陶瓷之谜第 3 课

The Europeans were immediately obsessed with the secret of porcelain manufacture 欧洲人立刻对烧陶的秘法 产出诸多猜想
leading to all kinds of crazy theories: 各种奇想纷纷出炉
Some thought it was crushed eggshells... 有人主张那是压碎的蛋壳

others thought it was a special fish paste, 有人说那是一种特殊的鱼酱
which they would leave to ripen in the earth for one hundred years. 埋在地底百年后才会成熟

No wonder it would be centuries before the Europeans would even 难怪欧洲人会花上数百年的时间
begin to unravel the great mystery of porcelain. 才解开瓷器的制造奥秘

It took the Chinese themselves thousands of years to discover the secret of porcelain -中国人本身就花了数千年 才了解陶瓷的烧制奥秘
the product of a search for perfection which began more than six millennia ago. 它是中国人6千多年来 苦苦寻觅的完美心血结晶

Their story began here in the fertile Yellow River valley, 故事始于黄河流域 这处丰饶的河谷
the cradle of Chinese civilization, 此地是中国文明的摇篮
where the ancient Chinese began to farm and domesticate animals. 先人在此开始农耕并豢养家畜

Unlike their contemporaries in Europe, 不同于同一时期的欧洲人
the inhabitants of Neolithic China showed little interest in carving or wall-painting; 新石器时代的中国人 对雕刻和壁画兴趣缺缺

instead they directed their creative energies to make earthenware to store rice and grain.却倾其创意于 烧制储存米谷的陶器

To fire these pots, they produced their first kilns, 他们为了烧制陶罐 建了首座陶窑
which Marvels of Neolithic technology, 这堪称是 新石器时代的科技奇迹
a fire was made below the pots, and vents in the floor 他们在陶罐下生火
allowed the flames and heat to rise. 于地面挖孔 供火焰和热气上升

From the beginning, 打从初始
these clay pots were sacred to the Chinese, 陶器在中国人眼中 便有神圣的意涵
and were often decorated with symbolic designs. 纹饰模式都具有象征意义
On this piece, two fish appear to be whispering into the ears of a human head wearing what might be a shaman's headdress.这只陶盘上的两条鱼对着戴巫师头饰的人 窃窃耳语