Riding the wind of rebirth

According to the records of "Huizhou Fuzhi": Duoliang paper in Yishejian has the names of Congealing Frost and Chengxin. The latter is fifty feet long and is uniform and thin from the beginning to the end.

Because there is a natural spectacle "Nine Unlocked Stone Gates" on Fuchuan Mountain in Shexian County, the place of origin, it is a valley, and there is a huge stone in the valley, which is shaped like a heart, and it is called "the first heart in the world".

The stream under the boulder is called Yunxi, which seems to pass through the heart, so this place is called "Chengxin", which is a natural ashram integrating Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.

The paper produced here is made by dipping mulberry leather in the cold stream, lifting the curtain with ice water, swinging the paper, and finally melting it to dry.

The finished product is "smooth as spring water, fine as a dense cocoon. Tougher than Shu paper, faster than Shan Chu".

Historians call it "skin eggs like a membrane, firm and clean as jade, thin and smooth, crowned for a time."

First of all, this paper was highly praised by Empress Li of the Southern Tang Dynasty. He set up a bureau to order Shan Daojian to make famous paper for the royal use in the palace, and built a hall to store it, so it was named "Chengxin Hall".

At the beginning, Chengxintang was only a place where the monarchs of the Southern Tang Dynasty lived and entertained guests, and the name was not preserved. Later, the function of collecting books was added, and it became a famous inner government library in the Southern Tang Dynasty.

The master of the middle and the master of the latter once summoned scribes to work in the collection of classics and classics. It was not until it became a place for collecting Chengxin paper that the name "Chengxintang" came into being.

In the middle and late period of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the hall once became the actual center. Empress Li asked scholars to call for consultations and participate in political discussions. Among them, those who directly declared orders and made decisions on political affairs were called "Chengxin Hall Chengzhi". , the power was once greater than that of the privy envoy.

It can be seen that Empress Li loves that place.

But the painters of this era, such as Xu Xi and Huang Quan, "used Chengxintang more" in their paintings besides silk.

However, this paper has become extremely precious in the Song Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty and his friend Liu Chang, one of the famous writers and historians of Mo Zhuang, both have a small amount of Chengxintang paper in the Southern Tang Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu also wrote a poem "He Liu Yuanfu's poem "Chengxin Paper", it is mentioned in it: "Although the Jun family has Chengxin paper, who dares to write?"

It means, Lao Liu, don’t be shy, although you have precious Chengxin paper at home, but can you find someone who dares to write on it?
The reason why Ouyang Xiu is so proud is because the few remaining papers are stored in the palace. The reason why Ouyang Xiu can use it is that the three emperors of Renzong Yingzong Shenzong opened up the supply for him.

Only the will of the emperor, such as ordering Li Gonglin to draw the handed down work "Five Horses", ordering Ouyang Xiu to draft "New Book of Tang" and "New History of the Five Dynasties", and rubbing "Chunhua Pavilion Tie", etc., can we take the heart Hall paper use.

It was not until the Song Dynasty that Pan Gu, a famous artist who made stationery products, not only made ink and inkstone, but also restored Chengxintang paper crafts. Pan’s Chengxintang paper caused a sensation again, and won the favor of Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu, Mei Yao, etc. The pursuit of all the famous calligraphers and painters in the court can be regarded as the solution to the "paper shortage in Chengxintang".

Mei Yaochen once wrote a poem about it: "Chengxin paper comes out of Xin'an County, and it is more than enough to touch the moon and knock on the ice; Pan Hou can not only make paper, but also engrave the dragon's tail on the fine ribbed inkstone."

Since then, Pan's Chengxintang paper has been loved by the court and famous scholars. Every year, the four treasures of the study in Shedi are indispensable art treasures in the annual tribute.

Yuan Fei's "Jianzhipu" writes very clearly: "Chengxintang paper is made like Li's Chengxintang, and it is light, crisp and exquisite."

Chengxintang paper in the Southern Tang Dynasty soon became as precious as a dragon's marrow, and even Pan's Chengxintang paper in the Song Dynasty became extremely precious in the Ming Dynasty.

Dong Qichang, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, once got some Pan's Chengxintang paper, he said with emotion: "I dare not write on this paper."

However, now, in front of everyone, there is a stack!
Zhou Zhi's throat felt a little dry: "This stack...really...really..."

"Chengxin Hall in the Southern Tang Dynasty."

"Why...how did you see it?"

"Because I have seen it." Mr. Zhang has already raised his head, afraid that the moisture in his breath will stain the precious paper: "Taipei's National Palace Museum has Cai Xiang's "Chengxintang Stickers", and on the shelf is where I came from." Xiao Xu, go and get the album you brought back."

The album is very beautifully printed. When I turned to Cai Xiang's "Chengxintang Stickers", Zhou Zhi couldn't help but sigh: "Cai Junmo, the hero of pen and ink, is amazing!"

The four great calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty are generally recognized as Su Huang Mi Cai. In fact, this ranking is mostly just for rhyme, or for the sake of fame. Even later, there was a dispute about this Cai, who thought it might be Cai Jing.

In fact, it is completely nonsense. In fact, the names of the four major calligraphers should be read upside down. Cai Mi, Huang Su, and the last two Huang Tingjian and Su Shi can be tied together, in no particular order.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, the No.1 calligraphy recognized in the world at that time was Cai Xiang without any controversy.

Su Dongpo once wrote in "Dongpo Inscriptions": "Du Cai Junmo has high talents, deep accumulation of knowledge, mind and hand, and infinite metamorphosis, so he is the first in this dynasty. However, running script is the best, followed by small script and cursive script. ... and tasted the flying white of the mind, and said that he has the power of flying dragons and dancing phoenixes, and those who know it will not take it too far."

Ouyang Xiu's evaluation of Cai Xiang's calligraphy is even more indescribable: "Since Su Zimei's death, I feel that my brushwork is excellent. In recent years, Jun Mo has been the only one in the world, but he is modest and refuses to lead the alliance."

Huang Tingjian once joked with Su Shi about each other's calligraphy, but he only convinced two of them: "Su Zimei and Cai Junmo are both heroes of calligraphy."

"History of the Song Dynasty" directly nailed the coffin board: "Xiang Gong is the first in the world, and Renzong loves it."

And Su Huangmi Caili refers to Cai Jing, and I don't know which official account made up it, and then he was able to fish in troubled waters, making countless people in the world believe it was true, which is also a very ridiculous thing.

"Look at the content." Mr. Zhang didn't expect that Zhou Zhi was still a calligraphy lover. Cai Xiang, who is known as the number one calligraphy in the Northern Song Dynasty, had never seen Zhou Zhi before, so he was fascinated by it all at once, so he had to remind him.

"Oh." Only then did Zhou Zhi come to his senses, and read: "A piece of Chengxintang paper, wide and narrow, thick and thin, and solid, is the best. The workers are unwilling to do it, but they are afraid they can't. Try and be thick and straight." Is there any way to see it? Its scorpion is so fine, it seems that it can be made. The average person only asks for a hundred pieces. On the Chongyang Day of Guimao, Xiangshu."

"Student Zhou's ancient prose is good." Zhang Lao nodded and praised: "The sentence is well read, and the National Palace Museum in Taipei has broken it into "Testing and thickness, how can you get it? Seeing its fineness, it seems to be possible." It lacks charm."

Zhou Zhi smiled, "Shuowen Jiezi" I have marked this kind of thing for the fifth time, so I don't need to say it?
However, Mr. Zhang just boasted casually, and then said: "Look at the label below."

Zhou Zhi looked at the small characters marked on the bottom of the screen: ""Chengxintang Stickers", chido, paper, made in 1063, Cai Xiangshu of the Northern Song Dynasty, Xingkai, 24.7 cm in length and 27.1 cm in width."

Seeing this, Zhou Zhi understood: "This is a letter from Cai Xiang to someone else, and at the same time it is a 'specimen' of Chengxintang paper from the Southern Tang Dynasty that he sent to that person.

At that time, it was no longer possible to have the original width of [-] feet. It was purely a sample, which meant that the good workers he could find all avoided the requirement of imitating the paper according to this standard. to this level of craftsmanship. "

"Then he didn't believe in this evil, wrote a letter on the sample and sent it to this friend, and told him to give him more money, and he didn't believe it and couldn't imitate it."

"I also pointed out a detail-'It's so detailed that it seems to be possible to do it'."

"In the end, he said that if the imitation is successful, he doesn't want much, as long as a hundred sheets of paper are enough."