areas for Arab activities, and they should have participated in the design and sample making or production of Changsha kiln products for export.
From the "Black Stone" and the Changsha kiln porcelain pots found abroad, a large proportion of the pots with die-printed decals.
Judging from the stenciled applique pots with the same patterns fired at the northern kilns, foreign businessmen may have provided patterns to kilns interested in purchasing goods at the same time.
Changsha kiln craftsmanship is formed on the basis of the fusion of north and south porcelain craftsmanship. The products are the cheapest and high quality, and the decals are coated with brown spots. This innovation makes the patterns more eye-catching, and the products best meet the needs of foreign businessmen, so the purchase volume is large and the output is large. There are also many, and die-printed decals have become the symbol patterns and characteristic decorative techniques of Changsha kilns for export.
Its decorative patterns are mainly West Asian-style date palm patterns and lion patterns.
Foreigners visit the unearthed cultural relics in the Changsha Tongguan Kiln Museum.
The date palm pattern has a distinct West Asian style.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Huafeng
This kind of "customized" Changsha kiln is undoubtedly the product of China's porcelain-making technology reaching a certain level, and it is also a proof of the opening of the society at that time.
The two-way exchange of Chinese and Western cultures has laid a solid foundation for the sales of Changsha kilns.
China News Agency reporter: Why can Changsha kilns become an important witness of cultural exchanges between China and the West?
Li Jianmao:
Japanese ancient ceramics expert San Shang Nan once said: The ancient cultural exchanges between the East and the West were written on Chinese ceramics. At that time, the Chinese tea was drank, the silk was rotten, and the dust was wiped away, and the old Chinese ceramics were still shining. .
The all-encompassing Changsha kiln porcelain not only witnessed the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road in the Tang Dynasty, but also provided us with precious material materials for studying the history of transportation, trade, and cultural exchanges between China and the West.
Exquisite Changsha kiln porcelain bowl.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Deng Xia
Changsha kilns are rich in products, and calligraphy and painting are used for porcelain decoration, which contains Chinese civilization such as poetry and aphorisms, tea and wine culture, etc., which can be regarded as a mirror reflecting the social life of the Tang Dynasty.
These porcelains with Chinese aesthetic taste and Chinese cultural imprint were shipped overseas, which not only brought beautiful enjoyment to foreigners, but also spread Chinese culture in the form of art, and showed China's strong economic strength and cultural confidence at that time. .
While the Changsha kiln was spread to the outside world, it was also influenced by foreign cultures. The elements of Indian Buddhist culture, Persian culture, and Islamic culture were used for my use, and they were integrated and presented on the porcelain, reflecting the characteristics of openness, tolerance and eclecticism. An indispensable witness for communication.
In the picture, there is a poem about a hotel and inn on the Tongguan kiln porcelain in the Tang Dynasty in Changsha: "Small water flows into a big river, and there are many birds in the mountains. thriving.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Shuangshuang
The celadon glaze unearthed from the Lan'anzui kiln site in Tongguan Town is "this is a drinking bottle, and it must not be used otherwise".
Dracula is an animal with a long nose and sharp teeth, fish body and tail in Indian mythology, and the capricorn ornamentation contains obvious foreign cultural factors.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Deng Xia
Today, when we inherit and develop Changsha kiln as a cultural element in the Maritime Silk Road, we must not only conduct systematic academic sorting out in terms of utensils and ornaments, export channels, development background, etc., but also see the reason why Changsha kiln can It became an important witness of the cultural exchange between China and the West at that time because it had the endogenous power of "inclusiveness and innovation".
And this kind of tolerance and innovation is based on strong cultural self-confidence, communicate and collide with an open mind, learn from exchanges, and develop through learning, so as to promote the progress of civilization.
(over)
Interviewee Profile:
Li Jianmao, Vice President of China Ancient Ceramics Society, Executive Director of China Association of Museums, Vice President of Hunan Archaeological Society.
An outstanding expert of the Ministry of Culture, an expert enjoying special allowances from the State Council, the former secretary of the Party Committee of the Hunan Provincial Museum, the author of "Research on the Economy of Ancient Chinese Ceramics", "Changsha Kiln" and other books, and published more than 50 papers.