You must know that the Jingdezhen Blue and White Porcelain Industry Guild, in order to ensure its own brand image, does not allow Suzhou to use any words related to Jingdezhen.
When porcelain without Jingdezhen's name is exported in the future, it must be at least half the price to be marketable.
As a result, the porcelain produced here in Suzhou is obviously better than that in Jingdezhen. If such porcelain is exported at half the price, 80% of the sales of Jingdezhen porcelain will be affected.
"But we are all laymen, so let's listen to what Cheng Huishou has to say." Zhu Zhen threw the question to Cheng Qian again.
"Currently, the quality produced by Pingjiang Hai Kiln is indeed better." Cheng Qian said with a complicated expression. He had tried firing countless times before, and he already knew the result.
However, the palms and backs of the hands are all flesh, so it is impossible for him to deliberately lower the quality of Pingjianghai porcelain in order to favor Jingdezhen porcelain.
"Why is that? They all use the same craftsmanship and the same batch of people, and even the materials used are basically the same." Lao Liu asked curiously.
"Firstly, it's because the quality of the kaolin here is better, and secondly, the firewood used here is better, which allows the furnace temperature to be higher and the cooking to be more cooked and thorough." Cheng Qian had already analyzed the reason, otherwise it would not have been possible.
Agree to use kaolin clay from Suzhou.
"You can't speak out of conscience." After speaking, he said calmly: "Jingdezhen has been mining for too many years, and the soil quality has indeed declined. The same goes for firewood. All the old trees have been cut down, and all new firewood has been used. That's why there is
gap."
"Okay, I have indeed seen the right person. This is the leader of the Ming Porcelain Industry Guild, and he should have the magnanimity!" Lao Liu praised: "Besides, they are all your own children, and the eldest son lost to the second son for a while.
No shame. Just correct the problem and catch up!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" Cheng Qian nodded heavily, deeply encouraged.
"Not bad, not bad." Zhu Zhen nodded happily. He remembered that Ming blue and white was the pinnacle of blue and white porcelain, but Hongwu blue and white was not the pinnacle of Ming blue and white. No matter in terms of glaze color or exquisiteness, it was not as good as the later Yongle porcelain, and even more so.
Needless to say, Xuande porcelain and Chenghua porcelain.
It is the Jingdezhen craftsmen who strive for excellence, have the courage to innovate, and constantly try new materials and techniques that make blue and white porcelain continue to progress and reach its peak.
"In addition, we cannot let our porcelain compete overseas." Lao Liu gave Cheng Qian another idea: "Pingjianghai porcelain has no baggage. We must be brave enough to try and make mistakes. Do some things that Jingdezhen dare not do, such as
, accept customer customization, so no matter how expensive you sell it, it will not affect the price of Jingdezhen porcelain."
"Customized..." Cheng Qian was no stranger to this word. In the past, countless maritime merchants came to him, hoping to customize a batch of porcelain for customers that fit the country's national conditions and customs. However, Jingdezhen has its own rules, and he, as the president, cannot
Taking the lead in destroying them, they all refused.
"That's right." Lao Liu smiled and said, "Shen Rong and the others responded that many of our big customers, those princes and nobles from Southeast Asia and even Europe, are willing to pay large sums of money to customize porcelain with their family emblems, patterns, or even portraits from us.
"
"Yes. This market is not small, and these people don't care about money at all, as long as you can meet their requirements." Shen Rong agreed with a smile: "And Foshan has been doing this for a long time, and the porcelain is not very good. In this way, you can make a lot of money."
"Okay, let's try it too." Cheng Qian actually didn't want to beg in his heart. Making porcelain is such a sacred thing, how could he burn the patterns of those foreign barbarians on it?
But this was the best way to balance the interests of Jingdezhen and Heping Jianghai Ci at the moment, and since His Highness himself spoke, he had no choice but to agree.
He exchanged glances with Shen Rong again, and then said bravely: "It's just that even if Pingjiang Hai Porcelain does not compete with Jingdezhen, Jingdezhen's recent porcelain sales will be greatly affected."
"Why?" Lao Liu asked with a frown. Porcelain is one of his two major export products, and there must be no room for error.
"It's the Foshan porcelain and Quanzhou porcelain that His Highness just mentioned. Businessmen in Fujian and Guangdong have already begun to poach people from Jingdezhen to produce porcelain." Cheng Qian sighed:
"Before, it was okay for them to be able to get goods from Jingdezhen, and they would not compete with themselves for the market. But since His Highness issued the ban that year, they have been unable to get Jingdezhen porcelain, and they have completely broken up and used their own production. The porcelain is passed off as ours from Jingdezhen but sold at half price, which not only ruins our reputation but also greatly affects our profits."
"That's right." Shen Rong also agreed: "Those Fujian and Guangdong merchants are really lawless. They not only smuggle counterfeit porcelain, they also sell everything, especially gunpowder, armor, firearms, medicines that are banned by the imperial court... They sell Favorite."
"And I probably expected that His Highness would deal with them sooner or later. This month has entered the typhoon season, and our ships are afraid to set sail, but they still dare to do it."
"Is he so awesome?" Zhu Zhen said dumbfounded.
"Yes, they build that kind of one-time ship, and if it sinks, they will sink it, and they will make a profit when it reaches Nanyang. Then they will sell the ship and the cargo together, which is crazy. We are really crazy than them."
"This is indeed a problem." Li Heng sighed and said: "The Hai Zheng Yamen has informed the local government, but it is of little use. The government there is very weak, and it is the local tyrants and maritime merchants who have the final say."
"It seems that I have to go there in person." Zhu Zhen nodded. It seems that the problem in Fujian and Guangdong has reached a point where it cannot be solved without solving it.
~~
However, Zhu Zhen was still very satisfied with the quality of Pingjiang Hai Porcelain, even beyond his imagination. So he readily agreed to write a plaque for "Pingjiang Hai Kiln Factory" and also wrote an inscription for "Pingjiang Hai Porcelain".
Over the years, his calligraphy level has improved, at least foreigners can't tell the difference.
After encouraging the craftsmen of Pingjiang Hai Kiln Factory, he was ready to board the ship and return.
Unexpectedly, as soon as we arrived at the pier, we saw a horse galloping towards us. Judging by his attire, he was a 'rider' from the Shipping Company.
The Maritime Administration has established municipal shipping departments in more than ten coastal cities across the country. The municipal shipping departments have also set up offices in major cities, equipped with various communication methods to deliver information in a timely manner.
When Xu Da discovered that Hu Weiyong was planning to rebel, he actually trusted Shibosi's communication speed more than the imperial court's 800-mile express. This shows that Shibosi's communication capabilities were far ahead of the imperial court.
In fact, it’s nothing unusual. It’s just that carrier pigeons are used for long-distance communication, and riders are used for short-distance communication. The combination of the two naturally makes the speed much faster than relying solely on horseback.
The rider dismounted outside the cordon and stated his purpose. He was led quickly to the King of Chu. He knelt down and held up an envelope high, saying: "Your Highness, the Guangzhou Shipping Department has forwarded a letter from the Magistrate of Panyu County."
"Panyu County Magistrate?" Lao Liu was stunned for a moment, took the envelope and saw the signature on it, and then suddenly said: "It turns out to be that Taoist."
Speaking of which, during the Chinese New Year last year, the old thief hosted a banquet in honor of the county magistrate who came to Beijing for inspection. Because the magistrate was only qualified and did not sit down to eat, he was mercilessly criticized by Boss Zhu.
As a result, he couldn't help but complained on the spot and sued the popular Yongjia Marquis Zhu Liangzu.
However, Boss Zhu had to deal with Hu Weiyong, be wary of Huaixi nobles, and entrust Zhu Liangzu with important responsibilities, so he ignored Daotong's complaint. He only admonished the former and gave the latter the power to directly report to the emperor.
Zhu Zhen was present at the time, and thinking of Daotong's tragic fate in the future, he followed him out and told him that if there was an emergency, he could seek help from him through the Guangzhou Shipping Office.
King Chu opened the envelope on the spot, read it quickly, and sighed: "I just said I wanted to go to Guangzhou, now I have to go."
