Ma Weidu once told us: "There is no truth in history, only one truth remains." So since there is no truth, why did he say that the Song Dynasty could not burn the big cylinder, so Sima Guang could not smash the cylinder?
This seemingly contradictory answer is actually worth pondering. However, the examination of an idiom, as well as the discovery of archaeological excavations, Ma Weidu's suggestion that the Song Dynasty did not have a cylinder was also self-defeating, and some of them felt "punched in the face".
Jars and urns
Many people are dumbfounded by these two things, and it seems that there is no difference between the two things.
In fact, the urn is a large pottery with a large abdomen and a tight mouth. Judging from the dating of archaeological excavations, the appearance of urns can be traced back to the Yin Shang era, so there are many idioms about urns in history.
However, due to the small mouth of the urn, it is somewhat inconvenient to use, such as when holding water or rice, it is difficult to clean up the residue at the bottom. So people invented the cylinder on this basis.
The cylinder is a large pottery with an open mouth, there are straight cylinders and large belly tanks, but either way, their mouths are large, which is convenient for cleaning up the bottom residue. However, the production process of the cylinder is relatively complicated, especially the large cylinder, the larger the cylinder body, the easier it is to collapse in the firing process, and it is difficult to make it smooth.
Even if the firing is successful, because it is an open mouth, when holding water or rice, the cylinder wall will bear all the pressure, so the ancient cylinder is easy to break. And this is also the reason why Sima Guang, who is only seven years old, can smash the vat.
The urn is different, because the body has a curvature, and the mouth is tightened, under the action of stress, the pressure will be dispersed, and the urn has been an indispensable vessel for all families before the technology of the burning cylinder is not mature.
Therefore, if you want to separate the cylinder and the urn, just look at the mouth of the instrument, "the open is the cylinder, and the mouth is the urn."
Then the question also comes, is it really like Ma Weidu said, the Song Dynasty, which was very advanced in science and technology, could not burn a large cylinder?
idiom
If you really think that the Song people can't burn a big vat, I believe that the old ancestors will not agree. First of all, the word "cylinder" has appeared as early as the Han Dynasty, and the vessel of the cylinder has also appeared in the "History", and it has also formed an idiom - a thousand cylinders of sauce.
The Chronicle of History has a special biography of ancient commercial activities, called the Chronicle of Cargo Colonization. In particular, it is pointed out in this column that there were many ways for the poor to make money in ancient times, such as brewing a thousand cylinders of wine every year, or making a thousand cylinders of vinegar every year, and then transporting them to the big cities to sell.
The original words in the legend are: "One year old thousand brews, a thousand pots of sauce." ”
It was only at that time that the cylinder was called "瓨" (瓨) (瓨)
Since then, the idiom "a thousand jars of sauce" has been born, which is used as a metaphor for beautiful things. The examination of this idiom also shows that as early as the Han Dynasty, it was possible to burn a large vat and use it in the folk, which is really a bit of a "punch in the face".
However, Ma Weidu also said that history should be an objective existence, and the so-called truth is only a subjective judgment of posterity. According to this statement, even with the idiom of "a thousand cylinders of sauce", it cannot be regarded as the truth, nor can it prove that the Song Dynasty can burn large cylinders.
Then we might as well look at the painted vat excavated from the "Yangshao Cultural Site". This is a solid objective existence, not a subjective judgment.
Unearthed large vats
Yangshao culture dates back about 6,000 years and is the history and culture of the middle reaches of the Yellow River.
In this site, archaeologists have found a large number of ceramics, including a large painted clay pot with birds and animal motifs. However, this large clay pot was not used to hold water or rice, but as a tool for sacrifice, because a large number of human bones were found in the tank.
Experts speculate that in the ancient times when bronze dading was not yet popular, large clay pots were used very widely, in addition to meeting the daily reserve needs, they could also be used as sacrificial vessels.
However, the firing process of the ancient ancestors is more exquisite, and it is even possible to design multiple handles above the cylinder body to facilitate people's handling.
Not to mention the unique design of this painted vat, it is absolutely a miracle that it can survive more than 6,000 years and still be preserved. As we all know, the larger the ancient cultural relics, the more difficult it is to preserve, let alone large cylinders, even ordinary ceramic jars, it is difficult to preserve them completely after such a long time.
This painted jar is almost perfect except for a broken handle, which also shows the exquisite skill of ancient ancestors in firing pottery.
On the other hand, the ancient ancestors of more than 6,000 years ago could perfectly fire large vats, how could the Song Dynasty, which was the leading technology in the world, not be able to fire?
It doesn't matter anymore
In fact, not only the idioms mentioned above and the excavated objects can prove it, but also some ancient literary works can also prove that the Song Dynasty had a large vat. For example, in the "Water Margin" that describes the story of the Song Dynasty, when Wu Song drunkenly beats jiang men, the word wine tank appears 8 times.
Therefore, even if Sima Guang smashed it not as a cylinder, but an urn, he could not hastily think that the Song Dynasty could not burn a large cylinder.
Of course, there is no need to study the authenticity of the story of "Sima Guang smashing the cylinder", even if the Song Dynasty really cannot burn the large cylinder, it does not affect the story's teaching of the principle of not being in danger, daring to break through the routine and using innovative thinking to solve problems.
So in the end, whether the Song Dynasty can burn into a large vat does not seem to be so important.
References: History of the Song Dynasty, History of History, Water Margin