The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 639 If all else fails, ask the industry experts for help!

"What kiln did this porcelain tower come from?"

To be honest, even though Shen Le specializes in ancient architecture rather than porcelain restoration, he could roughly distinguish the type and age of this porcelain tower.

It is white porcelain, but the glaze is not the kind of warm, jade-like, and soft, creamy white; it is not the sweet white porcelain of the Yongle period.

It is not transparent and bright, nor is it white like a child's pillow; it is not Song Dynasty white porcelain.

Of course, it wouldn't be so thick and coarse, with a bluish-yellow glaze that the color is obviously off. So, it certainly isn't the kind of white porcelain from the Han Dynasty or the Three Kingdoms period where the iron element wasn't purified.

In conclusion, the white porcelain likely dates from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and was probably produced by the Xing Kiln, Gongyi Kiln, Baihe Kiln, Xiangzhou Kiln, or similar kilns.

However, to determine the specific dynasty and type of kiln, he would have to... conduct experiments and consult books...

The experiment had already been conducted before. X-ray diffraction experiments were performed, scanning the surface of the porcelain, the fractured area, and the bottom of the porcelain.

Based on spectral analysis and extensive calculations (the calculations were outsourced to my junior colleagues, which is also a way of giving them a stipend), the composition and elemental ratios of each part of the porcelain tower were roughly determined:
The body of the tire contains 62.5% silicon dioxide, 27.8% aluminum oxide, and 0.85% ferric oxide.

Most notably, the potassium oxide content was remarkably high, reaching 5.9%. Shen Le casually picked up several pieces of porcelain and pottery from his home, and none of them showed such a high potassium content!
Then, Shen Le had to carry a huge pile of books and papers, frantically flipping through them. Only when she felt she had found something that resembled a conclusion would she respectfully ask her teacher for clarification.

"Professor, look at this porcelain pagoda... isn't it a white porcelain piece from the Xing kiln of the Sui Dynasty?"

“It’s obvious.” The professor he consulted was a retired female teacher in her sixties who had been rehired by the school to teach students.

She adjusted her reading glasses, circled the porcelain tower, and drew her conclusion without hesitation:

"Look at the porcelain body, look at the glaze, look at the shape. The Northern and Southern Dynasties pieces weren't this refined, and the Tang Dynasty pieces are even more vivid. Oh, you're not a ceramics expert..."

Students majoring in ceramics have seen and touched all kinds of pottery and porcelain, from ancient pottery all the way to various famille rose, doucai, and blue and white porcelain from the Republic of China period, in different colors and shapes.

After seeing and touching a lot, you can basically tell the difference with just a glance or a touch.

Of course, "one minute on stage requires three years of practice off stage," and this level of skill isn't something students from other fields can simply acquire...

The old professor pushed up his glasses again, took the documents that Shen Le respectfully presented, and turned the pages one by one.

Shen Le had to admire her professional knowledge. She only glanced at the table of contents and then quickly flipped to the corresponding data page, then to the relevant tables and graphs.

Shen Le noticed that she spent most of her time looking at the raw data and spectral curves, occasionally flipping over to glance at the data and nodding slightly.

Can such complicated data really be calculated mentally?

Can we find relevant information directly by comparing it with other materials without even having to look through books or papers?

Shen Le stood ramrod straight to the side, her gaze fixed on her experimental records, only glancing at the old professor out of the corner of her eye. The old professor, while perusing the records, sighed:
"The conditions for you to do research now are much better than what we had back then."

When we first started out, we could only rely on our eyes, our hands, and our senses to distinguish things. You guys can just use instruments; one scan and it's clear what it is…”

By doing so, those mysterious experiences and feelings are instantly brought down to earth, into the real world.

Shen Le glanced at the old professor and saw that his expression seemed both joyful and wistful. He seemed happy that he finally had a reliable, trustworthy, and repeatable research method.

It's as if they're lamenting that all the things they spent decades researching, feeling, and pondering are almost useless now...

"Teacher, experience is still very useful." He leaned slightly forward, respectfully advising:
"These feelings, these experiences, even the perception of 'beauty'—in the early stages of porcelain restoration, instruments can be used to restore the body and glaze."

However, instruments cannot tell us what the broken porcelain originally looked like, just as instruments cannot tell us what Venus's broken arms once looked like..."

The old professor stood there for a moment, looked up at him, and smiled slightly. She didn't say anything, just nodded, opened her laptop, and started typing rapidly.

Shortly after, a paper was retrieved, and the data provided by Shen Le was overlaid with a table on the computer screen. Slender fingers lightly tapped the screen, gesturing for Shen Le to look:

"Look, this article, 'A Study on the Traditional Firing Methods of Xing Kiln White Porcelain,' mentions that researchers have measured the composition of cosmetic white porcelain, fine white porcelain, translucent white porcelain, and celadon porcelain shards."

Among them, a potassium oxide content exceeding 5% is a key characteristic of translucent white porcelain, setting it apart from other types of white porcelain…

Shen Le leaned over to take a closer look and couldn't help but admire him. He had spent countless days researching this information, visiting numerous libraries, and even enlisting the help of his junior classmates.
However, this old professor only glanced at the measurement data he provided and quickly found the corresponding paper, taking only about one-thousandth of the time!

"I found the information too, but teacher, I can't quite believe it." Shen Le frowned and stood next to the porcelain pagoda, her fingertips gently tracing its surface.

"I've looked up information about translucent white porcelain. It says it's 'white and lustrous, hard and light, translucent with a hidden sheen, and when poured into wine, it reveals the color of the wine, but when poured into tea, it doesn't change the color of the tea.'"

—All the unearthed artifacts, including wine cups, have a translucent quality when held in the hand. But this one…”

Such a large, heavy, and thick porcelain tower!
What kind of person would use the firing method of translucent white porcelain to fire such a tower!
Even the porcelain sword inside the tower wasn't translucent!
“A type is a type. If the components and glaze identified by the instrument match these characteristics, then it is a type of porcelain.”

The old professor gently shook his head, walked to the porcelain tower, and stared intently, almost greedily, at the even glaze on the tower. Several times he wanted to reach out and touch it, but each time he withdrew his hand.

Finally, she simply sighed softly, and amidst the incessant beeping of the Special Affairs Bureau's protective gear, took several steps back into the cubicle.
"As for why someone would fire such a porcelain tower... why such a large porcelain tower could be fired, what method was used to fire it... which kiln was used to fire it..."

All I can say is that none of the existing, excavated kiln sites have the capacity to fire such a massive porcelain tower…

This porcelain tower is probably the only large-scale artifact among Sui Dynasty porcelain, in terms of both size and height.

Shen Le put herself in the professor's shoes. If he were the professor, he would probably also want to successfully restore the porcelain tower, research its history, and then properly display it in a museum.

Unfortunately, it couldn't. The beeping and flashing of the protective gear meant that it had a considerable spiritual energy reaction, and that it would affect the health and safety of ordinary people.

Even with deliberate precautions, the time for close contact is limited. Before the buzzer turns into a whistling sound and the yellow light turns red, you must leave! The old professor was reluctant to leave, glancing back frequently. Shen Le carefully escorted her to the house next door, where she reunited with her junior colleagues who worked there, silently apologizing in his heart.
Teacher, I'm so sorry. I'm afraid I can't give you this porcelain pagoda—wait a minute, after I fix it, I'll go to Mount Shu and dig it up again.

They once had twelve towers. Perhaps, maybe, some of them have lost all their power over the long years and can be safely placed in a museum?

"As for the restoration of this tower, I really have no advice to give you."

The old professor recalled the shape of the tower, the glaze and porcelain sculptures inside and outside the tower, the missing parts that were temporarily repaired with plaster, and the fish glue used to bond the porcelain pieces:

"Your repair work is quite meticulous and excellent. The only difference is that although we usually use white AB glue, it's your own stuff, so you can fix it however you want..."

Shen Le thanked her repeatedly, then took her leave. Turning back, she sat down in front of the porcelain tower and let out a long sigh.

"It seems the only way is to go to that ancient porcelain demon in Jingdezhen and ask him for advice..."

He had never directly interacted with the porcelain demon, but fortunately, Lao You had some connection with it and had even managed to pry something out of its hands before.

When Lan Zhuang was being repaired, the porcelain demon casually gave Lao You a few pieces of porcelain and a bunch of broken porcelain pieces for Shen Le to practice on...

If you want to know how this porcelain pagoda was completely restored as a ritual implement, and if you want to know which kiln it came from, you can probably only ask this person.

Born in Jingdezhen, and having attained enlightenment at least during the Northern Song Dynasty, I suppose, perhaps, hopefully, I have some impression of, or know something about, porcelain pagodas from the Sui Dynasty.

"Old You..."

Shen Le sighed and called the Peregrine Falcon. The voice on the other end was shrill with excitement:

"Boss! Boss, what do you need? Just tell me, and I'll go through fire and water to do it for you!"

Ah, no need for going through fire and water, just help me arrange a meeting. Having received Shen Le's instructions, Lao You personally flew to Jingdezhen to deliver Shen Le's handwritten invitation.
Soon, the other party sent a very friendly message:

You are welcome anytime!

If the porcelain tower is inconvenient to move, you can come and take a look!
The porcelain pagoda was easy to move. Huang Yutong opened a large door, and several clay figurines carrying makeup jumped out from the pen holder. They wrapped and tied up the porcelain pagoda, and then, swaying slightly, carried it into the old house.

Then, teleported via the earth's veins, I arrived precisely in the porcelain capital in a flash. Following the address given by Lao You, I hailed a taxi and headed towards the suburbs.
"From out of town? Going to the porcelain kiln?"

The randomly selected ride-hailing driver glanced at Shen Le out of the corner of his eye while driving, and chatted with him with the enthusiasm and curiosity common to drivers all over the country:

Are you doing research? Starting a business? Acquiring porcelain? Or opening your own studio to fire porcelain?

What do I look like to you?

Shen Le smiled and raised his hands. The driver, taking advantage of the red light, turned his head and carefully examined her.
"None of them seem like it. Researchers aren't as rich as you, and the relaxed demeanor you exude suggests you're at least financially independent."
Entrepreneurs, even the smallest small business owners, need to be much more resourceful;

He buys porcelain, but he doesn't act like he's rich and powerful, like he's not short of money.

"Opening your own studio? Honestly, you don't look like a craftsman, especially not like a porcelain craftsman..."

"How to say?"

"There's no porcelain clay under his fingernails, his face clearly hasn't been exposed to the smoke of a porcelain kiln, and his eyes don't look like they've been through fire—okay, there are a lot of electric kilns now, but his face and hands haven't been burned by the heat..."

Shen Le could only smile and shrug, admitting that he was just visiting a friend. The driver stepped on the gas and sped along the main road, dropping Shen Le off at the entrance of an industrial park in the suburbs.

Even after Shen Le walked into the park gate and disappeared inside, the driver was still pondering:

"So what exactly is this person here for...?"

He wouldn't even let me take it directly inside!

This park is huge!
It would take at least half an hour to walk from the entrance to the innermost building; you could easily get lost!

There was no one inside to pick him up. Was this visiting friend really reliable?

Shen Le didn't know if his friends were reliable or not; he only knew that this industrial park seemed quite reliable. From the very entrance, the density of ceramic elements was dizzying:
Various colored broken porcelain pieces are inlaid to form the name of the entire park, drawing a rainbow at the main entrance;
Two porcelain vases, at least two stories high, stand on either side of the main gate, showcasing the entire park's firing prowess.
Further inside, at the entrances and on the walls of each small building, there are porcelain pieces, some elaborate and some simple.

There was a white porcelain dancer whose clothes were delicate and graceful, like thin gauze;
The plum vase features a variety of red glazes, from pink and peach to rust red and cowpea red, all presented in turn, like a color chart.

There are porcelain bowls so thin they're almost translucent, letting sunlight through; porcelain paintings inlaid with shards of broken porcelain; all sorts of jewelry; and all kinds of soft furnishings...

There are tall red brick buildings, which appear to be converted from old factory buildings;

There's a small building with a full glass frame, as if they wanted to display all their products by the windows;

There are huge ancient porcelain kilns, and you can even see workers washing porcelain clay by hand.
Young couples walked out of the small building, chatting and laughing, each carrying a crooked and poorly made bottle. It was clear they had come to experience ceramic handicrafts...

In short, the business formats are quite diverse.

Shen Le walked slowly through the park under the blazing sun, looking around happily as she went.

Walking straight to the deepest part of the park, winding left and right, passing through a group of buildings that resembled a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation, a bright and open view suddenly appeared before us:
A tall, white, and imposing porcelain pagoda, resembling the Baochu Pagoda, reflects a bright, radiant light under the blazing sun, exuding a spiritual aura.

Beneath the porcelain tower, a handsome man in white stood smiling.

"Oh my, so you've been here! This entire park is your training ground, no, it's almost become your secret realm, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)