The sword of King Goujian of Yue is 55.7 cm high, 4.6 cm wide, 8.4 cm long in the handle, and weighs 875 grams. Unearthed in the Wangshan Chu Tombs near Jingzhou City, Hubei Province in the winter of 1965, the sword was engraved with eight characters in bird seal script, "Gou Jian, King of Yue, made his own sword." Experts interpreted the eight bird seal inscriptions on the sword's body and proved that the sword was the legendary sword of King Goujian of Yue. The sword of King Goujian of Yue is now in the Hubei Provincial Museum. The production process of King Goujian's Sword of Yue
The bronzes in ancient my country were mainly binary alloys of copper and tin. In the "Book of Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji" written during the Warring States Period, there is a quarter of the gold (copper) ), and tin is one, it is called the harmony of the sword and halberd; three-thirds of it is gold and tin is one, it is called the harmony of the broadsword?
In the alloy composition of bronze swords from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the contents of copper and tin varied depending on the age, location, source of raw materials, and craftsmanship. Generally speaking, the copper content was between 70% and 80%. % or slightly higher, and the tin content is about 10%-20%. In addition, the alloy often contains other ingredients such as lead and iron.
The Goujian Sword of King Yue contains about 80%-83% copper, 16%-17% tin, and a small amount of lead and iron, which may be impurities contained in the raw materials. Copper, the main component of bronze swords, is an inactive metal and is generally not prone to rust under daily conditions. This is one of the reasons why King Goujian's sword is stainless. In ancient tombs, there are generally several ways for it to rust: under humid conditions, when there is air or oxygen, it rusts and generates copper salts; under humid conditions, it corrodes with precious metals (such as gold, Contact with silver, etc.) will cause electrochemical corrosion; contact with sulfur or substances containing sulfur will generate copper sulfide, etc.
Let’s take a look at the external environment of King Goujian’s Sword of Yue: The sword was unearthed in the winter of 1965 in the inner coffin of Chu Tomb No. 1 in Wangshan, Jiangling, Hubei. Inside the lacquered wooden scabbard. This tomb is buried several meters deep in the ground. It has one coffin and two coffins, which are nested layer by layer. The coffin chamber is surrounded by a kind of fine white clay, which is called white plaster mud in the archaeological circles. The lower part is still made of Artificially washed white paste mud has better density. Coupled with the compacted filling of the upper part of the tomb pit, the tomb chamber became almost a closed space. So many sealing layers basically isolated the air exchange between the tomb chamber and the outside world. Modern science tells us: Under conditions of complete isolation from oxygen, even in neutral or slightly acidic water, steel will not rust. This is the second reason why the sword of Yue King Goujian is stainless.
Wangshan No. 1 Chu Tomb is located on the second main canal of the Zhang River near modern Jingzhou. The groundwater level is relatively high. The tomb chamber of this tomb has been soaked by groundwater for a long time. The groundwater is not very acidic and alkaline. It is basically Neutral, which is confirmed by the relatively good preservation of a large number of exquisite lacquered wood vessels unearthed from the tomb. After the groundwater is soaked, the air content in the tomb is smaller. This is the third reason why the sword of Yue King Goujian is stainless.
In addition, there are three pieces of evidence to prove that the mystery of the stainless steel of King Goujian's sword is entirely due to the environmental conditions in which it was located. First, the sword of King Goujian of Yue was not absolutely rust-free when it was unearthed, but the degree of rust was very slight and difficult for people to see. The sword has been kept in a bag for safekeeping since it was unearthed. However, it has been less than 40 years since it was unearthed, and the surface of the sword is no longer as bright as when it was unearthed. This shows that under such good storage conditions, the corrosion process is difficult to absolutely stop. . Second, three bronze swords were unearthed at the same time as the Yue King Goujian Sword. These three bronze swords were placed in the coffin chamber outside the tomb. Relatively speaking, their environment was not as sealed as the Yue King Goujian Sword, but their The degree of rust is also slight, even exactly the same as that of King Goujian's Sword of Yue. For example, the bronze sword numbered T109, unearthed from the head box of the tomb (archaeological term refers to the coffin chamber facing the head of the tomb owner), has a plain surface without patterns. When it was unearthed, the blade was thin and sharp, maintaining a dazzling luster. Archaeological excavation report); the bronze sword numbered B127, unearthed from the side box of the tomb (an archaeological term refers to the coffin room opposite the tomb owner), is similar in shape to the sword of King Goujian of Yue. The entire sword body has two sides. Fully decorated with black diamond patterns, very beautiful. It is also well preserved, with a thin and sharp blade, comparable to the sword of King Goujian of Yue. ? (Archaeological excavation report) The large copper ax, known as the "King of Copper Axes", collected in the Hubei Provincial Museum, was unearthed from the ancient copper ore mining mines in Tonglushan, Daye, Hubei. Its surface is covered with blades With vertical scratches on the bottom, it is a practical mining tool for working people in ancient times. Because it was unearthed in the mud of an ancient mine, the surface still had a bronze luster and was slightly rusty when it was unearthed. Thirdly, the Fucha Spear of King Wu, which was of similar age and manufacturing technology to King Goujian of Yue, was unearthed from the Chu Tomb in Mashan, Jiangling in 1983. Due to the poor preservation of the tomb, most of the coffins and other items had rotted. When the Fucha Spear was unearthed, not only The spear handle is almost completely rotted, and its bronze surface is also covered with a green layer of rust. Researcher Hou Dejun said that he had personally protected and treated this precious cultural relic, and its corrosion condition was basically the same as that of other unearthed bronzes from the same period. All the above have shown that the mystery of the stainless steel of Yue King Goujian's sword is entirely due to the environmental conditions in which it was located, and nothing else.
The sulfide on the surface of the Goujian Sword is actually produced by the decay of corpses, silk clothes, food, etc. in the tomb. Researcher Hou Dejun said that only one proton X-fluorescence non-vacuum analysis has been conducted on the Yue King Goujian sword since it was unearthed. From the analysis results, it can be seen that the sulfur content in the black pattern on the surface of the sword is only 0.5%, and the sulfur content on the surface of the sword is only 0.5%. It is relatively high, reaching 0.9%-5.9%, and no sulfur has been detected in other parts of the sword body. This shows that the degree of rust on the sword has nothing to do with the presence of sulfur. Modern science tells us that copper sulfide is a substance with a non-dense structure and cannot form a protective film on the surface of bronze vessels. Modern cultural relic workers have never used sulfur or sulfide when protecting ancient bronze vessels.
Did ancient craftsmen use vulcanization treatment on the surface of the Yue King Goujian sword? The answer is no. Because copper sulfide is a material with a non-dense structure, when using a sword, people's fingers will often touch the sword grid and quickly wipe away the copper sulfide there. In this case, it is necessary to perform sulfide treatment.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the tombs of rulers generally contained a large number of funerary objects, and the situation was very complicated. Corpses, silk clothing, food, etc. will produce a lot of sulfide after decay. This is the source of sulfur on the sword of King Goujian of Yue.
The pattern on the sword of King Goujian of Yue is made of metallic tin, which has been confirmed by modern scientific analysis. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were many kinds of surface decorations on bronzes, and tin was one of them. The bright yellow of bronze and the bright white of tin set off each other, making them dazzling and beautiful. However, tin has two shortcomings. First, it has low hardness and is prone to scratches, so it can only be filled in the patterns of the sword body; second, it is easily oxidized in the air and its luster is dim, losing its decorative significance. This method has not been widely used, and this is the real reason why relatively few such cultural relics have been unearthed in archaeological excavations. A few years ago, the Bronze Mirror Research Institute of Ezhou City Museum in Hubei Province had copied this pattern. The process used was relatively simple and not mysterious at all. The Mystery of "Eternal Stainlessness"
It is reported that the "Hubei Chu Culture Boutique Exhibition" was launched under the joint discussion of Zhang Dejiang, Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Yu Zhengsheng, Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, with 102 items. The (set) exhibits include bronzes, silk embroidery crafts, and lacquer artworks. The most eye-catching among them are the national treasure-level cultural relics unearthed from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period more than 2,000 years ago, namely the Yue King Goujian Sword and the Wu King Fuchai Spear.
When the staff unboxed the Yue King Goujian Sword for the first time, all the reporters present were amazed. An ancient sword that has been buried in the ground for more than 2,000 years has no rust and is still extremely sharp. It shines with a dazzling green light and is so cold! There are more than 20 layers of copy paper, and the sword cuts across the middle with a swipe sound. break. No wonder it is the number one famous sword collected in our country and enjoys the reputation of "the best sword in the world". And King Wu's Fuchai's Spear is completely comparable to King Goujian's Sword of Yue. The spear is well-cast and well-preserved. The length of the spear is 29.5 centimeters. The body is decorated with diamond-shaped geometric patterns. The blade is sharp. There are two lines of 8-character staggered gold inscriptions engraved on the lower part? King Wu Fu Chai, Zi Cha (made) and Zi Yong (used) ?Eight characters, there are blood grooves on both sides of the ridge of the spear body, and an animal head is cast at the back end of the blood groove. The sword of Yue King Goujian with bird seal inscriptions is a bronze sword and is extremely exquisitely made. The sword is 55.7 centimeters long, the handle is 8.4 centimeters long, and the sword is 4.6 centimeters wide. The sword's head is rolled outwards into a hoop shape. There are 11 concentric circles cast inside with an interval of only 0.2 millimeters. The sword body is covered with regular black rhombus hidden patterns. The sword grid is inlaid with blue glass on the front and turquoise on the back. There are two lines of bird seal inscriptions near the sword grid, with the words "Yue Wang Jiu Qian", "Since I first used the sword". Thousands of experiments on the Three-foot Green Feng to decipher the eternal mystery of King Goujian's Sword of Yue
Introduction: China 2400 years ago. Countries are vying for supremacy, and wars are rising everywhere. Princes from all walks of life competed to create sophisticated weapons. The late overlord Gou Jian, King of Yue, had five bronze swords. Comments from historical books: ?The meat test will cut off cattle and horses, and the gold test will cut off the disk. ?39 years ago, Jiangling, Hubei. A bronze sword was found in a black lacquered wooden box in Chu Tomb No. 1 in Wangshan. Cultural relics workers present recalled that one of the mining team members accidentally cut his finger and the blood continued to flow. Someone tried his edge again, and with a little force, he cut through the 16 layers of white paper. The sword is 55.7 cm long and 4.6 cm wide. After research, this sword is one of the swords worn by the King of Yue. It has the reputation of "the best sword in the world" and "the king of bronze swords". The sword has been buried in the ground for more than 2,000 years, and it still shines coldly. Although it is now treasured in the Hubei Provincial Museum, the mystery surrounding the sword still needs to be solved: Why is the Goujian Sword still sharp and cold after being soaked in water for more than 2,000 years in the tomb? How did the gorgeous diamond-shaped dark patterns come about? What kind of sword did the ancients use? Precision technology casts 11 concentric circles with only 0.2 millimeters apart on the hilt? Xu Guangguo, 60 years old, deputy director of Jingzhou Yingdu Bronze Art Institute, started collecting ancient bronze fragments, fragments and related materials when he was a worker, determined to Overcome the eternal mystery.
Starting point: On the occasion of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2008 numbered, out-of-print, high-imitation Yue Wang swords will be launched. At 3 pm on February 5, 2004, Xu Guangguo said that he remembered this moment clearly. When this old man, who was over sixty years old, used his old scarred hands to firmly inlay an old glass on the Yue King Sword, he said that he himself was shocked.
For this sword, he said that he spent 14 "difficult years". Xu comes from a family of craftsmen and has been interested in bronze art since childhood. In the 1970s, he worked in an arts and crafts factory. In the late 1970s, Xu resigned and went to work to open a watch repair shop. Xu Guangguo said frankly that his unique skill of making clocks not only laid a solid foundation for his current sword-making, but also earned millions of dollars from his successful business operation in the past 10 years. This accumulated decisive funds for his later investment in sword-making. .
Tackling key problems: Thousands of experiments on Sanchi Qingfeng, Xu Guangguo stretched out his hands, and reporters saw numerous scars. These are rough old hands. It can be seen that it has been corroded by various chemicals. Xu said that in 1990, he gave up his business, devoted his energy and family fortune to the art of sword-making, and opened a small private workshop in his home. His goal was to make a Yue King Goujian sword, but at that time, Xu Guangguo did not dare to do it. That year, he cast his first bronze sword. Xu Guangguo regretfully told reporters that he gave away the sword. Over the past 14 years, Xu Guangguo has been exploring sword-making techniques. In his own words, he described it as: the skill ranges from 10%, 20%, and finally to 90%. Behind these processes are more than a thousand experiments, overcoming "sufferings that ordinary people cannot imagine". In order to forge a good sword, Xu Guangguo often stayed up for several days and nights, staying by the stove, observing the color and changing temperature of the copper liquid, and recording various reaction data every two hours. Xu's workshop is equipped with band-aids, wound potions and alarm clocks all year round. Many times, because he was in a daze from sleep, when he woke up, he had no time to pick up the tools, so he directly used his hands to fish out the sword from the chemicals. Over time, his hands became disfigured. Xu Guangguo's friend asked the reporter: "Have you ever seen the expressions on the faces of those swordsmiths in TV movies when they are dissatisfied with the sword? Old Xu is like that. When he can't figure it out, he thinks hard, and if he still can't figure it out, he bangs his head against the wall!"
Breakthrough: Overcome five major difficulties. The sword of Goujian, King of Yue, contains a lot of unknown secrets. Cultural relics experts believe that five of them are difficult to break through. Xu Guangguo solved them one by one: First, the ratio of copper and tin on this sharp weapon is different, especially the ratio between the blade and the sword body. There has been no precise quantitative data. , which is directly related to the color, smell, etc. of the sword. Xu Guangguo later told reporters that the difficulty is not too great, but it requires repeated experiments. Compared with the real sword, it is very time-consuming and no one is willing to do it. Secondly, there are 11 hidden in the hilt of the Yue Wang Sword. Hand-carved concentric circles. In the past many years, this technology has been replaced by imitators using lathe technology. Xu Guangguo said that the modern flavor is too strong. The smallest distance between his concentric circles is only 0.1 mm. These were all made with his hands, and the skills he had gained while refining clocks helped him a lot; thirdly, the rhombus pattern on the Yue Wang Sword has been a mystery that people have been trying to solve for many years. Xu Guangguo said at a seminar When he learned that this process is a chemical reaction, he invented the "vulcanization process" to overcome this difficulty. Fourthly, Xu Guangguo spent the last five years to create a "coat slurry" that is high-quality The imitation Yue Wangjian wears a layer of "clothes" that are more than 2,000 years old, which solves the anti-corrosion problem very well. Finally, the sword of the King of Yue is engraved with eight golden characters: "Sword made by King Goujian of Yue". These eight characters were deciphered by Mr. Guo Moruo many years ago. Xu Guangguo combined the "lost wax method" and finely carved with sharp needles to finally complete this task. When talking about these five major difficulties, Xu Guangguo always only talks half of the story. He admits that he is unwilling to disclose the secrets. This is his lifelong effort and destiny. Under questioning from reporters, Xu Guangguocai revealed one word about his "pattern": chromium. This is a fairly rare metal. How people learned about it during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods more than 2,000 years ago is still a mystery.