Searching for the Era Charm on Ancient Porcelain
"Dare to set sail and enjoy seeing the waves behind"
This issue of Sail Runner
Take you into the Palace Museum
Listen to the stories hidden in millennium old ceramics
In the small courtyard at the southeast corner of the Palace Museum, researcher Lv Chenglong skillfully used long ropes to bind, wrap, and fasten tricycles. This is a special knot used by the Palace Museum to transport cultural relics, vividly known as the "librarian buckle" - when newcomers are proficient in this method, they often can already participate in the museum's "librarian" title. Lv Chenglong said that he became proficient in tying this type of knot after two years of repeated practice.
Nowadays, the walnut trees in the small courtyard have grown from thick and thin "dunbu sticks" to "electric poles", and Lv Chenglong has been working here for nearly forty years. What kind of stories do he have with over 370000 ceramic artifacts from the Forbidden City, and how do he interpret the code of civilization continuation contained within them?
Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yang walked into the Palace Museum and conducted an exclusive interview with Lv Chenglong.
Part 1 Appreciation of Porcelain - Porcelain is "Live"
In the 1990s, Lv Chenglong was called up to his master Geng Baochang and asked, "Xiao Lv, do you see the water grass painted on the cup swaying?" After truly understanding his master's meaning, the unique sense of agility of authentic ceramics became a special focus of his appreciation of porcelain in the future.
"Only by seeing the truth can one discern falsehood." Lv Chenglong believes that scientific appreciation needs to be based on observing a large number of authentic products. The rich collection of the Palace Museum provides unique conditions for ceramic researchers.
When it comes to current porcelain creation, Lv Chenglong advocates for adhering to tradition and innovating on the basis of previous works, in order to become a classic and pass it down. He also returned to Jingdezhen, where his alma mater is located, to experience the charm of porcelain creation.
Part 2 Porcelain Appraisal - Replacing Ancient Porcelain with an "ID Card"
One of the important starting points for the identification of ancient ceramics is to clarify the characteristics of different eras presented by ceramics. Taking the porcelain styles of the Kang, Yong, and Qian dynasties as an example, Lv Chenglong analyzed the social background and aesthetic taste of the current emperor contained in ceramics.
In 2016, Lv Chenglong re dated the collection of Doucai Chicken Bowls in the Forbidden City. To overturn the conclusions of several generations of experts in the Forbidden City, his confidence lies in mastering the year old mnemonic summarized by Mr. Sun Yingzhou, the founder of ancient ceramic appraisal.
Lv Chenglong introduced that the Palace Museum adopted a "one-on-one" model for the training of appraisal talents. It is precisely through the joint efforts of several generations of masters and apprentices that the research on ancient ceramics in the Palace Museum has achieved its current achievements.
Part 3 Porcelain Preservation - Historical Impressions on Porcelain Chips
What is the experience of working at the Palace Museum? In Lv Chenglong's view, guarding cultural relics is a job that is trembling and like walking on thin ice. He said that the staff have developed an "occupational disease" and always worry about whether the warehouse door is locked when walking halfway.
Cultural relics are not renewable. Lv Chenglong introduced Ru porcelain, which is still in the process of being opened, and the enamel colored pheasant and peony shaped bowl, which is lamented as "afraid of the wind blowing away, but worried about the sun burning away"... He said that the invention of porcelain is no less significant than the the Four Great Inventions of ancient China.
The ceramic relics collected in the Palace Museum also include a large number of porcelain pieces collected by several generations of experts from various kiln sites. Together with complete artifacts from various dynasties, they have pieced together a historical picture of the development and evolution of ceramic culture.
In Lu Chenglong's view, conducting research on ancient ceramics and visiting warehouses and kiln sites is essential, which is also his earnest hope for future generations.
Skills are evolving, knowledge is being passed down
The Forbidden City, over 600 years old
Witnessing generations of ceramic researchers rushing forward
Through the historical imprints on ceramics
Interpreting the Secrets of Civilization
Producer: Sun Zhiping, Chu Xuejun, Qian Tong
Producer: Zhang Yang
Director: Li Zhenyu
Author: Zhao Shitong
Director of this episode: Mai Linghan, Li Zhenyu
New Media Director: Song Yuze
Executive Producer: Zhao Shitong
Photography guide: Li Zhenyu
Art director: Ma Yuanchi
Photography: Zhao Shitong, Li Zhenyu, Mai Linghan
Color scheme: Song Yuze
Still photo: Zhao Shitong
Poster: Ma Yuanchi
New media operation: Song Yuze
Editing: Cui Cheng
Venue support:
Xiaojie Library
Special thanks:
the Palace Museum
Produced by Xinhua News Agency's Zhangyang Studio
Xinhua News Agency's Audio and Video Department
Xinhua News Agency
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