I once said, "Before the Qing Dynasty, China didn't have the capacity to produce glass." ”
This view was immediately popularized by the majority of history buffs
hate
target
Pieces! They listed a large number of pictures of ancient glassware unearthed, and under so much "ironclad evidence", even I myself was shaken.
Only recently, after consulting the data and comparing and summarizing in many ways, did I find that my initial conclusion was not wrong! It's actually the vast majority of people who are hoodwinked! And it is the ancient artifacts that have been unearthed that mislead them!
To this end, this article will refute those "iron evidence" pictures one by one, as if it were popular science knowledge. Let's get to the point:
1. Natural crystal is not glass
Sengoku Crystal Cup
As shown above, if you change the background and say that it is a glass, absolutely no one will question it.
Ming Dynasty glasses
Pictured above, it is a pair of Ming Dynasty glasses. As for authenticity, I have no doubts. Because in the corner of the Ming Dynasty's "Nandu Fanhui Scenery Map", there is a painting of a person wearing glasses.
To be honest, these two pictures caught me the most off guard. Because they are really so much like glass, it is almost to the point where they can be faked. But what is false is false after all, and it cannot be true.
Of course, the two artifacts are real and there is no problem. But the material made is not glass, but natural crystal. As long as the purity is high, it can be made into the above utensils by grinding and polishing. On the outside, there is basically no difference.
2. Glass is also not glass
Glass walls
As shown above, such a glass wall has actually unearthed a lot. However, the color is generally very poor, and it is difficult to associate it with glass. Like the picture above, it is already very good. But even so, in the case of an angle that has been used with the help of light, the permeability is still there
Poor
Too far.
Glass bottles
As shown above, this one is a bit like glass. It's just that the colors and shapes are a bit unsatisfactory.
Liuli was produced earlier in the mainland, and the Ming Dynasty craftsmen were seen making it in the "Notes of Matteo Ricci" written by the missionaries. But in the same way, the glass in the hands of foreigners was still a rarity at that time.
This didn't bother me much. Because glass is not like crystal, it is too different from glass, and the difference between the two can be distinguished with the naked eye.
Although another name for glass is colored glass, I don't think it's the same thing as modern glass. The main component of glass is sodium and calcium; the main component of glass is lead barium, which cannot be used to hold things, and is also unusually fragile and can only be used for ornamentation. Between the two, there is a world of difference.
3. Real glass is all imported
Tang Dynasty glass teacup
As shown above, unlike the above, this is made of glass of the Eight Classics. But do you think the style of painting is very peculiar? The tea set full of oriental colors is actually made of glass, which has a unique flavor.
Tang Dynasty glass
As shown in the picture above, so-so, the vicissitudes of the times are particularly heavy, and it looks particularly real!
When I got here, did I feel like I was going to concede defeat? Obviously, no, or I wouldn't have to write this article. Although these glassware are Tang Dynasty cultural relics unearthed in China, the origin is not China!
Middle Eastern porcelain
To add credibility, let's start with a similar example. The Middle East has unearthed a large number of porcelain with local styles, and people can't help but wonder - did the Middle East also burn porcelain in history?
Obviously, they won't. Before the 16th century, no country in the world made ceramics except for China, Korea, and Japan in East Asia. The porcelain unearthed in the Middle East is all the fruits of merchants on the Silk Road who came to the Tang Dynasty with sample drawings to customize and then bring back to the Western Regions.
The West will not make porcelain, and the East will not make glass, which is essentially not a technical barrier, but a restriction of raw materials. Rich in quartz sand on one side and porcelain clay on the other, how do you say the technology trees of both sides should develop?
Quartz sand
It was very difficult for ancient China to create glass, and most areas did not have quartz sand at all, or were deeper underground. Even if it is mined, because the purity is not high enough, the finished product is not up to standard.
Therefore, the above two Tang Dynasty cultural relics that are really made of glass were not produced by the Tang Dynasty. In the same way, before the Qing Dynasty, Chinese glass products without exception were all
imported goods
。
Welcome to discuss below, and if there are any deficiencies, we hope to correct them.