golden ear

Chapter 354
Lao Dai sighed: "Many famous inks in history have been lost, and there are only a few written records left. It is impossible for future generations to search for their secret recipes!"

"After talking about pen and ink, the third item is paper!"

Lao Dai took out the box carefully. There were several pieces of rice paper in it and said: "There are very few remains of the Eastern Han Dynasty paper, and some of the ancient papers unearthed have long been lost overseas. For example, among the cultural relics stolen from Dunhuang by the British Stein in the early 20th century, there is There are several incomplete letters written on hemp paper."

"Papermaking technology has developed greatly during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The "Lanting Preface" written by Wang Xizhi, a famous calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was written on a kind of "cocoon paper". Since the original "Lanting Preface" was buried underground in Zhaoling by Tang Taizong, Now we can't see the real thing of this kind of paper, but ancient books say: "It is made of cotton cocoon, the color is as free as silk, and it is used for writing, and the ink is lovely. "It can be imagined that this must be a high-quality paper that is as white as silk, tough and smooth."

"Papermaking in the Tang Dynasty was richer in raw materials than before. In addition to hemp and rattan, bamboo and mulberry bark were also used to make paper. In addition, there is a kind of "water pattern paper", which can be seen shining when facing the light. Line patterns and patterns. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Hui paper, Chi paper and Xuan paper were famous all over the world. Hui paper is the paper produced in Huizhou area, and Chi paper is produced in Chizhou. People in Chizhou supervised the production of paper for imperial use. The paper produced is thin, smooth, and white as jade. This is the famous "Chengxintang Paper".

"In the Song Dynasty, the paper industry gradually concentrated in Jingxian County, AH. Now the so-called "Xuan paper" originated from the paper produced in Jingxian County. Since the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, there have been more raw materials for papermaking, and more varieties of colors. High-quality paper tends to be artistically processed and becomes a work of art that can be admired and treasured."

"Paperwork combines fine painting with papermaking techniques, and uses various vivid and lively landscapes, flowers and birds, dragons and phoenixes as the background pattern of the paper, which has a strong decorative and artistic quality, such as the jasmine paper and Ciqing in the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. Paper, gold-flowered five-color paper, plum-blossom jade plate paper from the inner court in the early Qing Dynasty, gold-sprinkled five-color wax paper, etc., are all expensive processed papers."

Old Dai took a sip of water and said: "In today's collection market, ancient paper seems to be less valued by people than ancient brushes, ancient inks, and ancient inkstones. With the rise of prices in the auction market, ancient paper as an important part of it has begun to attract the attention of collectors."

"One of the important reasons for this is that the counterfeiting of ancient calligraphy and paintings and rare books of ancient books occurs from time to time, which is hard to guard against. If collectors have mastered the basic knowledge of paper and paper production methods, forms, and decorative patterns in different eras, they can be found in When identifying ancient calligraphy and painting works and edition books, it is the so-called "read the paper first when you know the painting".

"In 2006, a "Spring Auction of Ancient Books, Periodicals and Materials" held in Liulichang once attracted widespread attention from collectors. The finale of the auction was marginal items such as old paper, plain silk and other non-calligraphy and non-painting items. Old paper Plain silk is a popular commodity that has become popular with the calligraphy and painting boom in recent years. People buy them for original circumstantial evidence when identifying the authenticity of famous calligraphy and painting, and they are also used to repair rare books of Ming and Qing Dynasties."

"Final Auction Results "50 sheets of plain paper made in the Republic of China" sold for 3520 yuan, "Plain paper, 4 volumes printed with woodblock color printing in the Republic of China" sold for 15400 yuan, and "Mino paper, made in Japan for 2 volumes" sold for 1100 yuan Change hands!"

"As for the Xuan paper we are familiar with, since the 90s, the collection and trading of it has gradually started, and it has shown a trend of continuous heating up. Not only the famous Xuan papers in the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China were sold at a higher price , and after the founding of the People’s Republic of China and even in the 20s and 70s, the price of fine rice paper also skyrocketed.”

"The predecessor of China Xuan Paper Group Corporation, AH Jingxian Xuan Paper Factory, customized the "Shi Niutang" paper for the master of traditional Chinese painting Li Keran in the 20s. More than yuan."

"In addition, the "Red Star" commemorative paper produced by China Xuan Paper Group Corporation for the 1999th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China was sold at 50 yuan per dollar in 980, and the current market price has exceeded 3000 yuan per dollar in less than ten years. "

This is the first time Wu Tianyuan heard that rice paper is so expensive now, it seems that this business has a bright future.Lao Dai took out some old papers with a smile, and demonstrated: "There are many methods of making fakes, even ancient papers are no exception. After the milk cools, soak the collection in the milk for 1 to 2 hours, then take it out, wipe it gently with a soft cloth, rinse it with clean water, and the macula will be removed after drying."

"There are also paper collections stained with blue ink. You can dissolve bleach and baking soda in water in the same proportion, and then put the paper collections in. After soaking for a while, the blue ink can be removed. Paper with crease defects For high-quality collections, soak them in clean water for 15 to 20 minutes, pick them up, blot the surface moisture with absorbent paper, and then put them in books and press them dry.”

"Once the paper collection is stained with oil, you can use a cotton ball dipped in some gasoline or alcohol, and wipe it gently to remove the oil stain. For paper collections with wax stains, put them on two absorbent paper In between, iron it with an iron to remove the wax stains."

Old Dai Zhengse said: "It's not just that you want to start this business. From the middle and late 19th century to today, intelligence personnel in some countries, especially economic intelligence personnel, have successively visited the rice paper production areas and tried every means to collect rice paper production techniques. intelligence, attempting to imitate it, so as to obtain high economic benefits."

During World War II, Japan took advantage of the opportunity of invading China and sent spies to southern Anhui many times. They collected some green sandalwood seeds from Jing County and transported them back to Japan for careful planting. Due to the different climate and soil conditions, the quality of the grown sandalwood bark was poor. , can not make high-quality rice paper with it, and the ink moistening property is poor.

From the founding of the People's Republic of China to the 20s, the country's gates were not opened, and foreigners could not enter the rice paper producing areas to steal the rice paper skills. The countries concerned could only buy rice paper in mainland China and Hong Kong, and then use modern scientific methods to test it out. The various ingredients contained in rice paper were then imitated.

At the beginning of the reform and opening up, the Japanese took advantage of local officials and people in our country to warmly welcome foreign guests and had no business confidentiality minded opportunities to go to Jingxian County for "visit and investigation". Officials, factory managers and technical personnel accompanied the visit, and each production process was explained in detail. , so that the Japanese easily obtained the entire process of making rice paper and the formula of "paper medicine".The loss of national treasures makes people sigh.

(End of this chapter)