There are two types of baking craftsmen, one is called Changhuo and the other is called Xiuhuo.

Chang Huo goes around the streets to serve the poor. The people are poor at home, and if they drop a porcelain bowl and are reluctant to buy a new one, they look for someone to repair it.

Old people who came from the old society all know that the bakery maker would carry a pick on his shoulder and call out "curium basin, curium bowl, and curium vat" with the door. These are a few things commonly used by ordinary people.

This kind of craftsman who is always active is called a hoop maker, a low-level person.

This is what classmate Chang Xian saw when he was a child.

Nowadays, unlike in the past, daily-use porcelain is not worth much, and if it breaks, it needs to be replaced with a new one, so the daily life of porcelain baking is almost extinct.

As for Xiuhuo, it was developed specifically for the repair of antique porcelain.

Ancient porcelain is passed down from generation to generation, and it is inevitable that sometimes it is incomplete, and sometimes only a pile of broken porcelain pieces can be found.

At this time, specialized craftsmen are needed to repair it, and it cannot just be repaired, but also the artistic integrity must be ensured. The requirements for the porcelain craftsman are higher, not only the craftsmanship, but also the artistry.

Regarding Xiuhuo, there is a particularly famous story in the antique circle.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, a Japanese nobleman named Ping Shigemori donated gold to the Ashoka Temple in Ningbo.

As a return gift, Ashoka Temple gave a porcelain bowl from Longquan Kiln, which was greatly loved by Ping Shigemori.

Later, during the Muromachi period, this porcelain bowl was acquired by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa.

Unfortunately, due to repeated wars, this porcelain bowl has several cracks.

Ashikaga Yoshimasa sent a special envoy to bring this bowl to the Ming Dynasty, hoping that Emperor Chenghua could give another one as a gift.

However, the Longquan kiln has changed over time and can no longer produce porcelain bowls with the same glaze color.

How to do it?

Emperor Chenghua asked his imperial porcelain master to repair the bowl and bring it back to Japan.

There were a few bean nails baked on this porcelain bowl, which looked a bit like a leech, so the Japanese named the porcelain bowl "Celadon Leech Kizuna" and it became one of the most famous tea sets in Japan.

As you can imagine, the craftsmanship of porcelain baking has reached the point where it is as brilliant as the porcelain itself.

After talking for a long time, Chang Xian asked: "It sounds like a good idea, but it's hard to find a porcelain bakery who can do show work, right?"

Mou Duanming frowned and said: "Yes, it's because of this that I didn't think about it just now. This craft is too narrow and too painful. Nowadays, porcelain repairs no longer use this method. Almost all are glued. If it can be baked,

If it's good, it can barely be considered to be in full condition."

The other people looked at each other, and there was nothing they could do for the time being.

The principle of porcelain baking is very simple. It is to drill a few holes in the porcelain and then fix it with nails of different lengths.

However, drilling holes in porcelain is different from metal.

Drilling holes in gold and silverware is a test of strength. If you make a mistake, it can be reworked.

Among them, drilling is the most difficult process.

There is only one chance to drill holes in porcelain. If you use the wrong force, it will break, so it requires extremely fine control.

Porcelain is thin and brittle, so drilling a hole in it without breaking it requires extremely delicate techniques.

The hole-making tool used by the bakery is a stylus with a diamond inlaid on the tip of the pen. Gently grind the area where the hole is to be made to make a hole.

There is a saying in China, "If you're not a diamond, don't be a porcelain maker." That's where it comes from.

It's hard, tiring and delicate, and the market is gone. You can imagine the survival situation of this craft.

"Brother Mou, when it comes to restoration of cultural relics, you might want to contact Master Nan..."

Chang Xian thought about it for a while and came up with a solution.

Mou Duanming's eyes lit up: "You can ask him about this. He should be familiar with the circle of cultural relic restoration."

"Xiao Chang, why don't you give me this cricket jar? I'll find a porcelain maker who knows how to show off his skills and give you a price that's in perfect condition."

Over there, Yu Bo said carelessly: "Eight million, how about that?"

Judging from his expression, he was confident about repairing the cricket jar.

Hearing him quote such a price, several others were also surprised. Not only was the price high, but also because there were not many people who could easily shell out eight million these days.

Chang Xian was stunned for a moment. He knew that if it was an authentic Xuande cricket jar, it would definitely be valuable, but he didn't expect it to be so valuable.

Seeing Chang Xian in a daze, Mou Duanming said slowly: "Xiao Chang, if you are willing to take action, Boss Yu's price is very sincere."

"Last year at Sotheby's in Hong Kong, a 17.8cm diameter Xuande blue and white bowl with folded branches and flowers was sold for 6.67 million RMB. The actual price was less than 6 million."

"The diameter of your cricket jar is 14cm, but it has a lid and an additional bonus from the Cricket Emperor. His price is the price of a Xuande blue and white cricket jar in full condition."

"Sorry, Boss Yu, thank you, but I still want to keep this thing for myself."

Chang Xian came to his senses and after making his decision, he seemed calm and relaxed: "As my senior brother said just now, if this was another Xuande porcelain, I would give it to you, but this is

The cricket jar of Emperor Cricket has a story in it, so I still want to keep it and don’t want to exchange it for money.”

Yu Bo was stunned for a moment, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes. It could be seen that Chang Xian was not a rich man. He could resist the temptation of eight million. It would be impossible for a person who is not determined to do so.

Regarding Chang Xian's decision, Uncle De and others also showed a hint of shock.

Only Zheng Mang didn't think there was anything wrong. Originally, this was how she, Miss Zheng's friend, should have been.

Yu Bo was a generous man and laughed and said: "It's okay. If you don't want to exchange money, then let's exchange things. Next time I go to the capital to look at my brother's collection, if there's anything that catches my eye, let's exchange it."

Chang Xian smiled and said: "The relationship is good, I will definitely come over to broaden my horizons when the time comes."

Zheng Mang was puzzled and said: "Brother Yu, Brother Mou also said just now, this item is only three or four million, isn't your price a bit outrageous?"

Yu Bo laughed and said, "Girl, even if you, Brother Yu, are tall and thick, you are not big-headed."

"In the past few years, the official kilns of the Ming and Qing Dynasties have been experiencing rapid growth. This year at Christie's in Hong Kong, a "blue and white dragon and phoenix in auspicious edge mouth wash" from the Yongle Dynasty was sold for a high price of HK$26.38 million. Both are blue and white peaks, and they are also the highest price.

For small items, how much worse can Xuande be than Yongle?"

He took a big sip of tea, chewed the tea leaves and said: "The price Lao Mouzi said is right, but he meant it now. The price I offered was also right. I said it now and in the future.

Be optimistic about the true value of this jar."

"As Xiao Chang said, other porcelain is easy to find. Emperor Cricket's cricket jar is really rare. Not to mention I can find someone to repair it, but it just can't be repaired. It will definitely cost more than ten million if it has been left for two years!"
Chapter completed!