In 1993, workers were working on the construction site on West Avenue in Pengzhou, Sichuan Province, in November, when it was already winter. However, the workers were still enthusiastic, and when they saw that they were about to dig the foundation, the sound of "jumping" alarmed everyone. A huge stone stele was found, and behind the stele was the largest gold and silver kiln in China.
When the construction team found the stele, they removed it, and there was a dark hole under the stele, but the inside was constantly flashing. When the first worker boldly went down, he brought with him the good news, "It's full of gold!" Later, according to expert statistics, 351 pieces of gold and silver artifacts were unearthed in the Pengzhou gold and silver kiln, with a total value of up to 2 billion yuan.
Speaking of China's kiln collections, the famous ones are Hebei Dingxingyuan Kiln Collection, Hejiacun Tang Kiln Collection, Xunyang Song Kiln Collection, etc., but when it comes to the value and exquisite degree of excavated cultural relics, these kiln collections cannot be compared with the Pengzhou Gold and Silver Kiln Collection. Of the 351 artifacts unearthed in 1993, there are 27 gold objects and 324 silver objects. Among them, 115 are national first-class protected cultural relics, and the local museum has also become the county-level museum with the largest number of first-class cultural relics in the country overnight.
In November 1993, after the excavation of the Pengzhou kiln, experts rushed to the scene and cooperated with the police to pull up a cordon around the construction site. By the time the experts arrived, it was already dark, so the archaeologists entered the kiln pit with flashlights. Under the illumination of the light, the kiln pit shone with a golden light. The gold and silver artifacts on the ground shocked all the experts present, and these cultural relics picked up one at random, all of which were exquisitely crafted and exquisite, and the initial estimate was that each one was worth more than 5 million yuan.
Since this day, Sichuan Pengzhou has left a strong mark in the history of kiln archaeology in China. According to expert analysis, this is a batch of gold and silverware from the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty was an important period for the development of China's commodity economy, and with the improvement of the living conditions of the people, gold and silverware also began to enter ordinary people's homes. The changes in the atmosphere of the times have also had a certain impact on the art of craftsmanship.
Therefore, in the Song Dynasty, the shape of gold and silverware is very artistic, cups, cups, plates, bowls have different forms, and most of their decorative patterns are birds, animals and fish patterns, symbolizing the meaning of beautiful and auspicious. The shape of the utensils, most of which directly imitate the flowers, plants and fruits in nature, such as the famous golden melon bowl, is shaped like a melon fruit, made of pure gold throughout, and is carved with grain and melon and fruit vines. Lifelike at the same time, full of beautiful meaning.
In terms of craftsmanship, Pengzhou kiln gold and silverware was also the peak of technology at that time. Inherited from the Tang Dynasty, the "hammering technique" has been continuously improved and utilized, and many gold and silver ware appearances have a high-end relief effect. In order to create a beautiful body shape and solve the problem of thin texture, the Craftsmen of the Song Dynasty applied the sandwich process to the forging of gold and silver ware, further improving its form and quality.
Today, the Pengzhou gold and silver ware kiln collection is known as the "world's first gold and silver kiln", for the 351 cultural relics unearthed, experts gave an estimate: 2 billion. This is still a conservative price, if placed at auction, it is doomed to be another bloody storm. Of course, these gold and silver objects have now entered the museum, and after being restored and studied by experts, they have become an important exhibit for tourists to visit and understand the history.
As for why there are so many gold and silver objects in Pengzhou, there is still no answer. Perhaps more kilns will be unearthed nearby in the future, and there may be answers we want to explore.