Source: Xinhua News Agency, original title: "Using Hands to Continue the Long Stream of Chinese Civilization for Two Thousand Years".
On March 17, Wu Hao, an expert in lacquered wood restoration at the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, inspected the dehydration of lacquered wood. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
Reporter 丨Pi Shuchu Zhu Huaying
Yue Wang Gou Jian Sword, Zeng Hou Yi Chimes, Tiger Seat Bird Drum, Flying Dragon Flying Phoenix Embroidered Robe...
In Jingzhou, Hubei Province, China, a large number of precious cultural relics buried deep underground for more than 2,000 years have been unearthed, unveiling a unique and mysterious cultural veil of a southern power in the pre-Qin period.
Some scholars believe that looking at the world of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, what is reflected in the cultural achievements of the Chu State is the ancient Greek culture; compared with the historical status of the capital of the Chu State, it is the ancient Greek famous city of Athens.
Written in the history books is the ancient name of the city - Yingdu. Still unknown are a group of special figures in this ancient city: the team of The Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center.
They used their hands to restore the civilization imprint of the "Athens of the East" 2,000 years ago, and used "ingenuity" to perform magic "turn decay into magic", reproducing the section of the river that had been cut off for more than 2,000 years of Chinese civilization.
Archaeological discoveries and restoration of artifacts have allowed the splendor lost in time to be reborn in the contemporary era.
Magic: Repairs the other half of the history on Jane
"If you can make these Han Jian 'speak', there may be another major historical discovery." Wu Shunqing, 68, the leader of the Jingzhou cultural relics protection team, is leading a team of experts to protect and clean up thousands of bamboo pieces unearthed.
The bamboo Jane they handled came from a major archaeological discovery that caused a sensation at home and abroad last year: the tomb of the Marquis of the Western Han Dynasty in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.
"We clean the surface of the bamboo and then restore the ink marks through infrared scanning, which takes years or even longer." He said.
Before Cai Lun invented paper in the Han Dynasty, bamboo and wood jianmu were the most important written carriers of Chinese culture. The "talking" excavated Jane Mu is the favorite "historical docent" of cultural relics archaeologists and researchers. A simple tablet, or even one of the words, can inspire an expert to write a paper.
However, when these treasures were unearthed, they looked different: scattered in a pile, which looked like only black, almost decaying bamboo pieces of wood in the mud.
(Imposition photo) The picture on the left shows the Hanjian excavated from Zhangjiashan in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, before cleaning and restoration (taken on May 3, 2016); the right picture shows the Hanjian excavated from Zhangjiashan in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, after the completion of restoration (taken on September 18, 2016). (Courtesy of Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center)
"Sealed underground for two or three thousand years, after the excavation of Jian Mu, it will instantly oxidize and turn black, and inexperienced people often mistakenly think that it is a pile of rotten soil." Wu Shunqing said.
In order to reproduce the text on the Jane, it is necessary to restore the blackened bamboo strips to the original yellow color without destroying the ink. This is the "unique skill" of Wu Shunqing's team!
The test of repair is patience.
Unearthed in the south, Jian Mu is often wrapped in muddy water, soaked in groundwater for thousands of years, and the body is decayed, and it may be destroyed at the touch of a light touch. From extraction to washing, it is like caring for a newborn baby. "First of all, soak the bamboo in distilled water to keep it full of water. When cleaning, use a soft brush to gently remove dirt such as sludge on it. Wu Shunqing, who has the nickname of "Duan Zi Hand", is serious at this time.
On March 15, the staff of the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Restoration Center inspected the restoration of Jian Mu under a magnifying glass. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
Fixes test wisdom even more.
After countless experiments, Fang Beisong, director and researcher at the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Conservation Center, found a new decolorization material called sodium liandisulfite in the early 1990s. Fang Beisong introduced that ancient writing mainly used toner, and the toner composition was stable and attached to the bamboo jane through its own adsorption force. "Even sodium disulfite can restore the color of bamboo, but it will not destroy the ink."
After decolorization, fang Beisong also "created" a set of water-saturated dehydration methods. He said: "If the water in the bamboo jane is directly removed, then the (bamboo jane) is likely to collapse or even break, we use ethanol- high alcohol replacement filling, instead of the original water in the position of the inside of the bamboo jane, played a supporting role, but also prevent the jane from losing moisture and deformation." ”
After cleaning, decolorization, and dehydration, Jian Mu recovered her original appearance, and the handwriting on it was also "magically" clearly reproduced in front of the world. After processing, the staff will scan and archive with an infrared scanner, and fix them one by one with glass plates and store them according to numbers.
On March 18, Fang Beisong, director of the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, cleaned Jian Mu. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
Walking into the Jian Mu exhibition hall of the Jingzhou Museum is like walking into the history of the Spring and Autumn Warring States to the Qin and Han Dynasties. "Bathing Silkworm", "Xiannong", "Japanese Book", "Counting Money", "Pulse Formula", "Sick Party"... On the beige bamboo pieces, the ink is clear and the calligraphy is exquisite, which directly and vividly reflects all aspects of the life of the ancients.
With this method, the Jingzhou Cultural Protection Center has completed the protection of more than 120,000 Jane Mu, accounting for 70% of the water-filled Jane Mu that has been unearthed in the country.
Resurrection: Saving the Lacquer wood treasure from mutilation
The Jingzhou Cultural Protection Center and the Jingzhou Museum, which is famous in the cultural protection industry, are located next to each other.
In the museum, a variety of wood lacquerware with bright colors and different forms shine brightly. Small to ear cups, lacquer plates, lacquer boxes, wooden figurines, large to the town tomb beast, phoenix drum, wood carved seat screen, toad seat feather man... It was stunning.
Wang Mingqin, director of the Jingzhou Museum, said that the Jingzhou Museum has more than 10,000 pieces of lacquerware unearthed, accounting for about three-fifths of the country. Glass display cabinets silently convey the glory of Chu culture more than 2,000 years ago.
At the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, lacquered wood ware after dehydration treatment is placed in a centralized manner. (Photo taken on January 10) Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
The Tiger Bird Drum excavated from Tomb No. 2 of tianxingguan is particularly rare in terms of the size of the instrument and the beauty of the craftsmanship. "It is not only a funerary object, but also a practical musical instrument, but also a rare work of art." Wu Shunqing said.
More than 2,000 years ago, Chu-style lacquerware has reached the peak of Chinese lacquerware craftsmanship. Chu people use natural paint to modulate red, yellow, blue, green, gold, silver and other color paints, and have moisture-proof and anti-corrosion properties, although they have been brilliant for thousands of years.
But the relentless years and harsh underground environment will still deprive them of the splendor of the past.
In 2000, due to the invasion of tomb robbers, the Tianxingguan No. 2 tomb was forced to rescue excavations, and the rare treasure of the Tiger Bird Drum was returned to people's vision, but it has been seriously damaged.
"In some places, the pattern has fallen off, a phoenix's mouth has fallen off, its wings have broken, it is nearly one person tall, but the phoenix's legs have rotted and cannot stand up." Wu Shunqing used "unbearable to see" to describe the situation he saw when he was just unearthed.
There is a saying in the cultural and cultural circles: "Dry for a thousand years, wet for ten thousand years, not dry or wet for half a year." The southern groundwater level is high, and bamboo and wood lacquerware is soaked in water for a long time in order to maintain the incorruptible for thousands of years. However, after the water-filled wood lacquerware is unearthed, it is very fragile, like a sponge, a pinch of the hand is a nest, if it is not dehydrated, it will soon peel and crack, shrink and deform, and lose the value of cultural relics.
The follow-up project is also very complicated, cultural relics restoration can not use chemical paint, must be repeatedly mixed with natural paint, in accordance with the traditional process of lacquer. Each time the paint is applied, it is dried for at least a week, and then the paint is applied a second time, and the paint is repeated six times.
The thinking of The Chinese cultural protection community on the restoration of lacquered wood ware originated from the archaeological excavations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River that have caused the world to be sensational.
From 1972 to 1973, Three Western Han Tombs were excavated in Mawangdui, Changsha, and a large number of bamboo and wood lacquerware were unearthed. However, due to the immature protection technology, these exquisite bamboo and wood lacquerware have been protected by immersion in water for more than 30 years.
Du Daozi (right), a bamboo and wood lacquer restoration expert at the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, restores a Warring States period lacquer ear cup on January 10. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
The breakthrough in the restoration technology of lacquered wood cultural relics began with Wu Shunqing.
Graduated from Wuhan University majoring in polymer chemistry, Wu Shunqing further innovated on the basis of the dehydration technology of water-saturated cultural relics developed by his peers, using composite glyoxal dehydration technology, which not only effectively dehydrated the unearthed lacquered wood, maintained the original shape and color of the wood relics, and the later protection conditions are also more convenient for long-term preservation than other dehydration methods.
This breakthrough has aroused great concern in the cultural and social protection circles throughout the country. Wu Shunqing said: "The first batch of Mawangdui only sent 6 pieces to try. There is a wooden basin, known as the 'first pot in the world', with a diameter of 72.5 centimeters, but the patent leather has begun to fall off, and the wooden tire has also cracked. We used the composite glyaldehyde dehydration technology to dehydrate and stereotype, and spent 3 years before and after to restore the appearance of this batch of cultural relics when they were excavated. ”
Since then, with the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, more than 400 pieces of excavated wooden lacquerware from the Mawangdui Han Tomb have been sent to the Jingzhou Cultural Security Center in batches for processing. These wood lacquerware have been dehydrated, repaired, sealed and other treatments, and the shrinkage rate is maintained at about 1%, the shape is stable, and it is revitalized.
After long-term practical application, this restoration technology has become a nationally recognized mature technology for dehydration of wood lacquerware. Changsha Mawangdui Western Han Tomb, Beijing Laoshan Han Tomb, Beijing Jinling King Tomb and other more than 6,000 pieces of wood lacquerware cultural relics excavated from all over the country, all using this dehydration technology.
Standing in front of the tiger bird drum and listening to Wu Shunqing tell these stories, it is a different situation.
"How long did it take to repair the Tiger Bird Drum?" The reporter asked. Wu Shunqing replied plainly with two words: "Five years." ”
Wu Hao (right), a lacquer and wood restoration expert at the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, reinforces orthodontics on excavated dolls on March 17. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
Rebirth: "A Revolution" in the Restoration of Silk Woven Artifacts
In January 1982, the Mashan Brick and Tile Factory in Jingzhou took soil bricks and found a tomb in the middle and late Warring States period, which was later named: Mashan No. 1 Tomb.
The tomb is small, but when the archaeologists carefully opened the lid of the coffin, everyone was stunned: the coffin was full of clouds.
In the tomb, 152 pieces of various silk fabrics have been unearthed, and there are 13 layers of clothes, robes, skirts and skirts wrapped in female tomb owners alone.
People who know a little about wenbao's common sense know that silk fabrics are extremely difficult to pass on, and the silk fabrics unearthed in tombs are even more gray.
Zhang Changting (right), a staff member of the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, and Qing Yueming use a microscope to view the organizational structure of silk cultural relics on March 14. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
Today, at the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center, the phoenix bird flower pattern embroidered light yellow silk brocade robe excavated from Mashan No. 1 Tomb is spread out on the operating table, with a complete form, soft texture and clear pattern.
35 years have passed, after countless experiments and countless processes, this national treasure-level cultural relics from deep storage and freezing to trying to restore, is still doing further reinforcement and restoration, but has fully presented the richness of the year, bright and indispensable.
"What is on display in the museum is a replica of this artifact and it is very popular. However, the original documents did not meet the conditions for exhibition, and after the preliminary cleaning and reinforcement, they have been placed in the warehouse for refrigeration. Wu Shunqing said.
Since 2003, after successful experiments with small pieces, the Jingzhou Cultural Protection Center has reinforced the robe through the use of biotechnology and can now be folded. Next, the broken places must be repaired to meet the conditions for exhibition.
Literature records that the silk weaving process of the Chu state reached a very high level during the Warring States period. The cultural relics excavated from The First Tomb of Mashan are the most powerful evidence of the documentary record.
However, silk fabrics are one of the most difficult to protect excavated artifacts. After more than 2,000 years of burial, most of the fabric has decayed and deteriorated, and even if it survives, due to long-term immersion in groundwater, the slightest touch will "disappear".
On March 16, Wu Shunqing unearthed a national first-class cultural relic in front of a small diamond-shaped brocade cotton robe at the Mashan No. 1 Tomb in Jingzhou, Hubei Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
How can these historical gifts from 2,000 years ago be preserved and restored? Wu Shunqing painstakingly studied for many years.
Until 2000, he suddenly had the idea of "doing the opposite": applying biotechnology to cultural relics protection, that is, finding a microorganism that can "eat" harmful substances in silk fabrics, including mold spots, crystalline salts, etc., without damaging the silk fabric itself.
After countless experiments and not knowing how many different strains of bacteria have been cultivated, they have finally succeeded in solving different problems in the restoration and preservation of ancient silk with different strains.
In 2004, the Jingzhou Cultural Relics Protection Center used biological methods to clean and strengthen the two sleeves of the dragon, phoenix and tiger embroidered robes in Mashan No. 1 Tomb. After treatment, the silk fabric is rich in color, soft in texture, can be folded arbitrarily, the strength is significantly increased, and the performance of the unearthed silk fabric is safely and effectively restored.
The expert group of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage inspected and identified that this is a "revolution" in the technology of cultural relics protection, a "pioneering and original work", and is at the "international leading level". In 2005, biotechnology restoration won the first prize of the National Cultural Relics Conservation Science and Technology Innovation Award. Using this technology, the Jingzhou Cultural Protection Center also repaired two Qianlong Kowloon painting umbrellas of the Qing Dynasty in the Forbidden City and a silk-woven cotton robe of Madame Xin Chai of the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha.
So far, the Jingzhou Cultural Protection Center has protected and restored more than 500 pieces of textiles, the most representative of which is the silk coffin cover (desert curtain) excavated from the Chuguo No. 1 Tomb in Xiejiaqiao, Jingzhou. Wu Shunqing's team spent more than 3 years to restore the barren curtain that was glued into a lump of "mud" when it was excavated, and restored it to a beautiful silk fabric with full color and clear pattern, with an area of 44 square meters.
In the restoration room, the staff looked attentive, repairing the silk artifacts one stitch at a time, and several researchers also used Pu'er tea to repeatedly mix experiments.
"These cultural relics are too precious, and the materials used for repair must also be cautious, not chemicals, we try to dye with Pu'er tea." Wu Shunqing said.
The interview is coming to an end, and it is indeed a great enjoyment to see the national treasure-level cultural relics. Getting to know a group of "national treasure-level" cultural protection experts is a greater gain.
Wu Shunqing, who has become famous in the industry, now often says that he is "more and more timid". The personality of cultural relics restoration is greater than the commonality, and every time a new cultural relic is taken over, it is a new challenge. Wu Shunqing and his team still insist on the front line of protection and restoration, constantly enriching and accumulating experience.
From excavation to restoration, this is a race against time in the millennium, and it is also the art of freezing time in the millennium.
"The more difficult it is to protect, the more famous the cultural relics, the happier you are after the restoration is completed." Wu Shunqing said.