China was the first country in the world to invent and use iron, which was 1600 years earlier than foreign countries.

▼ Yuan Hailong Wen Taotie (lost wax casting).

▼ Yan Tao of the Ming Dynasty announced that Erlong swallowed iron.

Study on the Folding of Baoxiang Flowers in Wenxuan in Tang Dynasty

Zou Wei's collection of hand-carved iron with stories of workers in Qing Dynasty.

Shenzhen Business Daily reporter Nie Canwen/map

Zou Wei, an artist in Shenzhen, has three characteristics: more painting, more printing and more iron. His iron is not an electric iron used by modern people, but an ancient bronze iron with a history of thousands of years. Recently, Zou Wei built a Hakka ancient tower in Aohu Village, Guanlan, Shenzhen into an "antique museum". More than 400 models of ironware from the Warring States, Han Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty to the Republic of China were placed in a four-story house, just like an "evolutionary history of ancient ironware".

Yesterday, the reporter came to Zou Wei Private Museum to see the "elegance" of ancient ironware.

In order to please my wife, I began to hide ancient ironware.

These rows of irons, some like frying pans with long handles, some like beautifully carved small soup pots, look very vicissitudes. These irons are not only made of copper, but also made of iron, enamel and gold. They also specialize in ironing necklines and cuffs. It's really amazing.

Zou Wei is currently teaching the basic course of painting in the Department of Art and Design of Shenzhen University. Born in Nanjing, 65438-0966 was obsessed with ancient decorative patterns since childhood, and still has a soft spot for seals and totems. /kloc-at the age of 0/2, the experience of "auditing" in the corner touched the teacher, making an exception and being admitted to the door, thus stepping into the threshold of art. After that, Zou Weiyuan went to the Art Department of Russian National University to study painting, and came to Shenzhen after graduation. Zou Wei has a wide range of interests, from art to rock music to collection. There is nothing he doesn't like about art. In terms of collection, he never sets limits for himself. He likes everything from pen and ink to ancient coins.

On the day of the interview, Zou Wei had just received a collection from other places, a French medieval iron, which looked like an iron ladle for scooping water. After pondering for a long time, he said, "It's still the best thing in China." Then he got up and took the reporter to visit his favorite "baby" in 10 years.

It is Zou Wei's long-cherished wish to build an "Ancient Iron Museum". Now, this wish has finally come true. In order to reflect the theme and purity of the collection, Zou Wei put calligraphy and painting, seals, coins and other collections everywhere to make room for his "iron". Why did you think of collecting irons? Zou told reporters that this is related to his wife who is engaged in fashion design. Zou Wei's wife studies fashion design. It is for this reason that they hit it off with collecting ironware. "At the beginning, in order to win her support, I turned the collection direction into antique iron. Now I want to thank her for letting me have such a happy world. " Zou Wei said.

Get a gift from a friend and step into a good collection.

The earliest history of iron can be traced back to Shang Dynasty. It was invented as an instrument of torture, specially used for scalding people's skin, which reminds people of the story of the cruel loyal minister of Shang Zhouwang. Iron ware was used to iron clothes in Han Dynasty and was popular in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Some people call it "fire bucket", and some ironware are called "Beidou", "Golden bucket" and "firewood bucket". According to archaeological research, China's ancient ironware was invented 1600 years earlier than that of foreign countries, making it the first country in the world to invent and use ironware.

The first piece of iron collected by Zou Wei was a work in the late Qing Dynasty, which is also a kind of fate. About 10 years ago, Zou Wei went to a friend's house who was fond of collecting, and saw the ironware of this Tibetan friend's house at a glance. At that time, my old friend didn't know what it was. Zou Wei recognized it as an iron at a glance and liked it very much. My friend gave it generously. Since then, Zou Wei has been collecting out-of-control iron.

Over the years, Zou Wei has collected more than 40,80 to 400 irons. He said that this figure is one of the best in South China, and a collector in Zhejiang has collected more than 200 irons. The earliest Han Tie collected by Zou Wei was "picked up" from the auction. One year, he went to Beijing to attend an auction of ancient coins. The auctioneer auctioned an iron object from the Han Dynasty. At that time, almost no one bid with him. Finally, he spent 4000 yuan to buy a Han Dynasty iron with a history of nearly 2000 years. "Just pick up the plane!"

Most of these 400 irons were bought by Zou Wei through various auctions and websites, and some overseas students sent him enamel irons from England. These covered irons are said to have been produced in 1930s, and the words "China" are engraved on the bottom of the irons. What makes Zou Wei even more proud is that there is a large square box iron with a length of 18.5cm in this batch of iron, which is the only one in mainland China and the youngest in Zou Wei's collection.

Recently, a Yuan dynasty dragon gluttonous iron is Zou Wei's "new favorite" and "treasure of the town hall". When talking about it, Zou Wei's eyes lit up. He said, "This piece of iron was shipped from Hunan. The seller first called it the Warring States product and sold it at a high price. After careful study, I found that it was a treasure of the Yuan Dynasty. Although it is not as long as the Warring States period, the exquisite ornamentation makes people fondle it. In particular, this iron is cast by lost wax method, and its preciousness is self-evident. " Zou Wei continued: "The lost wax method is also called the investment method. The technical principle originated from the loss method, which was first seen in the middle and late Shang Dynasty. Objects cast by lost wax method can be exquisite and have the effect of hollowing out. The bronze statue and copper piece unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Sui County, Hubei Province are the earliest known lost wax casting in China. This technology gradually died out after the appearance of non-marking wax loss method. "

Hide the treasure in the watchtower and build a "steel museum"

In ancient times, how did China people who paid attention to clothes and accessories use iron? Zou Wei introduced that the origin of the name "Iron" is that it symbolizes Beidou, and the shape of iron is like a "bucket". "In ancient times, this kind of iron was called cobalt. Liu Zongyuan's Eight Chapters of Yongzhou contains two chapters: the story of Cobalt Pool and the story of Xishan Lake. In place names, you can also see Tiekeng, Tiezhen, Tietable and Xitie Street, all because iron was used early and widely. Tu Yuji of the Jin Dynasty wrote: "Chu Jiu, bath plates and ironware are all urgent needs of the people." Zou Wei said: "Later, because iron also has scales, those inaccurate scales are shown as rulers, which can measure the meaning of the world. It is a scepter and has an open future in Ma Pingchuan, so people put their desks for good luck. "

"The ancients put red-hot charcoal into an iron before ironing." Zou Wei said that in order to prevent hands from being burned, early ancient irons had wooden handles embedded in the seams at the back of the irons. After the Ming Dynasty, the shape of iron has undergone a qualitative change, the casting process is higher, and the shape is particularly beautiful, such as faucet shape, official hat shape and diamond lace, which is beautiful. In the Republic of China, this style has formed a modern electric iron, which is more scientific, practical and environmentally friendly to use. Before the Ming dynasty, most of the materials were water copper, while in the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China, most of the materials were brass.

Zou Wei said that most ancient ironware was distributed in the east and southwest of China. No matter which dynasty, the "Warring States Pattern" is basically beautiful. There are significant differences in technology and materials between them. The ancient ironware in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in the east is relatively heavy, while in Yunnan and Guilin, Guangxi, the weight is light, the material is thin, the carving is more beautiful and naturally more expensive. "In ancient times, irons were generally affordable only to wealthy families. From Han dynasty to modern times, almost all ironware is made of copper, and there is not much change in design, all of which are in the shape of a ladle. Except for the ironware painted with enamel and covered in the 1920s and 1930s, the ironware from Han Dynasty to Qing Dynasty was black and uncovered. The principle of these irons is to put burning charcoal in a container and use the high-temperature smooth bottom of the bucket to iron the clothes placed below. "

Zou Wei said that through the collection, his curiosity about the iron went from initial to in-depth analysis. During this period, he learned a lot about ancient history and gradually deepened his understanding of China's traditional culture. "Building the Steel Museum is my first step. Next, I want to spend two or three years studying the development history of ancient iron and writing a monograph on ancient iron. "