China News Agency, Fuzhou, February 28. Question: Why did Xiaoxiao Jianzhan "out of the circle" overseas in the Song Dynasty?
——Interview with Yang Zelin, research librarian of Fujian Provincial Institute of Archeology
China News Agency reporter Long Min
Jianzhan is named after its origin in Jianyang District, Nanping City, Fujian Province.
The ore soil there contains a large amount of metal elements, which undergo reduction or oxidation reactions at high temperatures to produce colorants, resulting in black, blue, reddish brown and other colors on the surface of the Jianzhan, which is completely different from the common celadon and white porcelain. beauty of.
As early as the Song and Yuan Dynasties, not only in Japan, which is also in East Asia, but also in Europe, where there are many mountains and rivers, Jianzhan, together with other famous porcelains, has attracted many fans.
So far, Jianzhan is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in the United States and the British Museum in the United Kingdom.
Why did Xiaoxiao Jianzhan "go out of the circle" overseas in the Song Dynasty?
Yang Zelin, a research librarian at the Fujian Provincial Institute of Archaeology, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions" to explain this.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: As a kind of Chinese porcelain, Jianzhan is often used in tea culture-related artistic activities such as tea tasting and tea fighting, and has been favored by literati and inkmen of all ages. How did Jianzhan develop?
Yang Zelin:
The aesthetics of the Song Dynasty advocated simplicity, simplicity, elegance and restraint, and pursued the authenticity of nature.
It is this aesthetic concept that provided the ideological soil for the rise of Jianzhan in the Song Dynasty.
The rise of tea drinking provided a favorable social environment for the development of Jianzhan.
The change in the way of drinking tea, the rise of the custom of fighting tea, the scientific design of Jianzhan's shape, and the ingenious glaze texture have made Jianzhan's reputation reach its peak.
Cai Xiang's "Tea Records·On Tea Utensils" says: "Tea cups are white in color, and black ones are suitable. Those made in Jian'an are cyanotic and black, with patterns like rabbit hairs. The base is slightly thick, and it is most important to use when it is hot for a long time. The ones from other places are either thin or purple in color, and they are not as good. The blue and white lamps are not used by others."
Modern Jianzhan boutique.
Photo by Li Nanxuan
Archaeological excavations over the years have confirmed that as early as the late Five Dynasties to the early Northern Song Dynasty, the Weishan kiln site of Jianyao An began to fire black glazed cups; There are a large number of kilns, and the kilns are also very long. The longest kiln reaches 135 meters, which can be called the longest in the world.
Reporter from China News Service: There is a rare gold and silver painted porcelain bowl in Jianzhan. After it was handed down to Japan in the Song Dynasty, it was called "Jincai Tianmu" and was also regarded as a national treasure. Where does "Jincai Tianmu" come from?
Yang Zelin:
Gold and silver painting is a kind of overglaze color painting with gold and silver patterns on the fired black glaze cup.
At present, the number of gold and silver painted vases handed down in the world is very small, and the production places that can be confirmed include Ding Kiln, Jizhou Kiln, Jian Kiln, and Yulinting Kiln.
Among them, Yulinting kiln has the largest number of gold and silver painted black glazed bowls, and the most abundant decorative themes.
As one of the important cultural heritages of Mount Wuyi, Yulinting Kiln has been included in the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List by UNESCO.
From 1998 to 2000, rescue archaeological excavations were carried out to cooperate with the road construction of Wuyishan Scenic Area, with a total excavation area of more than 3,300 square meters, revealing 2 kiln remains and 1 workshop remains.
The exposed workshop remains are very rich, including working platforms, wall foundations, washing ponds, roads, wells, ash pits, drainage ditches, etc., reflecting the relatively complete porcelain-making process of Yulinting Kiln.
The most important discovery is a batch of gold and silver painted cups unearthed in the workshop area. The painted paintings on the glaze have all fallen off, leaving only traces. The patterns include landscapes, flowers and birds, and the words "Shoushan Fuhai".
Judging from the composition of these paintings, the patterns of cranes, peacocks, plums, bamboos, and tuanhua are neatly arranged and full, matching the virtual and the real, and the painting techniques are skilled; from the perspective of color matching, the cold and deep black glaze is lined with bright gold and silver, which makes the Painted highlights.
All patterns are drawn with dots and lines, mainly lines, with smooth strokes, full and round, both realistic and freehand, with a strong sense of visual impact.
Due to the special craftsmanship and high cost, even in the Song Dynasty society with developed material goods, gold and silver painted lamps can only meet the needs of a small number of people and become rare treasures.
China News Agency reporter: Why did Jianzhan start to be exported to the world since the Song Dynasty?
Yang Zelin:
During the Song Dynasty, the "Maritime Silk Road" prospered, and the maritime trade routes mainly included Japanese routes, Koryo routes, South Asian routes, and Western routes.
Through these maritime trade routes, a large number of Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain were exported, and tea culture spread to all parts of the world.
In order to meet the needs of domestic and foreign markets, the construction of kilns, on the one hand, expands production capacity and increases the length of kilns. Most of the kilns built are more than 70 meters long, and many kilns are more than 100 meters long. The firing capacity can reach tens of thousands of pieces at a time. .
On the other hand, the shapes of Jianzhan are becoming more and more abundant, with different shapes of beam mouth, skimming mouth, open mouth, and closed mouth. Constantly create and burn new varieties to meet the needs of different classes.
In the Song Dynasty, the mouth was built.
Photo by Liu Kegeng
With its unique artistic charm and function, Jianzhan amazed the world and became a special cultural messenger in the foreign trade of the Song Dynasty.
With the spread and development of Chinese tea style all over the world, especially in Japan, Jianzhan is regarded as a treasure among tea sets.
China News Agency reporter: Why do the Japanese cherish Jianzhan so much that they become important witnesses of cultural exchanges between China and Japan?
Yang Zelin:
Under the influence of Neo-Confucianism and Zen Buddhism, the aesthetics of the people of Song Dynasty is natural, simple and quiet.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the "tea fighting" culture rose. The black glazed cups produced by Jianyao in Shuiji Town, Jianyang, have natural rabbit hair patterns, partridge patterns, oil drops, obsidian changes and other textures, which are in line with the simplicity of the Song Dynasty scholar-bureaucrats advocating nature and returning to nature. Aesthetics, and once used as a tribute to the royal family, it was vigorously promoted by the supreme ruler.
Song Huizong not only praised it in "Daguan Tea Theory", but also wrote poems to express the joy of building a cup of tea.
The performers reproduced the scene of ordering tea in a teahouse in the Song Dynasty.
Photo by Xie Guiming
During the Song Dynasty, Japan sent a large number of monks to study in China. They studied Chinese Zen and tea culture at the same time. At the same time, Chinese Zen monks went to Japan to give lectures, bringing with them systematic Zen culture and tea culture.
The aesthetic concept of Chinese Zen Buddhism has greatly influenced Japanese thought, culture and art, thus gradually forming the Japanese tea ceremony based on Zen Buddhism.
With its natural thick texture, deep color, and cold touch, Jianzhan carries their aesthetic ideals and resonates.
With the popularity of tea drinking in Japan, Jianzhan, a fine product of Chinese tea fighting culture, is highly respected by the Japanese, and is designated by the Academy Tea Ceremony as the only precious tea bowl for appreciation and collection.
Samurai aristocratic monasteries often hold grand tea ceremonies and are proud of having Jianzhan.
According to a Japanese book on the history of Chinese art, "Juntaiguan Left and Right Accounts", Jianzhan's "Yaobian" is rare in the world and worth tens of thousands of pieces of silk.
"Oil drop" is next, and it is also a heavy treasure, worth 5,000 pieces of silk, and "rabbit hair" is worth 3,000 pieces of silk.
Therefore, as a fusion of Chinese Zen thought and tea culture in the Song Dynasty, Jianzhan was deeply loved by the Japanese people and became an important witness of Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges.
"Five Hundred Arhats Eating Tea" collected in the Southern Song Dynasty by Ryuko-in Temple, Daitoku-ji Temple, Japan.
China News Agency reporter: After more than 800 years of disappearance, the craftsmanship of Jianzhan has been restored. How to inherit and carry forward the thousand-year-old skills so that they can continue to be the "messenger" of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries?
Yang Zelin:
In September 1979, the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, the Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Commission and other institutions formed a research team to carry out the experiment of building antique lamps. After nearly two years of repeated experiments, they finally succeeded in imitating the Song Rabbit in March 1981. .
Since then, the craftsmanship of Jianzhan has been restored and entered the market.
After more than 40 years of development, the protection and utilization of Jianyao, the inheritance and development of Jianzhan skills have not only successful experience, but also profound lessons.
To make it continue to be the "messenger" of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, we should start from the following:
First, give full play to the brand benefits of "Jianyang Jianzhan" as a product protected by national geographical indications, formulate relevant laws and regulations, and strengthen the protection of brand logos; actively support the establishment of Jianzhan direct sales franchise stores and Jianzhan publicity and promotion centers, and establish a comprehensive The brand marketing system adopts various e-commerce sales models such as live broadcasting to expand the sales scope of Jianzhan; formulates industry standards for quality inspection and testing of Jianzhan, formulates and improves the rules and regulations of the Jianzhang industry, and guides, restricts, and regulates the development of the Jianzhan industry.
Second, increase the research and personnel training of building kilns and lamps.
On the one hand, it is necessary to continue to strengthen academic research related to building kilns and building lamps to provide academic theoretical support for the development of intangible cultural heritage skills; on the other hand, strengthen the cultivation of intangible cultural heritage inheritors and continuously improve the technical level of inheritors.
At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the cultivation of Jianzhan cultural and creative talents, and encourage Jianzhan practitioners to carry out further studies to improve their level.
Third, accelerate the construction of kilns to apply for the National Archaeological Site Park, relying on the profound historical context of kiln construction, activate the research and tourism market, let the heritage displayed on the vast land come alive, and make Jianzhan a source of water with a foundation Wood.
Fourth, hold the International Jianzhan Cultural Festival and hold international seminars and exchanges.
Actively organize Jianzhan online and offline international tour exhibitions and overseas promotional activities, blowing the clarion call of "China's Jianyao, the world's Jianzhan".
(over)
Respondent profile:
Yang Zelin is a research librarian at the Fujian Provincial Institute of Archaeology, an adjunct professor at the History Department of the School of Humanities, Xiamen University, and the School of Culture and Museology, Fudan University.
He has successively participated in and presided over nearly a hundred field and underwater archaeological investigation and excavation projects, such as Dongshan Dongguwan Shipwreck in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, Pingtan "Wanjiao No. 1" Qing Dynasty shipwreck, and also participated in the archaeological investigation and excavation of most kiln sites in Fujian Among them, the original celadon kiln site in Yongchun Kuzhaikeng, which was excavated in 2016, won the "National Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries".
He has edited 6 archaeological reports including "Fujian Coastal Underwater Archaeological Investigation Report (1989-2010)", "Pingtan Dalian Island Yuan Dynasty Shipwreck", "Wuyishan Ancient Kiln Site", and published more than 60 academic articles in various academic journals Reports and Papers.