Shaded wood is not only a kind of Chinese fir, but also a general term for many kinds of wood that have been buried underground for a long time and can be used as utensils. These Woods are characterized by moisture-proof, insect-proof, anti-corrosion, fragrance and heavy oil. There are many kinds, mainly cypress, Chinese fir, nanmu, Fraxinus mandshurica, wild litchi, bitter catalpa, runnan, iron pear and so on. Dark wood has different names in all parts of the country. It is called "Langmu" and "Shuijiangmu" in the Songhua River Basin in Northeast China, and "Ebony" in Sichuan (the main hidden wood is generally dark in color). There is also an ebony art museum in Chengdu, Sichuan. But in fact, Sichuan does not produce ebony, which is produced in Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. The so-called "ebony" in Sichuan is actually a kind of gloomy wood, which is very different in concept and essence and cannot be confused.
[Edit this paragraph] Formation reason
In addition to the classification of tree species, there are several reasons for the formation of dark wood:
1. Submerged in river sediment, trees are generally washed into the river by geological disasters such as mudslides and soil erosion in the upper reaches and buried in the river bed;
2. Burying of trees caused by earthquake;
3. Coffins buried underground for several years. Due to the above reasons, the color of dark wood is generally dark and the color difference is obvious. Due to long-term deep burial and rich water content, wood is easy to crack, deform and warp during processing, but after drying, the processed surface is very moist and bright, with excellent hand feeling. Historically, dark wood was generally used to make coffins or small utensils. Officials, dignitaries and literati all regard gloomy wooden furniture and gloomy works of art carved from ancient wood as family heirlooms, treasures of town houses and things to ward off evil spirits. Throughout the ages, especially in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, black wood became the first choice for emperors to build palaces and make coffins. In the Qing dynasty, the emperors even listed it as a special material for the royal family, and the people could not use it privately.
[Edit this paragraph] Folk circulation
In China, ebony is carbonized wood, which is called ebony by Shu people and "Oriental Shenmu" by westerners. Blackwood has a long history. According to the available data, in ancient times, rare ancient trees in virgin forests suffered sudden and significant geographical and meteorological changes (such as earthquakes, flash floods, lightning strikes, typhoons, etc.). ), some are buried under the mud and sand of ancient river beds and rivers and lakes, and some are buried in the dark strata that have been deprived of oxygen for thousands or even thousands of years and washed by rapids. After thousands of years of natural abrasion, this dark wood has both the elegance of wood and the charm of stone. Its texture is solid and heavy, its color is black and luxurious, its cut surface is smooth and delicate, and its wood is oily, moisture-proof and fragrant, which will not rot for thousands of years and is not afraid of insects. Individual tree species recorded in ancient books also have medicinal value. It combines the characteristics of "thinness, permeability, leakage and wrinkle" and is worthy of the reputation of "Oriental Shenmu" and "plant mummy".
Blackwood has been regarded as a precious wood and a rare thing since ancient times, and it is a symbol of dignity and status. There is a folk saying in our country that "a box of jewelry is not as good as ebony" and "20 thousand gold is sent to the underworld for ebony to worship the spirit of heaven" In ancient times, dignitaries and literati regarded furniture made of black wood and works of art carved from black wood as family heirlooms, treasures of towns and houses and things to ward off evil spirits. Throughout the ages, especially in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, black wood became the first choice for emperors to build palaces and make coffins. In the Qing Dynasty, the emperors even listed it as a special material for the royal family, and the people could not use it privately, which made this kind of black wood even rarer. Yuan Shikai, a traitor in the Republic of China, went against the historical trend, and the "Emperor Dream" soon died. However, in order to show that he was an emperor, his family tried their best to find a gloomy wood and put together a coffin for him. Although this is a historical joke, it also shows that the preciousness of heavy wood is hard to find.
Strictly speaking, ebony has gone beyond the category of wood, but should be classified as "treasure". This is because in the "Treasure Garden" of the Palace Museum, there are exquisite works of art carved from gloomy wood, which shows that its preciousness is far beyond the reach of ordinary wood. Dark wood furniture and works of art can be said to be unparalleled in terms of texture, cultural value and appreciation prospect, even surpassing precious rosewood.
Dark wood is rare in the world, and both capital and capital can fight against Zhuyu. "The mire does not hurt the muscles and bones. When you enter Huatang, you will be lightly clothed." Because of its rare quantity, low output, non-renewable and high ornamental value, it has high scientific research value, cultural value and economic added value. Furniture and works of art made of the unique material of dark wood, the charm of ancient Austria and various artistic shapes are works of art with a high degree of integration of nature and humanity, which are of great ornamental and collection value.
Sichuanese call it ebony. That was from 2000 to 10000 years ago, the celestial bodies in ancient Sichuan naturally changed, and the plants and creatures on the ground were buried in low-lying places such as ancient river beds by earthquakes, floods and mudslides. Some trees buried in the soil are formed by carbonization for thousands or even tens of thousands of years under the conditions of hypoxia and high pressure and under the action of microorganisms such as bacteria, so they are also called "carbonized wood".
The magical Sanxingdui ebony, like the world-famous Sanxingdui cultural relics, is a precious heritage of Sichuan people, an important part of ancient Shu civilization, and has the reputation of living fossil.
Ebony is mainly distributed in four major rivers and their tributaries in Sichuan. Many ebony lovers take samples for carbon 14 isotope determination, and most ebony dates from more than 2,000 years ago to 40,000 years ago.
It can be seen that ebony has experienced vicissitudes and suffered from various natural external and internal forces, making its natural form weird, simple, elegant and graceful. It is no wonder that foreigners are amazed as "Oriental Shenmu" after visiting.
The ancient riverbed near Sanxingdui is one of the most concentrated producing areas of ebony. According to charcoal 14 of the inspection center of China Geo University, ebony is 3,200 years old. My ebony collection is only 10 km away from Sanxingdui.
There are many kinds of ebony, such as willow, green bar tree, camphor tree, Phoebe bournie, Toona sinensis, Taxus chinensis, Coriander, Tamarix chinensis, Cortex Phellodendri, Sophora japonica and Sandalwood. Generally, ebony can be formed by tree species with fragrance and bactericidal properties. A big ebony tree with a diameter of 3 meters was also found in Mianyuanhe area of Deyang City, which shows how beautiful and spectacular the ancient ecological environment is.
Ebony is hard, mostly brown-black, black-red, gold and yellow-brown. Its section is smooth and the wood grain is fine, which can be polished to mirror brightness. Some ebony trees are similar in nature to rosewood. It never fades, does not rot, does not produce insects, and is an ideal material for making works of art and antique furniture.
Archaeologists deciphered the mystery of a large number of ivory unearthed in Sanxingdui by restoring the living environment at that time with Samsung ebony. It is the spirituality of ebony that the teachers in the Palace Museum decided that ebony has a remarkable function of promoting blood circulation and prolonging life. Shu people regard it as a treasure to ward off evil spirits and receive happiness.
Because ebony is a non-renewable resource, the development amount is less and less, and some natural ebony artworks are of great collection value. Blackwood is an ancient tree that sank into the river thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago due to natural reasons such as landslides. After years of soaking and polishing in river water and sand, the wood structure has changed and is in the stage of transforming into fossils. Therefore, the scientific name of dark wood is also called "fossil wood". Every flood season, under the impact of the flood, a small amount of dark wood will emerge from the bottom of the river and be washed to the shore to "see the light of day again".
Blackwood is strange. Generally, wood is burnt with white ash, while dark wood is burnt with yellow ash. Dark wood is very hard, and sparks can often be seen when cutting with a chainsaw, which is difficult to polish. Furniture made of dark wood is black and shiny after being coated with vegetable oil, and there is no need to paint it at all, and the older the dark wood, the darker the color. People found that soaking small pieces of black wood in wine or burning into ashes and then soaking in water can cure colds, so black wood was collected by local farmers for medicine. Dark wood is also a good carving material. At the same time, because the dark wood is between wood and stone, it feels good to carve, and the works carved with it are bright in black or red in yellow, which has a very strong texture and is very suitable for delicate and vivid works.
Experts said that in China, only the Longyangxia of the Yellow River and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River have recorded the discovery of dark wood. According to the analysis, in addition to the river conditions with large flow and high water pressure, there are also geological changes such as steep peaks and landslides on both sides of the river. The Three Gorges area of the Yangtze River and Longyangxia area of the Yellow River have these conditions at the same time. However, after the completion of Longyangxia Reservoir, there was no record of any dark wood found in Longyangxia, making the Three Gorges area of the Yangtze River the only place where dark wood was found in China. The Three Gorges area is only found in fengjie county, Yunyang and Wushan counties, with a length of about 200 kilometers, especially in fengjie county. It is estimated that after the completion of the Three Gorges Reservoir, there will be no more black wood here, and the black wood preserved by people will also become "out of print".