usatvline Chapter 532 The Surprise of the Special Exhibition Opening
Chapter 532 The Surprise of the Special Exhibition Opening
On the opening day of the "Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowls" special exhibition, even before the vermilion gates of the Provincial Museum were fully open, a long, winding queue had already formed in the square in front of the gate. In the morning light, people discussed the Song Dynasty porcelain bowls in hushed tones, the air filled with anticipation.
Gu Fanxing stood in the exhibition hall corridor, her fingertips lightly clutching the hem of her light blue dress, feeling both nervous and excited—this was the first time she had stood before everyone as a "discoverer of cultural relics."
"take it easy."
Pei Luonan helped her straighten her hair.
“You’ve been preparing for so long, you know this porcelain bowl better than anyone else. Just say what you want to say.” He took out a mint, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth. The sweet and cool taste dispelled the heat and calmed her wildly beating heart.
The opening ceremony started promptly at 9:00 AM.
Director Li of the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau stepped onto the stage, his tone solemn yet joyful: "'Qingning Kiln' was an important local kiln in the late Song Dynasty, but due to the scarcity of surviving artifacts, it has always been a 'blind spot' for archaeological research."
Today, the discovery of a complete 'Qingning Kiln' porcelain bowl by Ms. Gu Fanxing's team not only fills a gap in archaeological knowledge but also allows us to glimpse the exquisite craftsmanship of folk porcelain making in the Song Dynasty—a cause for celebration in the archaeological community and a boon to cultural heritage!
The audience erupted in applause and snapped photos incessantly.
Gu Fanxing stood on the side of the platform, looking at the photo of the porcelain bowl in Director Li's hand, and recalled the morning after the rain a month ago: she was squatting in the excavation square, her fingertips brushing against the damp yellow soil, when she suddenly touched the cool porcelain. After brushing away the soil, the pale blue glaze shone faintly in the morning light. That surprise is still as clear as yesterday.
Next, Professor Wang spoke. Holding a yellowed copy of "Illustrations of Folk Kilns in the Song Dynasty," he turned to the page on "Qingning Kiln," pointed to the blurry illustration of a fragment, and said excitedly, "I have studied 'Qingning Kiln' for thirty years and have only seen three fragments."
It wasn't until Ms. Gu Fanxing sent me photos of the porcelain bowl that I compared them with more than twenty documents overnight before I dared to confirm—this was the complete 'Qingning Kiln' artifact we had been searching for for half our lives…
The audience members craned their necks, eager to get a better look at the illustrations.
Gu Fanxing noticed an elderly woman with white hair wiping the corner of her eye with a handkerchief in the first row. She later learned that the woman's father had been a porcelain craftsman and that the family had once owned similar porcelain bowls, but they were lost during the war.
Finally, it was Gu Fanxing's turn to go on stage.
"Respected leaders and experts, dear viewers, good afternoon!"
Gu Fanxing's hand holding the microphone trembled slightly, but her voice was clear. "Today, standing here, I want to share a story first—one afternoon a month ago, a sudden downpour hit the Yangxian site. The porcelain shards in the excavation square hadn't been sorted out yet, and my team and I panicked, fearing that the rain would damage the artifacts. It was General Manager Pei who immediately organized the moving of waterproof tarpaulins, the packing of sealed boxes, and even climbed scaffolding in the rain to secure the tarpaulins, which saved the porcelain shards and laid the groundwork for the later discovery of this porcelain bowl."
She paused, looking at the audience listening below.
"The day we found the porcelain bowl, Jiu'er and I were clearing water from the edge of the excavation pit when we suddenly noticed a pale blue color peeking out from the soil. My heart was pounding. I squatted down and used a small brush to clean the soil bit by bit. It took a full forty minutes to reveal the porcelain bowl completely. Although its glaze was somewhat worn, it still showed signs of its former warmth. The marks on the bottom of the bowl were like stamps hidden in time, waiting for us to decipher its story."
The audience was completely silent, with only the occasional sound of camera shutters clicking.
Gu Fanxing looked at the central display case in the exhibition hall: "Many people ask me, what exactly is archaeology? To me, archaeology is not about coldly digging up cultural relics, but about having a dialogue with the ancients. This porcelain bowl may have been used by ordinary people in the Song Dynasty to hold rice and drink tea, witnessing the daily life of the people and experiencing the changes of time."
It stands here now to tell us that those forgotten histories have never truly disappeared; they are simply waiting for us to discover and protect them.
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, even more enthusiastic than before.
Gu Fanxing saw Pei Luonan nod with a smile, a glimmer in his eyes; Professor Wang wiped his eyes, muttering "Well said"; even the old lady gave her a thumbs up.
After the opening ceremony, visitors entered the exhibition hall in an orderly manner.
Gu Fanxing and Pei Luonan accompanied Director Li and Professor Wang as they walked ahead, and were immediately surrounded when they reached the central display case.
"The glaze is so beautiful, like spring lake water!" A girl in a school uniform took a picture with her phone. "Sister Gu, is this porcelain bowl really from the Song Dynasty? How can it be so well preserved?"
Gu Fanxing squatted down to be at eye level with the girl: "It is indeed from the late Song Dynasty. The reason it is so well preserved is twofold: first, it was buried in dry soil; second, after we found it, we immediately protected it with a sealed box to prevent it from coming into contact with air and moisture. During transportation, we also used shockproof foam and a constant temperature box, just so that it could stand here intact and meet everyone."
The girl nodded, seemingly understanding.
"Sister Gu, will you discover more artifacts like these in the future? When I grow up, I want to be like you and uncover the stories of history!"
"of course."
Gu Fanxing patted the girl's head and said, "As long as you maintain your love for history, you will definitely be able to realize your dream."
Just then, a familiar voice came from the crowd: "Xingxing, you speak so well!" Gu Fanxing turned around and saw Craftsman Chen and his wife, who were holding magnifying glasses and looking at the porcelain bowls in the display case.
"Master Chen, what brings you here?" Gu Fanxing stepped forward with delight. "Didn't you say you were going to the countryside to visit an old friend today?"
"I heard that your special exhibition is opening, so I specially changed the time with my old friend."
Craftsman Chen smiled and handed over a piece of paper with his hand-drawn glaze formula for "Qingning Kiln".
“I brought this to explain the characteristics of the glaze of Qingning ware to the audience, and also to help you make a good impression. This porcelain bowl has an iron content of 0.8%, which is a typical formula for Qingning ware, even more accurate than the fragments I tested last year!”
Gu Fanxing accepted the prescription paper with heartfelt gratitude.
"Thank you, Master Chen. With your help, the audience will definitely be able to understand 'Qingning Kiln' better."
At noon, the exhibition hall was still packed with people.
Pei Luonan pulled Gu Fanxing to the rest area for lunch, handing her a warm sandwich and milk.
"Don't just stand there, eat something to replenish your energy, you have a media interview this afternoon."
Gu Fanxing took a bite of her sandwich and couldn't help but smile when she remembered the mints from that morning.
"You're so well-prepared today, you even brought mints."
"I know you're nervous." Pei Luonan wiped the bread crumbs from the corner of her mouth, his eyes full of doting affection.
"I heard that mints are helpful, so I brought a few with me. Oh, by the way, my mom just texted me saying that she and my dad are here too, looking at porcelain bowls in the exhibition hall. Let's go find them in a bit."
Gu Fanxing was a little embarrassed: "Auntie and Uncle are here? I didn't even notice. I should have greeted them."
“It’s okay, they just came to visit and didn’t want to bother you,” Pei Luonan said with a smile. “My mom even said that the dress you wore today was especially beautiful, even prettier than when you visited our home last time.”
Gu Fanxing's cheeks flushed as she ate her sandwich with her head down, feeling warm inside.
The afternoon media interviews were held in the side hall of the exhibition hall.
A reporter asked, "Ms. Gu, after the special exhibition, what are your plans for the research on 'Qingning Kiln'?"
Gu Fanxing put down the microphone and said firmly, "We plan to cooperate with the Provincial Museum to expand the excavation scope of the Yangxian site and try to find the 'Qingning Kiln' site."
In addition, the research findings will be compiled and published as a book about the Qingning Kiln, allowing more people to learn about this forgotten Song Dynasty kiln.
At the end of the first day of the special exhibition, Pei Luonan gently hugged her from behind: "Xingxing, congratulations, the special exhibition was a great success."
Gu Fanxing leaned against him and said, "This is not my success alone, it belongs to everyone. Without you all, this porcelain bowl would not be where it is today."
In the distance, streetlights shone like a string of warm stars, illuminating their figures and their hopeful future.
This "Qingning Kiln Porcelain Bowl" has traversed a thousand years, witnessing the everyday life of the Song Dynasty; and their love, like this porcelain bowl, will become more tender and precious with the passage of time.