In 1989, four exquisite jade masterpieces were unveiled in Beijing. After being reviewed by a team of authoritative experts, they were designated as the "Four National Treasures". These "Four National Treasures", also known as the "86 Project", are the only national project in the history of jade carving in New China. The raw materials are jadeite secretly stored in the national treasury. More than 40 masters spent 8 years on this project, and the project approval and acceptance were all completed. for the State Council.
"The Wonders of Daiyue" Main Creator: Wang Shusen, Chen Changhai, Zhang Zhiping
"Qunfang Range Rover" Main Creator: Gao Xiang
"Han Xiang Ju Rui" Main Creator: Wei Changhai
"Four Sea Joy" Main Creator: Guo Shilin
More Miraculously, these "four national treasures" all come from the same jadeite rough stone - "320,000 kinds". This thousand-kilogram piece of high-emerald jade disappeared for many years, but suddenly appeared. It was preserved after Zhou Enlai's repeated instructions.
Since 2006, these four treasures have been hidden in the warehouse and rarely exhibited, but the legends about them have become more and more evil. In fact, without adding any exaggeration, the story of “320,000 Kinds” can be called a legend.
"Little Zhuge" is looking for jade
On June 5, 1980, "Beijing Evening News" published an unprecedented "Jade Hunting Notice" - "Where is the Jade?" What this article is looking for is not Jia Baoyu, but a stone called "Thirty-Twenty Thousand Kinds" in . The article appeals to the society, asking people with knowledge of the matter to provide clues so that this jade, which has been obsessed with by the old artist Wang Shusen, can be seen again as soon as possible.
At that time, the "Beijing Evening News" only had four pages a day. It was naturally a big deal to use a quarter of the front page to search for jade. And this article only appeared in the newspaper because of Wang Shusen's cry.
Wang Shusen was born in a family of jade carving in Beijing. He learned the art from his father at the age of 13 and became a leader in the jade industry in his 20s. At the beginning of the liberation, the jade carving industry in Beijing was shining brightly with many unique skills. The four famous figures, namely Pan Bingheng, He Rong, Liu Deying and Wang Shusen, are also known as the "Four Eccentrics", which means eccentric figures each with their own unique skills.
They also all have nicknames. Pan Bingheng was called "stinky beggar" because he never saved money and always borrowed money to live. He Rong was called "so-so" because he could design works while dozing off. Liu Deying was called "so-so" because of his strict training. , was called "Little Pepper" for his stubbornness, and Wang Shusen was called "Big Head" or "Little Zhuge" because of his intelligence and fighting head.
After "Ten Years of Turmoil", the "Two Monsters" passed away and the "First Monster" collapsed. Only Wang Shusen could continue to work. After he stopped working for more than ten years, he did two pieces of green work, one of which won the national "Gold Cup Award"; the other piece of Gao Cui Jade Pendant for "Birthday Celebrations of Immortals" was only one and a half matchboxes in size and was sold in Hong Kong for 1.8 million yuan. RMB.
This incident became a hot topic in the jade industry, but Wang Shusen did not worry about it. Instead, he often said to his apprentices with regret: "There is a gem called 'Thirty-Twenty Thousand Kinds'. If you can find it, we can make it into a treasure." , My life has not been in vain! You can ask everywhere and look for it.”
No one has ever seen what the “320,000 kinds” look like, and they have never even heard of it being called a disciple. Where can we ask? Where to find it?
In 1980, when the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress met, the 63-year-old representative Wang Shusen talked about his “320,000 kinds” again. He said: "The country is in desperate need of development, and jade carving artists must also serve the motherland. I am already old and want to display my talents in my lifetime, hoping to find that piece of jade material whose whereabouts are unknown." Speaking of the emotional part, Wang Shusen Tears burst into tears.
This cry has the bitterness of a beautiful woman. The 1930s was the heyday of jade carving, but no matter how good the craftsmen were, they were just craftsmen and could only be at the bottom of society. The prototype of "People of the Old Capital" by Beijing-style writer Liu Yida came from interviews with the "two weirdos" Liu Deying and Wang Shusen. The book tells the story of a jade man who was oppressed by powerful people, and a pair of jade bowls cost several lives. At the beginning of liberation, the Beijing Jade Factory was once a major foreign exchange earner amid the economic blockade. It had more than 2,000 people working in the industry and exported art to more than 100 countries. But the good times did not last long, and happened to catch up with the "Cultural Revolution".
This cry also contains the regret that heroes have no place to play.When he was young, Wang Shusen's skills were immature, and no matter how good he was at "320,000 Kinds", he didn't dare to take on the job. Nowadays, his skills are extremely proficient, and he has numerous disciples under his command, but rare stones are hard to find, and the talents that have been suppressed for a long time during the "Cultural Revolution" have nowhere to display.
A comrade in the Office of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress took the old artist's cry to heart. One day, he met Wang Zengxiang, a reporter from the Beijing Evening News. He gestured with the size of a twelve-inch TV and said: "This piece of jade has not seen the light of day for thirty years. The old artist wants to find it. Turning it into a treasure is a good suggestion, but for us it is like finding a needle in a haystack. You are a reporter, please think of a way."
Wang Zengxiang immediately went to Wang Shusen. What surprised him was that this master-level figure in the jade shop. , short in stature, with a brown face and deep wrinkles on it, he looks like a simple old farmer.
The reason why Wang Shusen thought about the piece of beautiful jade called "Thirty-Twenty Thousand Kinds" day and night turned out to have a lot to do with it:
When he was 14 years old, he went to the street to buy jade-polishing sand and saw a workshop working on the jade. The material is not small, of ice type, with green pine leaves, plenty of water, and no cracks. Such color and texture, coupled with its size, were something he had never seen before.
The craftsman who was working said: "Little brother, have you never seen it? Let me tell you, this is nothing. This is just a small corner cut from a piece of aniseed. If you look at several hundred kilograms of aniseed, , I'm sure it will scare you to death. It's truly a masterpiece."
Wang Shusen was doubtful: "Is there a bigger piece of material?" The craftsman said, "Yes, I heard that the material is also marked with 'thirty.' For many years, no one has been able to explain clearly what these words mean. "
This is the first time Wang Shusen has heard of "thirty-two thousand species".
At the beginning of liberation, the Ministry of Culture convened a discussion with veteran artists, and Wang Shusen mentioned "320,000 kinds" again. An old artist in Yunnan said: An expert once sprayed fire wine on a corner of the "320,000 kinds", lit it on fire, then poured cold water on it and stirred it up, and found that a pool of "water" emerged from the depths of the jadeite, with a deep color. Green, like the green winter leaves after the rain, fresh and tender, of extremely high quality, and it is currently the largest jadeite in the world, its value is inestimable. Unfortunately, this old artist also heard about it from hearsay, and he did not witness the elegance of "Thirty-Twenty Thousand Kinds".
However, this old Yunnan artist also disclosed an important piece of information. It is said that this huge piece of jade is no longer in Yunnan. It was once transported to Shanghai. Because the asking price was too high, it was difficult to sell it for a long time. It was later paid for with a loan. A foreign company. The stone was confiscated by the state when Shanghai was liberated, and then disappeared.
An accidental "encounter" made Wang Shusen feel that he had almost found "320,000 species", but in the end he still had to fetch water from a bamboo basket.
One night in 1955, an unknown person found Wang Shusen through roundabout ways and asked him to identify a piece of jade. In a small courtyard in Sui'anbo Hutong on Dongdan North Street, he saw a piece of high-emerald rough stone weighing more than 200 kilograms. From the cut surface, it was fine in material, crystal clear, rich in green color, and evenly distributed in a silky shape. The water is of the highest quality. The first reaction that flashed in Wang Shusen's mind was: Could this be the legendary "320,000 species"?
However, he carefully inspected every part of the stone and used a professional flashlight to carefully examine the blurry areas of the stone cortex that were difficult to see clearly, but he found no "320,000" marks.
He asked the person who invited him: "Where did this material come from?" The other person was less than thirty years old, but he seemed mature and serious. He only replied: "I don't know where it came from. A friend asked me to find an expert. Take a look."
Wang Shusen couldn't ask further, but since there can be beautiful jade like Sui'an Bo Hutong in the world, why aren't there "320,000 kinds"? He confidently believes that with the new China's public-private partnership and the unified management of jade workshops by the state, "320,000 kinds" of jade raw materials are likely to appear in people's sight.
But 25 years later, Wang Shusen has never heard anything about this giant jade. Time flies by and people grow old. The search for "320,000 species" has even become Wang Shusen's obsession.
The jade-maker's obsession with jade infected the reporter, so he wrote the article "Where is the Jade?" However, the reporter also felt confused, wondering when the veteran artist would get what he wanted.
The largest piece of raw jadeite
The jade keeper appears
Only four days after the jade hunt notice was published, a 50-year-old guest dressed as a cadre came to the office of the director of the Beijing Jade Factory. He took out a letter of introduction and said he was here to provide information on the whereabouts of the gems. When Wang Shusen met him, he couldn't help but be stunned. Although his face changed from a handsome young man to a mature man with graying temples, Wang Shusen still recognized him - the "mysterious figure" in Sui'an Bo Hutong 25 years ago.
Wang Shusen was ecstatic, held the other party's hand tightly, and couldn't wait to ask, "Where is the gem?" The visiting cadre said with a smile: "Mr. Wang, the treasure is safe!"
It turned out that this cadre's name was Zhai Weili, a national official. Director of the Material Reserve Bureau of the Planning Commission.
In 1955, while checking the inventory of materials in a military warehouse in Shanghai, four stones were unearthed in a corner. Someone recognized that this was not an ordinary stone, but a precious jadeite. The inventory personnel found that there was a special mark on one of the jadeite jadeite: "320,000 kinds". The discovery of jade was reported to Shanghai Municipal People's Government. Chen Yi took it very seriously and immediately reported it to the State Council. No one expected that this report would attract the attention of Premier Zhou Enlai, who immediately ordered the jade to be transferred to Beijing.
On April 23, 1955, Zhai Weili received instructions: The next day, he would take a capable team to the Beijing Railway Station to pick up the 14th train from Shanghai. This train has a military wagon attached to it, and the contents in the wagon must be transported safely and quickly to the designated location. The leader solemnly warned: This is a task assigned by Premier Zhou Enlai. It must be foolproof and must be kept strictly confidential.
html On the early morning of the 24th, Zhai Weili and the people he led boarded the designated carriage. In the huge carriage, apart from a few armed escorts, there were only three old wooden boxes and a large dirty canvas bag. There were also other things in the fully enclosed carriage. There was a pungent smell. It turned out that in order to stay close to each other, the escorts even urinated and defecated in the carriage.Zhai Weili concluded that what he received was not ordinary cargo, so a group of people immediately loaded the wooden boxes and canvas bags into the car and quickly transported them to the designated location—a heavily guarded warehouse storing military supplies.
In order to isolate it from other items, a small room was specially built in the large warehouse, which became a "room within a room" and a "warehouse within a warehouse". Wooden boxes and canvas bags were secretly stored in this "warehouse" "in the library". By this time, Zhai Weili and a few other people knew that what Premier Zhou asked them to take over and keep were four huge pieces of priceless jade. Premier Zhou instructed that the "320,000 species" must be strictly kept secret and must be guarded by dedicated personnel. No one may use them without instructions from the State Council.
A few days later, they received another call from the Prime Minister's Office, asking them to take out one of the pieces and try to find a jade expert for evaluation. This led to the scene where Zhai Weili and Wang Shusen met in Sui'anbo Hutong.
"But there is no mark of '320,000 species' on the stone you showed me." Wang Shusen asked a question he had had for a long time. Zhai Weili smiled and said, "'320,000 species' is not marked on every stone." There are marks, but there are no marks on the one you saw." Wang Shusen was surprised: "Why, '320,000 kinds' is not one stone, but two?" Zhai Weili said, "It's more than two, that's the number!" He held out four fingers. ah! Wang Shusen was surprised and delighted that there were four such gems.
The most dangerous time for Baoyu was in the early days of the "Cultural Revolution". At that time, the Red Guards in Beijing ransacked homes everywhere to clean up the "Four Olds". Zhai Weili was worried that although it was stored in a military warehouse and generally difficult for the Red Guards to enter, who could guarantee that no accident would happen? What he didn't expect was that Premier Zhou, who was busy with everything, also thought of this. He asked his secretary to pass the message and he must have a plan.
After secret investigation, Zhai Weili and others discovered a very secret cave somewhere in Henan, which was intended to be a place to store "320,000 species", and reported it to the Prime Minister's Office.In this way, "320,000 species" were transported out of Beijing, just like last time, cleanly, without any exposure, and without leaving any traces.
thought that this arrangement was foolproof. However, a few years later, relevant personnel discovered that some black figures were walking back and forth on the nearby hills, and their behavior was very suspicious. Based on this suspicious situation, they strengthened their defense. After some time, a similar situation was discovered on another hilltop. There are various signs that this place is not absolutely safe. It was already the late stage of the "Cultural Revolution", and the situation in Beijing had improved a lot, so the "320,000 species" returned to their "hometown" in Beijing.
Premier Zhou's attention to the giant jadeite, which moved between Henan and Beijing, is wonderfully described in the article "The Cross-Century Legend of a Giant Jadeite" by Xu Fengtong, director of the Beijing Summer Palace Office and writer . Now some WeChat public accounts are talking nonsense, saying that this piece of jade has been hidden in a cave, which is obviously made up from this experience in Henan.
During the entire 25 years of Shouyu, Zhai Weili has been promoted from an ordinary cadre to deputy section chief and section chief, and later from section chief to deputy division chief and division chief. Although his positions have been changed many times, "320,000 kinds of "But he was responsible for taking care of it from beginning to end. Seeing that he is about to retire, this jade has become a worry for him - "In the past, the Prime Minister asked me to guard this jade. Now that Premier Zhou is gone, which leader should I ask for instructions?"
State Planning Commission Letter of introduction from Zhai Weili, Reserve Division directly under the Bureau of Material Reserves.
"Project 86"
"Thirty-Twenty Thousand Kinds" There is news, and the identity of the "mysterious figure" has been confirmed, but how to get this jade out of the warehouse?
On August 2, 1980, "Beijing Evening News" published an article "The jade is intact and the artist is willing to show off his skills." Wang Shusen appealed through reports, hoping to see Baoyu as soon as possible, and was willing to do his best to carve it into a masterpiece for generations to come.
At the same time, the Beijing Arts and Crafts Corporation and the Beijing Jade Factory also submitted applications step by step to use green materials to make large-scale arts and crafts treasures. The report document reached the State Council, and several vice-premiers including Wan Li and Zhang Jinfu signed and approved the resolution, and instructed the Ministry of Light Industry to take full responsibility.
went through many layers of approvals, and it was not until autumn that Wang Shusen walked into the "warehouse within a warehouse" for the first time. Under the illumination of several big lights, four stones appeared in front of people's eyes. The smallest one weighed 77.8 kilograms, and the largest one was marked with orange paint weighing: 363.8 kilograms. They are big, green, fertile, and full of water. There is also a gem with a few small black characters written on it: "320,000 species"!
After decades of pursuit, Wang Shusen leaned down and pressed his cheek tightly against the stone marked with the Chinese characters "320,000 kinds". Tears of joy burst into his eyes.
After that, the Ministry of Light Industry issued a creative task to the Beijing Jade Factory in a red-headed document. Because the task was scheduled to be completed in 1986, it was known as the "86 Project."
Why these four green materials have affected the State Council, the country’s highest administrative agency, is actually very simple. They are national assets and are stored in the national treasury. If you want to use them, you must obtain approval from the State Council. Moreover, it was a planned economy at that time, and these pieces of jade were to be carved into national treasures and collected by the state rather than products for foreign trade, so they were national projects.
The production of large-scale jadeite handicrafts has been listed as a national project. This is the first time not only in New China, but also in previous dynasties.
Before the late Qing Dynasty, jadeite was not prominent in Chinese jade culture. The Yunnan governor once sent jadeite tribute to the inner court, but Emperor Qianlong was not satisfied with the carving work, and most of them were rejected and not accepted. After Cixi came to power, her love for jade jewelry led to the popularity of jade jewelry at that time, causing prices to skyrocket. For example, the palace once made 17 pieces of 4 types of utensils for the Empress Dowager Cixi, including a jade bracelet, an ear scoop, and pliers, which cost a total of 39,994 taels of silver, and each item amounted to 2,352.59 taels, which was a sky-high price at the time.
There are very few relics that can be called "national projects" in the history of jade.From the Yuan Dynasty's "Dushan Jade Sea" (1265) to the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty's "Dayu's Flood Control Map of Yushan" (1788), there was a gap of 523 years before a few large-scale jade articles made by imperial decree were produced, all of which were famous all over the world. Skilled craftsmen took several years to complete, but they are not jade products.
Since the Four Jade Treasures are to be regarded as a national project of New China, comparable to the historical "Dushan Jade Sea" and "Dayu's Flood Control Map of Jade Mountain", it naturally needs to be cautious.
On November 9, 1982, four giant pieces of jade were transported from the treasury to a three-story building in the Beijing Jade Factory. From then on, the place became its own entity, closed and managed, with people on duty 24 hours a day.
In order not to leave any regrets, the Ministry of Light Industry first solicited plans from across the country. Veteran artists from Shanghai and Yangzhou came up with suggestions, and hundreds of drawings were drawn. However, in the first round of review, Beijing Jade Factory had the most and most specific ideas. This is not only because Wang Shusen has a special relationship with Jucui, but also because there are many masters and talents gathered here.
The Beijing Jade Factory is located on the bank of Longtan Lake, which was once the gathering place for the capital's handicraft industry. As soon as New China was founded, the government organized the scattered individual jade artists and built factories and societies, employing thousands of people. In 1958, the Beijing Jade Factory was built on this basis. It not only had the "Four Monsters", but also a group of masters such as Wang Zhongyuan, Xia Changxin, Gao Xiang, and Zhang Yun.
Good work results in beautiful jade, which is the good fortune that we are lucky enough to cultivate in three lifetimes. These four giant pieces of jade are like hidden dragons in the abyss, hidden in the world for a long time. Now they are right in front of you. Which jade carving person is willing to miss this once-in-a-century opportunity? In the second round of
review, the Jade Factory alone received 39 theme design plans and 78 design drawings. After that, after several rounds of screening, 16 were selected from 39, 8 from 16, and 4 were selected from 8. Finally, in accordance with the traditional eight-character principle of "taking materials according to their aptitude, and applying techniques according to their aptitude", it was initially agreed that the first material would be used as Taishan, the second material would be used as aromatherapy, and the third material would be used as aromatherapy. Material No. 4 is used for flower baskets and material No. 4 is used for screens. Since
is a national project, why was the "86 Project" delayed until 1989 to be completed? Masters Guo Shilin and Wei Changhai, who participated in the design and production of the "Four National Treasures", told the Beijing Daily reporter that they were stuck on the theme.
checked the archives of the "86 Project" and found that there were as many as 42 special meetings to discuss the theme. This does not include designers listening to expert lectures, outings for inspections, and on-the-spot interviews. Some plans believe that the four pieces of aniseed should be carved separately, while others believe that the four materials should be combined into one to carve one overall giant sculpture. The specific contents include scenic spots and historic sites, portraits of revolutionary leaders, famous projects, flowers and birds, a good harvest, and peace. The scenery, etc., can be described as a hundred flowers blooming.
In April 1985, the Ministry of Light Industry officially submitted the final plan and drawings to the State Council. Vice Premiers of the State Council Wan Li, Zhang Jinfu, Tian Jiyun and others gave instructions: agree to the plan and organize construction. Obviously, it was impossible to complete it by 1986. The new notice required that the work be completed in 1989 as a gift for the 40th anniversary of the founding of New China.
After the "86 Project" was officially launched, five jade carving masters, led by Master Wang Shusen, served as the chief creators of four works respectively. They are: No. 1 material Chen Changhai and Zhang Zhiping, No. 2 material Wei Changhai, No. 3 material Gao Xiang, and No. 4 material Guo Shilin. In addition, more than 50 jade factory elites participated, covering three generations of old, middle and young people. Even a highly skilled expert has been training for two and a half years before starting work, which is equivalent to attending a junior college.
The artistic advisory team that controls the subject matter and participates in making suggestions is even more amazing: Vice Chairman of the Artists AssociationLiu Kaiqu, Deputy Director of the Palace Museum Yang Boda, State Administration of Cultural Heritage expert Wang Shixiang, sculptor Qian Shaowu, painter Li Keran , Li Kuchan , Huang Zhou , Hua Junwu , Xu Beiting, Huang Yongyu , Yu Feng, calligraphers Qi Gong, Cao Xinzhi, Zhu Mian, sculptors Fu Tianqiu, Liu Huanzhang, Zou Peizhu, Hongxue Expert Zhou Ruchang, epigraphist Zhu Jiajin, arts and crafts artists Zheng Ke, Tang Kemei, Zhang Chenjie, Guo Xiaoru, jade collector Ma Beichen, film and literature professor Chen Shan, writer Wang Mingshi, well-known journalist Han Xiaopeng...
Such a large and high-end expert lineup , which is enough to show that the "86 Project" has affected the entire Chinese art world.
Jade is polished by people, people are polished by jade
Before the Four Jewels of Jade, the longest construction period in the history of Chinese jade carving was the Qianlong Dynasty's "Yu's Flood Control Map of Jade Mountain", which took 6 years. As for the "86 Project", it took eight years from the approval by the State Council to start construction in 1982 to its first exhibition at the China Arts and Crafts Museum on June 30, 1990.
In the past 8 years, people have polished jade, and jade has polished people. This can be seen from the story of material No. 4 told by Guo Shilin to reporters:
html material No. 04 is the smallest among the four pieces of jade, but it has the “most beautiful color and best texture” among the four pieces of jade. " is the essence of "Thirty-Twenty Thousand Species". Because jadeite is rectangular in shape, everyone agrees that it is a good material for screens. What pattern is engraved on theinsert screen? This will test the realm of Moyuren.
On November 30, 1982, Ji Long, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Light Industry, personally participated in the first program review meeting of the "86 Project". He said: "The national treasure must not only be large in size, but more importantly, the spirit must be large, and it must have an 'astonishing' effect."
Listening to the minister's words, Guo Shilin had a picture of "Oriental Awakening Lion" in his mind Image. After the meeting, he drew a sketch overnight and gave it to his master Wang Shusen. Wang Shusen looked at the drawing, kept silent, and after pondering for a long time, he said: "Stone Forest, the lion awakening is indeed very powerful, but it still doesn't feel right. The one who 'woke' means awakening. This is a portrayal of China in the 1920s. But now, something seems wrong..." Guo Shilin nodded repeatedly, deeply impressed by this old artist's artistic heritage and understanding of the spirit of the times.
In October 1984, Guo Shilin followed Wang Shusen to Mount Tai for the fourth time in order to design the theme. The nearly 70-year-old artist actually climbed to the top of Mount Tai.
They watched the wonderful scenery of the sea of clouds on the Daiding sea exploration stone. It cleared up after the rain, but I saw the sea of clouds surging, and the peaks appearing and disappearing, like a mirage; suddenly the wind increased, and I saw the sea of clouds beginning to lengthen, billowing up and down, then turning over the sea and the river, and meandering forward. ...
Wang Shusen had an idea. He grabbed Guo Shilin's arm with one hand, pointed forward with the other, and shouted in a low voice: "Shi Lin, look! What is that?" There was silence for a moment, and the two of them shouted in unison, almost at the same time. Word: "Dragon!"
The old man said to Guo Shilin: "We have a plan, it is the 'Oriental Dragon'! If the 'Oriental Lion Awakening' symbolizes the 'awakening' of the Chinese nation, then the 'Oriental Dragon' is It symbolizes the 'rise' of the Chinese nation! It fits the theme of the No. 4 material." After returning from Mount Tai, Guo Shilin read a lot of information about dragons and collected hundreds of dragon patterns from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. He also went to Beihai and the Forbidden City in Beijing to observe the Nine Dragons Wall, and to Datong, Shanxi to inspect the Nine Dragons Wall and the Five Dragons Wall, and drew many copy drawings.
The red mountain jade dragon is full of mystery and fantasy, the Shang and Zhou jade dragons have ferocious beauty and magic, the Qin and Han jade dragons are ferocious, the Sui and Tang jade dragons are romantic and bold, the Song and Yuan jade dragons are majestic and free-spirited, and the Ming and Qing jade dragons reappear powerfully... This made him realize , the spiritual temperament of past dynasties will leave obvious imprints on the dragon shape.
On January 5, 1985, Yang Boda gave a lecture entitled "Changes and Characteristics of Jade Dragon Carvings in the Past Dynasties" at the Jade Factory. When he talked about "The beauty of swimming in a meandering way, it is better to rise and fall in a pan" in "Pictures and Knowledge". "", Guo Shilin suddenly had an enlightenment. He grasped the morphological characteristics of "swimming", "winding", "returning" and "lifting" to lay the foundation for the soaring "Yunlong".
The "Yunlong Nine Appearances" plan was reviewed and approved by experts such as Qi Gong and was finally named "Four Seas of Joy". On the day
passed the review, No. 4 material couldn’t wait to make the first cut. What makes everyone troubled is that there is a crack of about 7 cm on the right side of the raw material.
Whether to cut off the cracked part? There have been many meetings and discussions. Guo Shilin did not agree to remove the flaws. He believed that flaws on jade are like moles on a beautiful woman's face. Proper treatment will not damage the image, but can add special beauty.
Sure enough, when the 9 cm thick jadeite was cut into four 2 cm thick slices, and then re-joined, the defective parts were no longer conspicuous in the whole, and they were just right for inlaying into the pattern. By adopting the "hiding" method, the entire screen area reached 1.08 square meters, achieving "maximization".
According to the craft language of the Song Dynasty, relief is called "Yinqi", which means vaguely bulging. Generally speaking, the level of this kind of hidden workmanship is only two or three layers, and there are very few four or five layers. In "Joyful World", five or six levels are quite common. The richly layered parts such as the faucet are all polished by Guo Shilin himself, which can be described as exquisite.
"Project 86" consultant and deputy director of the Palace Museum Yang Boda described: "Joy in the World" has gone through "hardships and hardships" and passed the five levels of "cutting, splicing, design, carving, and polishing." Finally, "Yu Ru Yucheng" got the best of the three jadeite reliefs with "the largest shape, the most complete dragon shape, and the most hidden objects".
"The Wonders of Mount Dai", "The Fragrance Gathers the Rui" and "The Range Rover of Fragrances" are not so exhaustive. As Mr. Guo said, to describe in detail the twists and turns during this process, I am afraid it would take a thick book to complete the task.
2 material is in the cutting process.
yuruyucheng
Among the four pieces of material, the one that attracted the most attention is material No. 1, which is the piece that Wang Shusen saw in Sui'anbo Hutong in his early years. This piece of material weighs 363.8 kilograms. Except for Mr. Wang, no one in the jade factory has ever seen such a huge piece of jade.
Since it is in the shape of a mountain, it is most reasonable to carve the mountain to achieve the requirements of maintaining a large size and bright green color. However, from a technical point of view, this just hits the sore spot of the Beijing Jade Factory. As an export-earning enterprise, Beijing Jade Factory specializes in small and exquisite crafts such as "plain", "thin tire" and "gold wire". Shanzi represents the highest level of jade craftsmanship. Historically, only craftsmen from Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province have mastered this craft. It was a unique skill, but it was also lost in the late Qing Dynasty.
Learning to make Shanzi from scratch, of course, requires taking certain risks. Wang Shusen sat in front of this piece of jade in a daze day after day. Everyone else was anxious, but he was not anxious, so everyone could only look at him. One day, he sat in front of the jade material for a long time. At noon, his apprentice brought the rice. He took a steamed bun in his left hand and a writing brush in his right hand. He drew two lines and said: "That's it! One stroke has made the final decision." As soon as I saw it, the main peak of Mount Tai came out, and I immediately started making plans for the second phase.
Chen Changhai is Wang Shusen's disciple and one of the main creators of Material No. 1. He has been designing for Shanzi for 4 years and once carved a model of the entire work. However, just three months after starting work, he fell ill from overwork. I can't afford to be sick anymore. Zhang Zhiping, the successor of
as the main creator, is a disciple of Pan Bingheng, the first of the "Four Weirds". He was also trained by the Beijing Academy of Arts and Crafts, and his style can be said to be unique. He boldly transformed the defective side into the front of the mountain. The ruggedness of the green material coincided with the "eighteen disks" of Mount Tai. The crimson color turned into a rising sun.
Seeing that Yushan was about to be completed, Chen Changhai died young. Wang Shusen was devastated by the premature death of his beloved disciple, and was soon admitted to the hospital. When he was hospitalized, he told the doctor that jade was more important than his own life and he had to go back to the factory to have a look.
In the "Daiyue Wonders" workshop, he first touched the embryonic treasure with both hands, then held Zhang Zhiping's hands tightly and said with moist eyes: "Zhiping, Changhai is gone, this scene The whole burden is on you. Please, please..." After a long while, he said again: "I don't have many days left..."
A few months before the completion of the national treasure, Wang Shusen The old man passed away at the age of 72. Although he still talked about the "Four National Treasures" when he was dying, he never saw the completion of the "86 Project".
Wang Shusen (front row, first from left) saw "The Wonders of Daiyue" for the last time.
On November 23, 1989, an appraisal and acceptance committee composed of 21 people including Zhang Jinfu, Vice Premier of the State Council, Wu Yi, Vice Mayor of Beijing, Ying Ruocheng, Vice Minister of Culture, came to the Beijing Jade Factory. Everyone agreed that the precious raw materials and the exquisite creation of the four jadeite works are unprecedented in ancient and modern times at home and abroad, and they can be called rare treasures. Vice Premier Zhang Jinfu also composed a poem on the spot, praising "the four treasures that only China possesses, and they are treasured by people of all descent from Yan and Huang."
Wei Changhai told reporters that when the acceptance meeting was held, the polishing of "Hanxiang Jurui" had not yet been completed, but the commendation order issued by the State Council came first.It can be said that the whole Beijing Jade Factory celebrated together. The 41 artists who received the award received a two-level salary increase, and ordinary workers received a one-level salary increase. However, for him, the greatest reward is his name in gold characters on a jade background on the base of the national treasure.
After the celebration party, Wei Changhai was still busy polishing the work. It was not until June 1990 that "Han Xiang Ju Rui" was officially completed. After it was completed, the work was immediately escorted by the military with loaded weapons and ammunition to the China Arts and Crafts Museum for public exhibition.
"Hanxiang Jurui" adopts the nesting process. The cover of the flower scented flower is taken out from the main body, and the remaining material in the cover is taken out to make the base. This difficult technique fully demonstrates the uniqueness of Wei Changhai's work. The ability to do great things. Because the middle is hollowed out, all the green inside is exposed. This flower incense shows the most beautiful color of jade. Yang Boda commented, "This incense is the most outstanding exquisite jade carving among the four jade national treasures."
In September 2000, the United States held the sensational "Chinese Treasures Exhibition". The China Art Museum of Arts and Crafts selected 286 treasures for the exhibition, among which "Hanging Fragrance and Gathering Auspiciousness" has become the highlight of the exhibition of Chinese culture. There are reports that it not only attracted countless viewers, but the United States even wanted to buy it for US$200 million. However, the answer given by China was: "It is a national treasure and a priceless treasure."
Regarding this good story, Wei Changhai only shook his head modestly and said, "It's nothing." He said that although a Hong Kong businessman once said in the workshop that "this thing is worth 200 million," that did not refer to US dollars. If you think about it carefully, the purchase by the United States as a state act is even more misinformation and does not conform to the practice of international exchanges.
Master Guo Shilin is carving "Joy in the Four Seas".
Jade cannot be spoken
At this point, the story of the "Four National Treasures" has come to an end. However, the mystery about the "320,000 species" remains unsolved. Why is it called "Thirty-Twenty Thousand Kinds"? Where did it come from, who did it belong to, and how did it end up hidden in a century of wandering? There is still no authoritative statement about the experiences of the "320,000 Kinds" before 1955, and there are even more various legends.
A widely circulated theory is that after Shanghai was liberated, someone reported to the Naval Management Committee in the form of a letter from the people: a foreign company had huge jadeite hidden in its basement and was trying to evacuate China. Chen Yi gave an order, and the jadeite was stopped and returned to the treasury.
Others say that before and after liberation, the Kuomintang dignitaries who were rushing around abandoned many goods that were too late to be shipped on board the Shanghai Wusongkou pier. Among the goods were three wooden boxes and a canvas bag. At that time, the personnel responsible for the inventory at the Military Control Commission did not know the goods and did not pay attention to these stones and transported them directly into the warehouse.
Wei Changhai prefers to believe that Long Yun, the Yunnan warlord "King of Yunnan", was once the owner of the whole piece of jade. The evidence is that one of the cut "320,000 species" has the word "Long Yun" written on it.
Others say that during the late Qing Dynasty, Yunnan officials paid tribute to the Empress Dowager Cixi. Because of this, Wang Shusen saw it while it was being made in the workshop.
Although there are many legends in the market, they are just legends after all. Compared with the circulation process, the missing piece of the "320,000 species" is more worthy of pursuit.
Back in 1987, old man Wang Shusen was seriously ill. When he knew that he would not be alive soon, he told people about an unfinished matter in his heart.
He said that ever since he saw these four pieces of jade, he had a doubt: these four pieces put together are not a complete "big potato". Judging from the texture, the cut piece accounts for at least a quarter of the jade material.
Mr. Wang went on to say that around the 1950s, when he visited the Summer Palace, he saw an jade screen for exhibition and always felt that it seemed familiar. Now that I think about it, the jadeite screens in the Summer Palace and the "320,000 Kinds" are very similar in terms of "kind, water, color" and stone texture. Moreover, Wang Shixiang of the Cultural Relics Bureau also told Wang Shusen that the missing piece might be in the Summer Palace.
In order to be responsible for these four national treasures, and to fulfill Mr. Wang’s last wish, shortly after Wang Shusen’s death, the Palace Museum, the Beijing Jade Factory’s “86 Project” team, the China Arts and Crafts Corporation, the Beijing Industrial Arts Corporation and the Summer Palace Management A group of more than ten experts from five relevant units including the Department of Science and Technology came to the Summer Palace.
Experts were shocked when they saw the six pieces of jadeite in front of them. They all felt that the jadeite material was very similar to the "320,000 kinds" and was the highest quality part of the whole stone.
Is "Thirty-Twenty Thousand Kinds" really a tribute, and was it made into a screen insert by the Empress Dowager Cixi? Checking the cultural relics archives of the Summer Palace, there is no record of these jade screens either in the late Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China. When
searched for records after 1949, he found a simple record: In early 1949, the Beijing Municipal Military Control Commission, as an "anti-production", confiscated a batch of precious jades and first stored them in Beijing's western suburbs park (now Beijing Zoo ), and was later transferred to the Summer Palace in 1951 according to the instructions of the head of the central government. Whose property is "reverse birth"? Who is the head of the central government who gives instructions? Experts participating in the appraisal found that exploring the complex and unpredictable historical origins was beyond their professional field.
There is a jade screen insert, which has been proven to be the work of the old artist Liu Qizhen. However, the old artist passed away in 1956. There is no definite proof as to when this work was made and who commissioned it.
However, within the professional scope, after careful comparison and full demonstration, most experts participating in the discussion expressed a positive opinion: the jadeite screen in the Summer Palace was made from raw materials of "320,000 species". It is estimated that the weight of this part of the rough stone should be more than 300 kilograms. Adding the 803.6 kilograms of the four jadeite pieces, the total weight of the "320,000 types" of jadeite rough stone exceeds 1,000 kilograms. It is the heaviest high-grade jadeite rough stone in the world so far. .
The more difficult it is for experts, the more it can stimulate interest among the people. So far, people's research on the "320,000 species" is still in progress. The famous writer Bai Ma has visited many places in Yunnan. He concluded that the "320,000 species" are most likely Zhenkun jade among the six famous jade in Yunnan.
According to legend, a man named Wang Zhenkun dug up a 2,000-pound piece of jadeite in , Myanmar, in 1910. Because it was difficult to transport, he could only cut it into five pieces and transport them to Shanghai. Wang Zhenkun originally wanted to sell the jade for 1 million taels of silver, but it was difficult to find a buyer. Later, he mortgaged the jade to Tianshunxiang Company for 200,000 taels of silver. Due to the war, Wang Zhenkun did not redeem it, and the jade disappeared for decades. However, the history of famous jade is mostly passed down by word of mouth, and no one can provide strong evidence.
As for why there is such a strange and even mysterious name as "320,000 Kinds"? Even the super luxurious expert team of "Project 86" can only guess: it may be related to the place of origin of the factory, or it may be the post tax collection, or it may be the transaction price.
Jade cannot be said, otherwise there will definitely be more legendary stories emerging. However, in the hearts of those who grind jade, this piece of jade can be called the "relic of the earth" and it has aura. Otherwise, why would it be born in the 1980s?
Why does it say that this time is just right? Looking back at the history of the Beijing Jade Factory, there was no emancipation of the mind and no talent pool to complete such a huge project; after the birth of the national treasure, the Jade Factory was impacted by the market tide, and it only took a few years to go from glory to decline. Beiyu was once struggling on the edge of bankruptcy. Now, although the establishment still exists, the overall technical level is no longer the same as before.
What's even more rare is that the Moyu people at that time "were very quiet and knew how to immerse themselves in work. They were very focused and very happy." Wei Changhai said that he dedicated his most golden 8 years to a piece of work. It is unimaginable in the impetuous atmosphere of eager for quick success.
Experts all know that jade carvings contain a kind of aura and an attitude. Only when you understand these can you understand jade. The meaning of jade carving is based on the human realm. The reason why these pieces of jade can be elevated to the pinnacle cannot be separated from China's prosperity in the 1980s, nor can it be separated from the management system dominated by the planned economy that respects slow work and careful work. This kind of slowness is actually a blessing for the "320,000 species".
Reference materials: "Secret Realm", "The Great Innovation on the Chinese Jade Altar in the 20th Century", "The Vast Ocean and the Sky", "The Cross-Century Legend of a Giant Jadeite"
Source: Beijing Daily
Reporter Sun Wenye
Process Editor: Sun Yujie
