The Legendary History Behind China’s Ru Porcelain

Take a peek at those legendary historical stories behind Ru porcelain.

1. The seemingly ordinary celadon, but hiding the emperor’s dream, onyx soul and the temper of the kiln fire it!
2. It is said that the Northern Song Dynasty during the reign of Zhenghe, that do not like to be the emperor love to engage in art of Song Huizong Zhao Ji, one night had a magical dream.
3. In the dream, he came to a fairyland, the sky after the rain was glowing with a greenish-blue halo, so beautiful that it took people’s breath away. The emperor was excited to wake up, a brush stroke wrote down “after the rain, the clouds break place” seven words, order the artisans to burn porcelain according to this color.

You think, the ancient times and no PS, which can be worried about the kiln workers in Ruzhou.

1. Some people add copper to the glaze, burn out is red; add iron, and became black.
2. Until an old craftsman had a sudden idea, the family heirloom agate bracelet smashed and ground into powder mixed in, hey! Kiln fire open, the sky blue porcelain on the world!
3. This Ru porcelain just into the palace became a “top stream”, even the palace eunuchs have to queue up to receive.

   

There is a small eunuch greedy, secretly hide a daffodil pot to sell money, the results were found directly after the caning. Why is it so precious?

1. You know what? Ru porcelain glaze really have agate!
2. Palace experts have seen with a microscope, the glaze layer of dense bubbles like suspended small pearls, which is agate in the formation of high temperature special structure.
3. And Ru porcelain soil also pay attention to, have to use Ruzhou local “ash tire”, gently knock the sound as crisp as a chime.
4. To say that the temper of Ru porcelain, that is notorious arrogance.

Other kilns burn porcelain, the success rate can have a seven or eight percent, Ru kiln is good, ten kilns nine not. Why?

1. Because it is full of glaze firing method. What does it mean? Is the entire bottle in addition to the sesame seed size of the pegs, the whole body is covered with glaze.
2. Craftsmen have to put the bottle suspended in the kiln firing, low temperature glaze green, high and yellow, not even a tiny bit of fire.

• Legend has it that a kiln worker in order to burn a perfect celestial blue color, three days and three nights in a row to guard the kiln, and finally died of exhaustion in front of the kiln.
• Ru porcelain in the Song Dynasty how cow? Even the emperor had to save with.

Once the palace banquet, Song Huizong wanted to show off, the results found that the Ru porcelain cups left seven, anxious to stomp his feet.

1. Later, the Jin soldiers into Bianjing, the palace of Ru porcelain was robbed, smashed smashed, and finally the whole world is left 67 and a half.
2. Why is there half a piece?
3. Because there is a three-legged wash in the war in the fall missing a corner, and later by the Qianlong emperor to make up a piece of jade on, into a “gold and jade” of the lone product.
4. In modern times, the story of Ru porcelain more legendary.
5. In the 1980s, Henan, a craftsman called Zhu Wenli, in order to restore the Ru Kiln azure color, the family’s pots and pans are smashed to do experiments.

Once he put his ancestral jade pendant into the glaze by grinding it into powder, the result was burned out “after the rain, the clouds broke” color.

Now his works can be sold for millions a piece, but he still lives next to the old kiln factory in Ruzhou, and every day he thinks about how to make the glaze color more watery.

• Do you know? Ru porcelain also has a “open piece” of the secret.
• Some old collectors will put the newly fired Ru porcelain into the freezer to freeze, and then take out with hot water, deliberately let it crack to form ice cracks.
• But the real Song Dynasty Ru porcelain open piece is naturally formed, just like human fingerprints as unique.
• A Hong Kong tycoon spent 200 million to buy a Ru kiln wash, the results found in the open piece hidden a “Song” word, later identified as authentic, now become the treasure of the museum.

Said so much, and finally send you a heartfelt words: Ru porcelain is not just an object, it hides the wisdom of the ancients, the temper of the kiln fire, and the roots of our Chinese civilization.

Next time you see azure-colored porcelain, might as well get close to see, may be able to see eight hundred years ago, the craftsman left in the glaze fingerprints it!