What are the specialties of Longquan?

longquan sword

On May 20th, 2006, Longquan sword-making skill was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list! At present, there are more than 100 sword enterprises in Longquan, with nearly 10,000 employees and more than 30 national masters and swordsmen with high and intermediate titles. Sword industry has become an important part of Longquan economy. Longquan sword produced in Longquan City is said to have been built in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, with a history of more than 2,600 years. The story of Ou Yezi casting a sword is widely circulated among the people. Long Yuan is also the original name of Longquan Sword. It is said that once Ou Yezi drew water to quench his sword, there suddenly appeared a "five-colored dragon pattern" and a seven-star bucket statue, so people called the place where the sword was cast "Longyuan" and the sword "Seven-star Longyuan Sword". In the Tang Dynasty, the word "Yuan" was changed to "Quan" to avoid the great-grandfather Li Yuan.

Characteristics of traditional sword

Longquan sword, in the long-term development, has formed four characteristics in product quality through the study and improvement of past dynasties: first, it is tough and sharp; "Cut copper like mud". During the period of 1978, the artists who made Longquan sword performed publicly at two national gatherings in the field of arts and crafts in China. He easily split the six copper plates stacked together into two pieces with a Longquan sword, but the blade didn't roll up. Second, combine rigidity with softness. The ancient Longquan sword was cast with pig iron, but now it is cast with medium carbon steel, and the quenching process is just right, which makes the medium carbon steel have the characteristics of spring steel. For example, a thin sword is rolled into a circle and tied around the waist, like a belt for a skirt. When it was untied, the sword was still straight. Third, the cold light is threatening. Longquan has a millstone called "Bright Stone". The sword grinded on this stone is shining with cold light. Longquan sword is polished by hand, from rough grinding to fine grinding, it often takes days or even months. Once polished, the green light shines brightly. Fourth, the ornamentation is ingenious. The sword is engraved with the symbol of seven stars and the pattern of dragon. Carving flowers on the body of the sword is also a stunt of Longquan sword. Swordsmen don't use colored pencils, and they don't play cards according to routine. They used only a steel chisel to carve on the sword, which was less than an inch wide. After carving, pour it with copper water. After leveling and polishing, the dragon pattern is vivid and natural and will never disappear. Longquan sword was mostly sheathed in ancient times. Now the scabbard and hilt are made of local specialty rosewood. This kind of rosewood is tough in texture, beautiful in texture and antique. Decorated with silver and copper, Longquan sword is the icing on the cake.

longquan celadon

Longquan celadon was officially selected into the world intangible cultural heritage protection list on September 30, 2009.

On May 20th, 2006, Longquan celadon firing technology was approved by the State Council and included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. At present, there are more than 30 celadon enterprises with more than 5,000 employees in Longquan 130, and more than 5,000 celadon enterprises in Longquan 130. Four national celadon masters have emerged (three China arts and crafts masters, 1 China ceramic arts and crafts masters). Longquan celadon began in the Jin Dynasty and took shape at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty. It reached its peak in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The scale of porcelain making is unprecedented, and the technology has reached its peak. The plum red glaze of Brother Kiln has reached the highest level of celadon glaze color! Longquan became a famous center of porcelain industry in China, and gradually declined in Qing Dynasty. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), under the care of Premier Zhou Enlai, production resumed, Longquan celadon reappeared its glory and glory, and finally ushered in another new peak that continued the Southern Song Dynasty in the contemporary era!

There are two kinds of Longquan celadon products: one is white celadon and cinnabar celadon, called "Brother Kiln" or "Longquan Kiln", and the other is black celadon with glazed tiles, called "Ge Kiln". "Brother Kiln" celadon has rich glaze layer, blue glaze color, soft luster, crystal clear and moist, which is better than jade. There are plum green, pink green, moonlight white, bean green glaze, light blue, grayish yellow and other different glaze colors. "Geyao" celadon is decorated with gorgeous and ancient patterns, such as ice crack, crab claw pattern, cow hair pattern, running water pattern, roe pattern, blood pattern, garbage crumbs and so on. In addition, its glaze layer is full and clean, and it is known as "purple mouth and iron foot". Compared with glazed patterns, it is more simple and elegant, and it can be called a treasure in porcelain. Modern Longquan celadon faithfully inherited the traditional artistic style of China. On the basis of inheritance and archaization, there has been a new breakthrough. The red copper glaze, high temperature black glaze, tiger spot glaze, black glaze, green tea glaze, black gold glaze and azure glaze were successfully studied. In the design and decoration of arts and crafts, there are "celadon thin tire", "celadon exquisiteness", "celadon underglaze color", "pictographic opening", "civil and military opening", "blue and white combination" and "Gedi kiln combination".

Longquan celadon is famous for its delicate porcelain, bright and smooth lines, dignified and simple shape and pure and beautiful color. The "flower in porcelain", which is "green as jade, bright as a mirror and loud as a chime", is worthy of being a treasure in porcelain, rare and precious. The celadon skill of Longquan Kiln promoted the development of porcelain kilns in China. From the Southern Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, porcelain kilns in Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi successively produced products similar to Longquan celadon! Longquan kiln celadon also has a great influence abroad. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, it was exported in large quantities, from the ports along the southeast coast of China to the East African coast along the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Indian Ocean! In Europe, Longquan celadon is known as "salad porcelain". +(or Sheraton)! The Persian philosopher Ertosi, known as "Ocean Green" in Arab countries, mysteriously preached celadon: if celadon tableware contains toxic food, celadon glaze can work and become non-toxic; The pieces of celadon are ground into pieces, which can also cure dental diseases and inhibit nosebleeds. Longquan celadon was introduced to Europe in16th century, and its value is comparable to that of gold. Most people are afraid to ask. Princes and nobles used Longquan celadon as a display. August II Fryderyk Moncny, King of Saxony in Europe, spared no expense to buy Longquan celadon, and specially built a palace to collect China celadon. His concubine in neighboring Wang Weilian also has a large collection of porcelain. After diplomatic negotiations, the two sides reached an agreement, and the King of Saxony exchanged 600 soldiers for the Prussian 127 China. The literature of European countries calls Longquan celadon "Sheraton", and compares the color and charm of Longquan celadon with the beautiful costumes of Sheraton, the protagonist of the famous European drama Estella. Museums and ceramic collectors all over the world regard Longquan celadon as a treasure and are proud to own Longquan celadon. The book Description of the Portuguese Kingdom, which records the western trade in China porcelain, claims that Longquan celadon is "the most beautiful thing invented by people, and looks cuter than all gold, silver or crystals".

Development history of Longquan kiln

Southern Dynasties: The working people in Longquan took advantage of the superior local natural conditions, absorbed the porcelain-making experience of Yue kiln, Wu kiln and Ou kiln, and started firing celadon. Among the 420 tombs unearthed in Xiabao Village, tea field in Longquan, there are 8 pieces of celadon fragments, such as "chicken head pot", "cockscomb pot" and "lotus petal bowl", all of which are gray, green and yellow glazes, which provides a reliable example for the founding age of Longquan celadon. At this time, Longquan kiln industry was small in scale, simple in operation and rough in production. Song dynasty: from the five dynasties to the early northern song dynasty, Longquan kiln had begun to take shape. At that time, 49 kiln sites had been found in Dayao, Jincun and Anfu, and only Dayao (Liutian) Village found 12 kiln sites in the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty. The lowest floor of Jincun kiln site is the products of the early Northern Song Dynasty, all of which are light blue glazed celadon. The tire wall is thin and hard, with delicate texture and light gray-white. During this period, folk porcelain was mainly fired, but some fine porcelain was also collected as a tribute. "Chicken Rib" written by Zhuang in Song Dynasty said: "Longquan County, Chuzhou once produced celadon, which is called the secret color, and money and tribute are all due to this." In the seventh year of Taiping and Xingguo (982), he sent an envoy and ordered Zhao Duyue to take charge of Longquan kiln. Yuan? In the seventh year (1092), the Daxi River from Longquan to Qingtian was dredged on a large scale. With the development of water transportation, Longquan kiln extends from south to east along Daxi, which lays the foundation for the further development of Longquan celadon industry. Southern Song Dynasty: The national political and economic center moved south, the northern Ru kilns and Ding kilns were destroyed by war, and Yue kilns, Wu kilns and Ou kilns declined one after another. In order to solve the financial difficulties and encourage foreign trade, the rulers of the Southern Song Dynasty entered the heyday, so a large number of new porcelain workshops appeared, and the product quality was constantly improved. There are more than 260 kilns along the river in the south and east of the county. The areas with the densest kiln mouth and the best product quality are Dayao, Jincun and Chatian Xikou. Only in Dayao Village, 28 Southern Song porcelain kilns were discovered. Behind Dayao Village, there is a place called Guanchang. It is said that a "Beijing official" lives here to supervise the manufacture of celadon. There are more than 40 kiln sites in the Southern Song Dynasty from Wutongkou Village to Wuxi Village in the east of the city. At that time, Longquan celadon products were exported at home and abroad. Yuan dynasty: the scale of celadon production has been expanding, and the variety of products and utensils has increased. The excavation of sunken ships in Xin 'an, South Korea and Africa proves that the export sales of Longquan celadon at this time increased greatly compared with that in Song Dynasty. There are more than 330 porcelain kilns in Longquan, and Dayao Village is still the most successful place in Longquan kiln system, and it is the pillar and backbone of Longquan kiln. Imitation "Ge Kiln" products were also found in the kiln site of the Yuan Dynasty in the second-class village of Shangyan in the east. In the underglaze colored carvings of Longquan celadon, Liutian (Dayao Village), Lu Yi, Yuankou, Anrenkou and other kiln sites found in the Dadu site of the Yuan Dynasty, there are the words "Eight Thoughts and Eight Articles" written by the Yuan Dynasty officials, indicating that besides a large number of folk kilns, some official kilns or semi-official kilns were burned for offering sacrifices to the imperial court. Later, with the intensification of class contradictions and ethnic contradictions, the production of celadon was seriously affected. At that time, the fetal bones of celadon gradually became thicker and rougher. Most kilns are not well trimmed after the green body is formed, and the glaze layer is thin, and the glaze color of the utensils is bluish yellow, and the shape is not as beautiful as before. Ming and Qing Dynasties: In the Ming Dynasty, most of these kilns were still firing. During the Hongwu period, Gegu Lun contained: "Longquan Kiln is located in Longquan County, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and is rich in porcelain." At that time, the vessels dedicated to the imperial palace and nobles were still burned by Rao (Jingdezhen) and Chu (Lishui Longquan). From Yongle to Xuande, Zheng He went to the Western Ocean, and overseas trade promoted celadon production. During the orthodox period (1436 ~ 1449), the works represented by the famous craftsman Gu were beautiful in shape, thick in glaze and blue in color, and many large-scale porcelain products are still collected by art connoisseurs at home and abroad. After Chenghua and Hongzhi (1465 ~ 1505), blue and white porcelain rose. With the decline of China's maritime industry, the Maritime Silk Road became the road of pirate aggression by western colonists. In the Ming dynasty, the sea ban was implemented, and the sales of celadon dropped sharply. The kilns in Dayao Village and Xikou Village were closed one after another, and the kilns in Dabai 'an Village and Anrenkou Village were changed to burn folk general celadon. The number of kilns was reduced to more than 160. In the early Qing dynasty, there were few kilns left. In the middle of Qing Dynasty, there were only over 70 kilns in the southern suburbs of Qingxi, Baoyuntou Village and Sunkeng Village. The product has rough fetal quality and blue-yellow glaze color. The skill of fan kiln in Wei Sunkeng Village has been passed down from generation to generation, and it has been fired until the early Republic of China. Longquan celadon flower, which flourished for several dynasties, withered here. Republic of China: At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, people from Japan, Germany and the United States came to Longquan to collect ancient celadon, followed by a large number of antique dealers in China. As a result, on the one hand, it triggered the wind of stealing ancient kiln sites and ancient tombs in Longquan; On the other hand, a group of folk porcelain artists began to develop antique celadon. There are Liao from the county seat, Chen Zuohan and Zhang He from Baoxi town. In 24 years of the Republic of China, Chen Zuohan copied more than 70 pieces of Yao Di products, such as "Peony Bottle" and "Phoenix Ear Bottle". At this time, although the folk kiln factory in Baoxi area can imitate the ancient Longquan celadon, the number of people is small, the technology is backward, the finished product rate is extremely low and the glaze color is unstable.

The custom of making Longquan celadon

Zhang Shenger, the ancestor of Shengyi Zhang Longquan and founder of Ge Kiln, was honored as the ancestor of kiln industry by later generations. In the past, the kiln heads of Dragon Kiln and Carp Kiln, which burned porcelain, were all affixed with "Master List". In addition to worshipping the position of teacher, the master list also includes worshipping mountain gods, land, boys carrying water and husbands carrying water. On the second and sixteenth day of the lunar calendar, porcelain makers must buy wine, meat, tea and rice, light incense candles in front of the master list in Yaotou, kowtow and worship, and then divide the offerings, commonly known as "living the day". When building a kiln, please ask Mr. Feng Shui to choose auspicious days and ecliptic auspicious days before you can start building a kiln. When we start work, we should set up a sacrifice to the gods in the kiln and burn the porcelain. Children and pregnant women are forbidden to enter the kiln on the kiln-building day, and no one is allowed to pick a dung bucket and pass in front of the kiln, so as not to offend the gods and bring disaster to the kiln. According to legend, this day is the day when Shengyi Zhang, the founder of Ge Kiln, made "changing kiln porcelain". At that time, the pottery trade union fasted in the bubble bath, put the boys and girls made of flour on the ancestral incense table, set up sacrifices in front of the master list in the kiln head, lit incense candles, bowed down and prayed for the blessings of the ancestors to burn exquisite porcelain. Kiln workers can't talk when they eat in the kiln. When eating, the bowl and chopsticks can't touch the table, and you can't put chopsticks on the bowl. Enter the kiln on the 3rd, 6th and 9th to worship ancestors, mountain gods and land. In the whole process of man-made kiln, we should speak auspicious words, and forbid dirty things to pass through, so as to prevent dirty gas from entering the kiln and affecting kiln burning. When building porcelain kiln, tile kiln and charcoal kiln in Longquan, a "kiln owner" should be set up next to the kiln. When a kiln is opened to make a fire, it is necessary to offer sacrifices to the kiln owner and prepare wine and vegetables for the kiln owner, that is, to be the kiln owner's blessing.

One of the cradles of mushrooms.

According to research, as early as 800 years ago, people in Longquan, Qingyuan and Jingning counties in Lishui, Zhejiang Province mastered the artificial cultivation technique "flower arrangement method". It is said that this technology was invented by Wu Yu, a native of Longyan Village, Longxi Township, Longquan, Southern Song Dynasty. The earliest recorded "flower arrangement" skill is/kloc-0 "Longquan County Records" revised in 200. After many twists and turns, it was transcribed by Sato Chengyu, a Japanese forester and mushroom scientist at that time, in his Qin Jinglu, which made this technology spread overseas. Cut flower cultivation is a unique technique for mushroom people in Longquan, Qingyuan and Jingning counties. Japan calls it thallium method. Its history has reached more than 800 years. Until 1970, almost all the dried mushrooms in the whole mainland were produced by mushroom farmers in these three counties, but the regions were all over the southern provinces of 1 1. Using the natural propagation of spores to obtain relatively stable products, the technical essence lies in "cut flowers", which China calls cut flower cultivation. It is called thallium screening method in Japan and knife screening method in Taiwan Province Province. The so-called cut flower method is to cut down broad-leaved trees suitable for producing mushrooms during the dormant period of trees, and cut scars with strict requirements on density and depth on both sides of the trunk with a special axe, so that mushroom spores in the air naturally fall into them, germinate hyphae and grow mushrooms. The technology of flower arrangement is very advanced, and the depth, density and methods of flower arrangement are different, such as the thickness of cortex, soft and hard materials, different tree species, the length of trees, the dryness and wetness of woodland, the strength of airflow, and the opposite direction of logging. In terms of depth, the so-called "half a grain of rice in maple leaf, olives beside foreign money" can be described as a slight difference, which is entirely due to experience, that is, technique. Deep, too much juice loss, spores are difficult to colonize; Shallow, spores can not enter the cambium; Careless picking flowers will lead to mushroom failure. Later, in practice, the mushroom scare technology was invented. As long as you hit the mushroom with an axe, the output can be improved a lot. Mushroom people master the mystery, pass on the daughter-in-law but not the daughter! Mushroom people have a specific code word, commonly known as "Mountain Liao Bai". You must use code words when entering Mushroom Mountain! Therefore, the mushroom cultivation team in China has been limited to three counties for a long time. It was not until the reform and opening up that mushroom cultivation was completely changed from wood cultivation to bag cultivation, and then it was popularized throughout the country!