陶瓷之谜第 10 课

One emperor traded 1 5 cities for a single jade sculpture that he could hold in one hand.就曾有一位帝王以15座城池 来换取不盈一握的玉雕
Ancient Chinese nobility wore jade amulets shaped like phoenixes and dragons 古代的中国贵族 配戴状如龙凤的玉制护身符
to symbolize their moral integrity, 以象征自己刚正不阿
and they buried their loved ones with jade to comfort their souls and prevent the decay of the physical body.并以玉器陪葬心爱的亲人藉以抚慰他们的灵魂 和防止肉身腐化

Jade is the everlasting symbol of Chinese civilization. 玉是中国文明中永恒的象征
And the illusive dream of ancient Chinese potters, 更是古代中国陶匠 念兹在兹的梦想
for centuries they had striven to create a comparable pure and translucent substance. 他们努力了数百年以创造能与之媲美的 纯净透明材质

With the creation of celadon, they felt the dream within reach. 青瓷问世后 梦想似乎一蹴可及
But what they were really dreaming about was porcelain. 但瓷器才是他们梦寐以求之物

Porcelain and glazed pottery are very very different. 瓷器和釉陶截然不同
This piece of celadon, for instance, 比方说青瓷
is a iron-based green glaze over stoneware. 是将以铁为呈色剂的绿釉 涂抹在陶器表面
With porcelain, the body and the glaze are fused together into one glass-like substance. 瓷器的胎和釉则是揉为一体 形成如同玻璃般的质感

So when porcelain was as we know it today was invented during the Tang dynasty around the year 700, 因此，公元7百年左右的晚唐瓷器问世后
the Chinese potter had finally attained his elusive dream of producing a pure, translucent material with many of the qualities of precious jade. 中国陶匠终于一圆美梦制造出纯净透明 带玉质感的质材

This breakthrough came about by combining two ingredients the Chinese call the 'flesh and bones' of porcelain... 之所以能有这样的突破便是结合了陶瓷所谓的“胎和骨”
a special fine white clay called Kaolin and crushed feldspar rock 即细致的白色高岭土和碎长石
And by attaining Kiln temperatures of 1300 degrees Celsius, body and glaze were fused completely. 加上高达1千3百度的窑温胎釉结合完全

This formed a glossy, translucent ware that produced a clear ring when struck “明如镜，声如磬”的细瓷 于焉诞生
With this refinement, true porcelain had finally been invented after thousands of years of trial and error. 有了这项进步历经数千年不断尝试的 细瓷终于问世