As one of the four ancient civilizations of China, five thousand years up and down, it can really be described as a long history, the ancestors left behind countless cultural relics, some of which can definitely be called "against the sky", unique materials, exquisite production, simple and atmospheric shape. Since some of the production processes have been lost, and they have become priceless treasures that are difficult to replicate in modern times, let's take a look at one or two.
First, eggshell black pottery high-handled cup
The eggshell black pottery high-handled cup was unearthed in Rizhao, Shandong Province, produced in the Neolithic era, with a unique shape and a black luster on the surface, exuding a mysterious and seductive charm. The thickness of the tire wall of the eggshell black pottery high-handled cup is only about 0.5 to 1mm, and the thinnest part is less than 0.5mm, only 0.2 to 0.3mm, as thin as the eggshell, which is also the origin of the "eggshell" in its name. The "anti-heaven" aspect of this cultural relic is that the tire wall is extremely thin, but the texture is extremely hard, which is difficult to achieve even by modern technology.
The number of eggshell black pottery high-handled cups unearthed is very small, only in large and medium-sized tombs, is to destroy a piece of precious cultural relics, if you can crack its production process, China's craftsmanship technology may be able to go to a higher level. In the Neolithic Age, when the productive forces were underdeveloped and the tools were rudimentary, our ancestors could reach a level that could not be achieved by modern craftsmanship.
2. Warring States Crystal Cup
In the early 1990s, the Hangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology was excavating an ancient tomb of the Warring States in the Mid-Levels of Hangzhou City, and during the excavation, archaeologists found a cup that was no different from a modern glass, which they thought might be a drinking cup that a tomb robber discarded at random during tomb robbery, but did not take it to heart.
After the archaeological excavations, the cup was sent to Beijing along with other artifacts for identification. The conclusion was astonishing: this 15.4 cm tall, 7.8cm caliber and 5.4 cm bottom diameter cup came from the Warring States more than 2,300 years ago and was processed from a single piece of crystal of high purity.
This is really "against the sky", and making crystals into cups is not an easy task in the Warring States. Since the processing technology is not yet known, many people have doubts about this cultural relic, believing that it is a fiction of the Hangzhou Museum. It is also believed that the crystal cup is related to time travel, and it is listed together with the caliper of the New Mang Period as evidence of the real existence of the crosser. Nowadays, the Warring States Crystal Cup has become the treasure of the Hangzhou Museum, and the tourists who come to visit are very surprised, if they do not look at the explanatory board, most people still think that it is a water cup casually put by the museum staff. Due to the special materials, the crystal cup is also prohibited from being exhibited abroad.
Third, "see the light of the sun" bronze mirror
When they first see this copper mirror, most people will think that this is just an ordinary mirror, and the "reverse sky" can not be matched, but when there is light shining on the mirror surface, the magic thing happens, which is also the "reverse sky" of the "sun light" copper mirror: if there is sunlight or parallel light on the mirror, the inscription on the back of the copper mirror can be revealed, as if the copper mirror is made of translucent glass.
"See the light of the sun" bronze mirror made in the Western Han Dynasty, the overall net weight of about 50g, because on the outside of the back pattern there is an inscription "see the light of the sun, the world is bright", so it is named "see the light of the sun" copper mirror.
Light passes through the copper mirror, which was called a lens in ancient times. By the Song Dynasty, the production process of lens lenses was accidentally lost. For more than a thousand years, many scholars have been exploring the production process of lens lenses, but none of them have succeeded. It was not until the early 21st century, through the cooperation between cultural relics workers and scientific and technological workers, that the mystery of the lens was finally solved, and we learned about the production process of "seeing the light of the sun", which is really lucky.
Fourth, the Western Han Plain Gauze Shirt
It's not a legend that a piece of clothing can fit in a matchbox, it's a fact! What is even more surprising is that this dress comes from the distant Western Han Dynasty, which is a plain gauze jacket (pronounced dān) excavated in 1972 at tomb No. 1 in Mawangdui, Changsha. The owner of the clothes is also very famous, is the wife of The Minister of State of Changsha Licang, Xin Chai, after more than two thousand years, the body is not rotten, still full of elasticity.
The plain gauze shirt is 132 cm long and the sleeve length is 181.5 cm. The fabric of the clothes is yarn, there is no color, so it is called plain yarn. The word "襌" comes from the "Explanation of Words": "襌, the clothes are not heavy." From the clothes, mono".
The "anti-heaven" of the plain gauze shirt is that its weight is only 49g, not even one or two. The Hunan Provincial Museum tried to find someone to copy the plain gauze shirt, but at first the copied clothes weighed more than 80 grams. After 13 years of research and testing, a plain gauze jacket weighing 49.5g was copied. Some people think that modern silkworm babies eat better and spit out more silk.
Plain gauze is as thin as a cicada wing, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the most "cool" clothing in ancient times. The use of plain gauze is also controversial, some people say that Mrs. Xin Chai specially ordered it in order to please her husband, and some people say that this is just a decorative item, used to highlight the noble status of the master, after all, this is not a dress that every nobleman can consume. Plain gauze garment value is extremely high, is the world's earliest existing age, the most complete preservation, the most refined production process, the thinnest piece of clothing, its excavation, to the study of China's ancient silk weaving technology has made a significant contribution.
5. Clear the ivory mat
We all know that there are many kinds of ivory products, such as ivory carvings, dentures, dice or piano keys, but have you ever heard of ivory mats? According to Qing dynasty archives, there were five ivory mats, and only three of them survive today. Two of them are in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing, and the other is in the Collection of the Shandong Provincial Museum, both of which are products of the Yongzheng period.
The "anti-heaven" aspect of the ivory mat lies in its production process. Ivory is easily damaged, and if you are not careful, you will be destroyed, let alone draw ivory into silk and weave it into a mat? Making an ivory mat requires hundreds of tusks and costs a lot. Because it was too extravagant, the Yongzheng Emperor banned the production and purchase of ivory mats, and its production process gradually disappeared.
An ivory mat in the Collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing has a very unique experience. After Puyi abdicated, he still lived in the Forbidden City at first, but theft in the palace was a common practice, and it may be that some eunuch wanted to mix the ivory mat into the ordinary straw mat and prepare to smuggle it out of the palace. It wasn't until 1978, when the Palace Museum was cleaning up cultural relics, that staff inadvertently found the ivory mat in a moldy mat. We had a chance to see it in its true form.
It is a pity that the ivory mat making process has been lost, but on the contrary, it is also a manifestation of the progress of human civilization. An ivory mat costs hundreds of tusks, and elephants that lose their tusks are likely to die, a treat made of animal blood.
Wen Shijun said:
With the progress of science and technology, the production process of some "anti-heaven" cultural relics is slowly being picked up by us, and the wisdom of ancient craftsmen can also be reproduced, and we can also improve modern technology by absorbing these technologies to make it serve more people. Perhaps it is in these "anti-heaven" technologies that we can also find the key to the ideal world.
bibliography
1. Li Hai: "Warring States Crystal Cup", Oriental Museum, No. 1, 2004;
2. Liu Yue, "Elephant Mo Wei Liang Sheng, Imperial Garden Summer Long- A Brief Discussion on the Tibetan Ivory Silk Weaving Mat in the Qing Palace", Forbidden City, No. 7, 2006.
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Taoyuan)
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