In the living room of Lan Eucalyptus's house is a half-human tall black bronze silver vase.

Black copper silver is a unique traditional Chinese copper handicraft in Yunnan, which was founded in Shiping, Yunnan. It takes copper as the tire, carves various patterns on the tire, and then fills the molten silver (or gold) water into the pattern, polishes and smooths after cooling, and the bottom copper naturally becomes jet black after a long time, revealing the silver (or gold) pattern, showing a black and white (or black and yellow) distinct decorative effect, antique, elegant and chic.

Because it is generally inlaid with silver, it is called "black copper silver". In the past, most of these handicrafts were stationery utensils. Now there is a wide range of categories.

The production of black copper and silver (gold) is one of the unique and well-known Chinese handicraft skills in the history of Shiping County, this complex process, craftsmen must master the smelting of alloys, carving modeling, calligraphy and painting, miniature carving and other skills.

Black copper silver (gold), handicrafts generally have small vases, pen holders, ink cartridges, etc. Common patterns are decorated with flowers, birds, fish, insects, plum orchids, bamboo chrysanthemums, dragons, phoenixes, deer and cranes.

The "black copper and silver" craft originated from the accidental inspiration of Yue Fu, a craftsman in Shiping County, Yunnan Province during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty (1722-1735). During a copper smelting, a gold ring on Yue Fu's hand accidentally fell into the furnace, and the ring melted all at once.

After the gas was dissipated, he found that there was a black and bright alloy copper in the furnace, and the black showed faint golden yellow and silver-white lines.

The ancient craft of black copper and silver has been mastered by the three major factions in Yunnan; They are Master Guandu Jin Yongcai; Master Yuan Kunlin of Jinning; Baoshan black bronze silver Wanguang red master.

Kim Yongjae, who was only 18 years old in 1975, was a silversmith. Yunnan Province, where he lives, is a province with many ethnic minorities, and the ethnic minorities here like to wear silver jewelry, especially when girls get married, they need to make a complete set of earrings, bracelets, hairpins and other silver jewelry.

At that time, he and Li Jiaru often attended the Sunday market as silversmiths and would get together from time to time. In addition, the residences of the two parties were only half a kilometer apart, and after a long time, he often went to the home of Li Jiaru, a lonely old man, to take care of Li's diet and daily life. In 1982, Li Jiaru officially accepted Jin Yongcai as an apprentice, but did not give him the formula, but just asked him to make "black copper and silver" with him.

Until 1995, Li Jiaru, who was in his 80s, was getting worse and worse, and was often hospitalized. Jin Yongcai said that after being discharged from the hospital, the master had dinner with him, drank a little wine, and was in a good mood, so he said to him: "The skill of making black copper and silver cannot be lost in my hands, otherwise I will become a sinner of the nation." ”

It turned out that the master had already written the formula, he handed the formula to Jin Yongcai, and ordered him to memorize it within 15 minutes. In 1996, Mr. Li Jiaru passed away, and the craftsmanship of "black copper to silver" was inherited by Jin Yongcai.

Baoshan black copper silver began at the end of the Qing Dynasty, at the end of the Qing Dynasty Banqiao Huaibao Silver Building (the predecessor of Sibao Zhai), from the stone screen heavy gold hired a silversmith surnamed Wang, Wang silversmith because of the gratitude for the grace of the encounter, then the black copper silver skills were passed on to the Huaibao Silver Building of the surname of the family.

By 1966, the second-generation successor Wan Huailin, because of the four old and other reasons at that time, became the object of criticism, can no longer do the craft, Wan Huailin is afraid that the craft will be lost, and secretly taught all the skills of black copper and silver to his wife Jin Laowu.

After the situation improved, Jin Laowu passed on the black copper and silver skills to their son Wan Guanghong. So far, the skills of Baoshan black copper and silver have been continued to be inherited by Wan Guanghong.

Jinning black copper silver craft spread in the Yuan family of Tianchengmen Village, Jincheng Town, Jinning County, Kunming City, and passed on from the Shiping Yue family, which has a history of eighty or ninety years. In 1989, Yuan Jiahe's two sons, Yuan Wancheng and Yuan Wanli, began to make black copper and silver, which had been silent for many years.

The silversmith's house began to hear the sound of "dang dang" metal striking again. There is a second generation of inheritors. After the reform and opening up in 1989, the Yuan family returned to the old business, and slowly began to resume the production and sales of this craft, and has made thousands of works so far, which are circulated in Jinning County, and are mainly sold in the antique market in Kunming after 1998.

Since it is a traditional handmade production, the number of pieces produced each year is very limited. Because its skills have been passed down from generation to generation, and the craft formula has been kept secret, there are very few people who know this craft to this day. Today, the inheritance is still limited to the Yuan family, and only a few people have mastered this skill.

Tong Jintang black copper silver works: square incense burner, is the masterpiece of Li Congzhong, the inheritor of Yunnan black copper silver culture. Mr. Li Congzhong has loved art since childhood, and has his own unique understanding and appreciation ability for antique treasures, four treasures of the study, bronzes, etc.

Due to a coincidence, he apprenticed under the master Jin Yongcai, a master of black copper and silver, and systematically learned the production process of black copper and silver that was on the verge of being lost. With his own intelligent endowment and diligent research, he not only mastered the production skills of black copper and silver, but also constantly innovated, so that this ancient skill can be completely inherited and preserved, and carried forward.

Its main black bronze and silver works include the four treasures of the study, wine sets, tea sets, incense burners, vases, etc., which are quite appreciated by connoisseurs, and their works largely meet the needs of customers in the style, pattern and personality characteristics of handicrafts, collections and souvenirs.

On August 18, 2010, as the first intangible cultural heritage museum in Yunnan Province, the "Black Bronze and Silver Transmission Hall" was opened in Guandu Ancient Town. Kim Yongcai selected 4 people from 38 applicants and officially accepted them as apprentices through the apprenticeship ceremony.

It is said that many of these applicants have a strong interest in this handicraft after watching the report of CCTV's "Into Science" column on "Black Copper Goes Silver", so they come to the door to learn the art.

Jin Yongcai said, "The first condition for selecting apprentices is to have good character and correct mental skills. Character and technology are the same, if you are irritable and irritable, love to quarrel with others, and lack patience to do things, it is not suitable. ”

Some of the new apprentices recruited this time have worked as hydropower technicians, and some have no handicraft foundation, but without exception, they are very enthusiastic about learning "black copper and silver", and in only one year, they have learned the basic skills of engraving, polishing, and silver.

During the study period, they do not have to pay any fees except for some materials (a lot of metal materials are lost in the process of learning the art).

Different from the previous family-style operation, since becoming the director of the study hall, Jin Yongcai has managed more people, staying in the store most of the time, and has not had time to go to the market again in the past two years.

He only does three or four hours a day, and "too much is not good for your eyes," he said. In addition to his work, he also enjoys singing Dian Opera, another national intangible cultural heritage. Kim Yongjae said, "Craftsmen in the past had this hobby.

Singing and craftsmanship are both arts, and they are connected to each other, and if you are in a bad mood today, the works you make will be the same as your mood, and you will not be able to do well. At this time, I either go to the teahouse to chat, or go to the theater to sing, and when I am in a good mood, the work I make can be pleasing to the eye.

The representative masterpiece of black bronze and silver is the landscape painting displayed in the Yunnan Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. This painting is 1.2 meters high, 1.5 meters wide, on the black and bright background, Kunming West Mountain, Dianchi Lake, Daguanlou are inlaid with gold and silver respectively, it is very exquisite, it can be called an art treasure.

The black copper silver process was founded in the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 280 years. It is said that when the coppersmith surnamed Shiping Yiyue was smelting copper, he accidentally fell the gold ring he wore into the copper smelting, and later found that the bronze he smelted was as black as coal, so he engraved patterns on the surface of the bronze and embedded silver scraps to make the earliest black copper silver.

The production method of black copper and silver was first created by the Yue brothers, and the past dynasties were exclusively operated, and in the production process, the Yue family has always adhered to the conservative concept of passing on the inside and not passing on the outside, and passing on the man but not the woman.

The black copper and silver have been inherited so far, and the production method is still based on the most primitive manual forging and production, coupled with the cumbersome skills, high cost, and small output, and the yield rate has always been maintained at two to three pieces per month. Such a model far restricts the development of black copper and silver.

Therefore, on the basis of maintaining traditional skills such as manual engraving, combining the skills of black copper and silver with modern processing technology, and increasing apprentices and workers, saving costs and shortening the production time, is the most urgent problem to be solved in the development of black copper and silver.

Yunnan has always been one of the more backward provinces in terms of development, and compared with coastal cities, the awareness of self-promotion and packaging is not strong. Good goods must have a good appearance, especially for the precious black copper and silver products.

Therefore, only the selection of good packaging boxes, delicate and distinctive publicity title pages, manuals, and collection cards can undoubtedly reflect the elegance, exquisiteness, simplicity and nobility of black copper and silver for a hundred years.

Today, while creating exquisite black bronze and silver artworks, how to promote its reputation and make the merchants who get it feel that it is worth the money is also one of the problems that need to be solved urgently.

But in any case, it is an indisputable fact that black copper and silver will once again enter the world's attention and attract the attention of the world. And we will also see this amazing stunt that has endured a century of ups and downs shine in the new world and the future.

Black copper silver is a unique traditional Chinese copper handicraft in Yunnan, which was founded in Shiping, Yunnan. It takes copper as the tire, carves various patterns on the tire, and then fills the molten silver (or gold) water into the pattern, polishes and smooths after cooling, and the bottom copper naturally becomes jet black after a long time, revealing the silver (or gold) pattern, showing a black and white (or black and yellow) distinct decorative effect, antique, elegant and chic.

Because it is generally inlaid with silver, it is called "black copper silver". In the past, most of these handicrafts were stationery utensils. Now there is a wide range of categories.

Black copper silver is a unique copper handmade craft in Yunnan, which was founded in Shiping County, Yunnan Province during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, and has a history of nearly 300 years

The black copper silver production technique belongs to the traditional Chinese metal production process, which only exists in Maohe Yuejiawan Village, Baxin Town, Yilong Town, Shiping County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, and Jincheng Town, Jinning County, Kunming City.

Black copper silver is a unique copper handmade craft in Yunnan, which was founded in Shiping County, Yunnan Province during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, and has a history of nearly 300 years.

First of all, black copper (an alloy formed by mixing other precious metals such as gold and silver in high-quality copper according to the formula) is used as the tire, and various patterns are engraved on the tire.

The sterling silver (or gold) is then melted down into a notch in a patterned pattern (known as "walking silver"), and the silver (or gold) is fused with copper using high temperature and chemical treatment.

Finally, after cooling, grinding, polishing, blackening and other technical treatments, the bottom copper naturally turns black, revealing a silver (or gold) pattern, showing a black and white (or black and yellow) decorative effect.

The vases, incense burners, wine vessels, tea vessels, four treasures of the study and other handicrafts made in this way can present an antique, elegant and chic charm.

Because the process is mainly silver-oriented, it is called "black copper silver".

Jin Yongcai, a senior master of arts and crafts, is the only inheritor of the sixth generation of the "black copper and silver" production skills, and is currently the director of the black copper and silver transmission hall in Guandu Ancient Town, Kunming City. He learned the art at the age of 18 and through hard work, he mastered this 280-year-old but on the verge of being lost.

Jin Yongcai said that in the 80s and 90s of the 20 th century, most of the buyers of "black copper and silver" came from Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore. Usually he meets with the buyer in the teahouse, talks about business while drinking tea, and then goes home to pick up the goods after the discussion. There are many lovers and collectors of "black copper and silver" overseas, and they heard that there are still people who can do it, so they have come to order it.

The black copper silver handicrafts are elegant and chic, dignified and elegant, the ornaments are rich and colorful, the characteristics are distinct, the colors are antique, black and white, giving people a strong visual impact and artistic shock.

Its long history, unique quality, exquisite craftsmanship and delicate carving work have won people's love, and it has high research value, ornamental value, collection value and cultural and artistic value.

Jin Yongcai said: "At present, the number of buyers in China is also increasing. "As a purely handmade technique, it is very time-consuming to make, so the production is limited, and it takes three or four months to complete large crafts and five or six days for small pieces such as bracelets," said Zhang Yi, who is also a sales executive.

Jin Yongcai said that the price of "black copper and silver" is getting higher and higher, and a large factor is due to its numerous and delicate production processes.

First of all, high-quality copper and a certain proportion of gold, sterling silver and more than ten kinds of precious metals are mixed to smelt into black copper alloy, and the alloy is made into black copper sheets of different thicknesses by forging and rolling.

After designing, cutting and cutting, the required pattern or text is depicted on the black copper sheet, and its lines should be smooth.

Then, according to the thickness of the black copper sheet, a certain depth of pattern or pattern is carved with a chisel.

Then fill the pattern with silver dust of sterling silver or gold dust of pure gold, and "walk" to the fullness.

After high temperature treatment, silver or gold chips and black copper will naturally melt into one. This process is the most critical step in the whole process of black copper and silver technology.

Immediately afterwards, the black copper sheet with good silver is polished, assembled, and welded to form, or the finished black copper sheet is welded and assembled on the relevant parts of the metal utensils that have been designed and made, making it a complete utensil.

Then polish by hand, and clean and polish the initial shape of the utensils (now mostly with sandpaper or grinding wheels) to make them show silver-white lines.

Finally, cover it with the palm of your hand, and when your hand is sweaty, rub it while covering it. The purpose of this is to react with the black copper through long-term hand sweat, so that the surface of the black copper is oxidized, and a natural oxide protective film is generated, so that the black copper billet is black and shiny (this process also has considerable technical requirements).

Because it is a pure handmade process, the production tools of "black copper and silver" are also quite traditional, the main tools are bellows, furnaces, hammers, oil lamps, blowpipes (for blowing fire and silver), pliers, chisels (for chiseling patterns), etc., the development of so far, the update of the tools has added "skin tigers" and spray guns, which are used in the heating and silver process. The main fuels used for silver use are kerosene, gasoline, and natural gas.

The key to the technology of black copper and silver is the "silver" process, that is, how to walk the silver to the black copper. If you do not grasp the proper chemical reaction principle and thermal principle, the silver on the black copper sheet will fall off, or the black copper billet will be destroyed. In terms of the melting point and fusion effect of metals, it is easier to walk copper to iron, but it is more difficult to walk silver to copper. Take a look at the latest chapters of "Dream Claw Book House in the Great Era" and read it for free for the first time.