Chapter 360 Chengxintang
According to "Huizhou Prefecture Chronicles": There are many good papers in the room, with the names of Ningshuang and Chengxin. The latter is fifty feet long and evenly thin from beginning to end.
Because there is a natural wonder in Fengchuan Mountain in She County where it originated, "Shimen Nine Unlocked", which is a gully. There is a huge stone in the gully, shaped like a heart, which is called "The Best Heart in the World".
The stream under the boulder is called Yunxi, which seems to pass through the heart, so this place is called "Chengxin". It is a natural dojo where Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are integrated.
The paper produced here is made by soaking the leather in the cold stream, using ice water to lift the curtain, swing the paper, and finally melt and dry it.
The finished product is "as smooth as spring water and as thin as a dense cocoon. It is tougher than Shu Jian and faster than Yan Chu."
Historians say that "the skin is like a membrane, as firm and clean as jade, as thin and smooth as ever."
This paper was first highly praised by Empress Li of the Southern Tang Dynasty, who set up a plan. He ordered Yan Dao Supervisor to make famous paper for royal use in the palace, and built a hall to hide it, so he named it "Chengxintang".
At first, Chengxintang was just a place where the monarchs of the Southern Tang Dynasty lived and entertained guests, and no name has been left. Later, it added the function of collecting books and became a famous internal library of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
The middle master and the latter master once summoned scribes to work on the collection of classics. When it became a place to collect Chengxin paper, the name "Chengxintang" came into being.
In the middle and late period of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the hall became the de facto center for a time. Empress Li asked scholars to call for consultations and participate in political affairs. Among them, those who were directly responsible for the declaration of orders and the general decision-making of political affairs were called "Chengxintang Chengzhi" , the power was once greater than that of the privy envoy who was famous for a while.
It can be seen that Empress Li loves that place.
As for painters of this era, such as Xu Xi and Huang Quan, in addition to silk, their paintings "mostly used Chengxintang".
However, this paper has become extremely precious by the Song Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty and his good friend Liu Chang, one of the famous literary historians of Mozhuang, both collected a small amount of Chengxintang paper of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu returned it Wrote a song "He Liu The poem "Original Father Clears the Heart" mentioned in it: "Although the Jun family has the Clear Heart Paper, who dares to write it?"
It means, Old Liu, don't be arrogant. Although you have precious things at home, It’s a piece of clear paper, but can you find anyone who dares to write on it?
The reason why Ouyang Xiu is so proud is that the few remaining papers are all stored in the palace. The reason why Ouyang Xiu can use them is because the three generations of emperors Renzong, Yingzong and Shenzong opened the supply to him.
Only the will of the emperor, such as ordering Li Gonglin to draw the handed down work "Five Horses", ordering Ouyang Xiu to draft "New Book of Tang" and "New History of Five Dynasties", and rubbing "Chunhua Pavilion Notes" Wait, just take the Chengxintang paper for use.
It wasn’t until the Song Dynasty that a famous cultural product maker Pan Gu emerged. In addition to making ink and inkstones, he also restored the craftsmanship of Chengxintang paper. Pan’s Chengxintang paper once again caused a sensation and won the The pursuit of famous calligraphers and painters such as Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu, and Mei Yaochen solved the "Chengxintang paper shortage".
Mei Yaochen once wrote a poem about it: "Chengxin paper comes out of Xin'an County, and it is more than enough to touch the moon and knock on the ice; Pan Hou is not only able to make paper, but the fine ribbed inkstone is engraved with the dragon's tail."
< br>Since then, Pan's Chengxintang paper has been loved by the court and famous people. During the annual tribute, the Four Treasures of the Study in Shedi are indispensable art treasures in the annual tribute.
Yuan Fei's "Jian Zhi Pu" writes very clearly: "Chengxintang paper is made from Li's Chengxintang pattern, and the cover surface is light, crisp and exquisite."
Chengxintang Paper of the Southern Tang Dynasty Tang paper soon became as precious as dragon marrow. Even Pan's Chengxintang paper from the Song Dynasty became extremely precious by the Ming Dynasty.
When Dong Qichang, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, got some Pan's Chengxintang paper, he once sighed: "I dare not write on this paper."
But now, in front of everyone, , a pile of them appeared!
Zhou Zhi's throat felt dry: "This pile... is really... really..."
"Nantang Chengxintang." "Why...how can I see it?"
"Because I have seen it." Mr. Zhang had already raised his head, fearing that the moisture he breathed would contaminate the precious Paper: "The National Palace Museum in Taipei has Cai Xiang's "Chengxintang Paper Stickers". There is a picture album I brought back from there on the bookshelf. Xiao Xu Qian can go get it."
The album is printed very beautifully. When he turned to Cai Xiang's "Chengxintang Paper Stickers", Zhou Zhi couldn't help but sigh: "Cai Junmo, the hero of calligraphy and ink, is amazing!"
Su Huang is generally recognized as one of the four great calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty. Mi Cai, in fact, this ranking was mostly just for rhyme, or for fame. Later, there was even a controversy about Cai, thinking that it might be Cai Jing.
In fact, it is completely nonsense. The names of the four major calligraphers should actually be pronounced backwards. Cai Mi, Huang Su, and the last two, Huang Tingjian and Su Shi, can be tied in no particular order.
The world-recognized number one calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty was not controversial at all, it was Cai Xiang.
Su Dongpo once wrote in "Dongpo's Inscriptions and Postscripts": "Ducai Junmo is highly talented, has profound knowledge, has the same mind and hand, and has endless transformations, so he is the best in this dynasty. However, running script is the best, and small regular script is second. Then, the cursive script is second best... and the meaning is Feibai, saying that he has the power of flying dragons and dancing phoenixes, and those who know him will not take it as an exaggeration. "
Ouyang. Xiu's evaluation of Cai Xiang's calligraphy was even more extreme: "Since Su Zimei's death, he has felt that his calligraphy is outstanding. In recent years, Jun Mo has been alone in the world, but he has been humble and refused to lead an alliance."
Huang Tingjian once and Su Shi They laugh at each other's calligraphy, but they only admire two people: "Su Zimei and Cai Junmo are both heroes of calligraphy."
"History of the Song Dynasty" directly nailed the coffin board: "Xiang worked in handwriting and was the best in the world, and Renzong loved him."
The Cai in Su Huangmi Cai refers to Cai Jing, also I don’t know which public account made it up but was able to fish in troubled waters and make countless people around the world believe it to be true. This is also a very ridiculous thing.
"Look at the content." Mr. Zhang did not expect that Zhou Zhi was a calligraphy enthusiast. Cai Xiang, who was known as the best calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty, had never seen Zhou Zhi before, and he was fascinated by it all of a sudden, so he had to remind him.
"Oh." Zhou Zhi finally came to his senses and said: "A piece of Chengxintang paper is the best if it has the same width, narrowness, thickness and solidity. The workers don't want to do it, but they are afraid that they won't be able to do it. If you try it with thick and straight, it seems that it can be done. On the Double Ninth Festival, I wrote a book. "
"Classmate Zhou's ancient writing is good." Mr. Zhang nodded and praised: "The sentence reading is good. It seems to be fine, but it lacks charm."
Zhou Zhi smiled, "I've marked this kind of thing for the fifth time in "Shuowen Jiezi", so I don't need to say it, right?"
However, Mr. Zhang just boasted casually and said: "Look at the label below."
Zhou Zhi looked at the small words marked at the bottom of the screen: ""Chengxintang Paper Sticker" , ruler slip, paper, written in 1063, written by Cai Xiang of the Northern Song Dynasty, in regular script, 24.7 cm in length and 27.1 cm in width. "
Seeing this, Zhou Zhi finally understood: "This is Cai Xiang. A letter Xiang sent to someone else was also a 'specimen' of the Chengxintang paper of the Southern Tang Dynasty that he sent to that person.
At that time, it could no longer be the original size of fifty feet. It was pure. Just to make a sample, it means that all the good workers he can find have shied away from the requirement to imitate the paper according to this standard, and he doesn’t know whether they are unwilling to do it or cannot reach such a level of craftsmanship.”
"Then he didn't believe this evil, so he wrote a letter on the sample and sent it to this friend, telling him to pay more money, but he didn't believe it and couldn't imitate it."
"He also pointed out one detail. ——'The paper is so fine that it seems possible to make it'"
"In the end, he said that if the imitation was successful, he would not ask for more, just a hundred pieces of paper of this size would be enough."
(End of this chapter)