Riding the wind of rebirth

Chapter 1609: Vision and Confidence

"I think for someone like him, it is unlikely." Zhou Zhi smiled. Although Zhou Zhi had no psychological pressure to take advantage of such a person's misfortune, what he wanted was to get things done, so Tony Huang's reminder could not be ignored.

So he added, "If you feel that you can't get over it emotionally, then let Sister Wanqiu do it. And then you can ask Sister Wanqiu to transfer it to me."

"That shouldn't be a big problem." Tony Huang extended his hand to Zhou Zhi and Liang Pingyi: "Happy cooperation!"

“Happy cooperation!” “Happy cooperation!”

Although there are still many procedures to be completed and it will take time to send the two relief statues back to the country, the news quickly spread in a small circle, and even Zhou Zhi received encouragement and congratulations from Mr. Wang and others.

This is the first time that our country has recovered a national treasure free of charge through legal means. The Consulate General also specially held a small banquet for this purpose. In addition to celebrating the success of Liang Pingyi, Tony Huang and Zhou Zhi, we would also like to thank all the Chinese and foreign people who have helped China in this collective lawsuit.

As the direct provider of the most important evidence and the donor of the other side of the relief warrior statue, An Siyuan also received an invitation from the Consulate General.

As the richest collector with the most extensive collections in the United States and even in the West, An Siyuan's agreement to attend immediately attracted the covetousness of countless antique dealers, who all used their connections to try to get an invitation letter from the consulate.

The reception was very successful and Zhou Zhi met many people at the meeting. What he had not yet realized was that his ability to switch freely between Mandarin, Cantonese and English when talking to everyone actually made him quite popular. And An Siyuan's attitude of attaching great importance to him was also noticed by many participants.

However, everyone was rather reserved. On the day of the banquet, the Consul General and An Siyuan kept Zhou Zhi by their side, and others did not have many opportunities to test him.

After the banquet, Zhou Zhi called his hometown and said that his national mission had been completed, but in exchange, he had to stay in New York for a month and work for others as a reward.

A drop of kindness from others should be repaid with a spring. Moreover, An Siyuan not only provided the evidence for the victory of this case, but also donated the evidence to China. After hearing this, my mother thought that this foreign old man was "a good person" and asked Zhou Zhi to be a good boy in other people's homes and not cause trouble for others.

The tone of my mother's words was exactly the same as if Zhou Zhi was going to live in Yang He's house for a month. She probably had no idea what this American old man and his home were like.

Forget it, it’s better not to know, so as to avoid adding more pressure on the family.

When calling Jiang Shuyi, Jiang Shuyi's tone was obviously a little depressed. If Zhou Zhi really worked for a full month, the two might not be able to see each other again during this winter vacation.

Zhou Zhi comforted her that if they couldn't meet in their hometown, he would fly directly to Shanghai when he returned to China, and the same would apply if they met in Shanghai. Jiang Shuyi didn't say anything, but just wished him a happy new year before hanging up the phone.

After reporting to his family, Zhou Zhi moved to An Siyuan's home next to Central Park.

Ellsworth is recognized as one of the most discerning and tasteful antique dealers and collectors in the Western art world. The son of a dentist, he is a gifted antique adventurer who never puts down his cigarette and always wears riding boots. His wisdom and legendary experience are destined to bring endless thoughts and inspiration to collectors all over the world. In the 50s, Ellsworth's mentor Pang Nai often wore a silk robe and antique jade ornaments to receive guests, and directly displayed the beauty of Chinese antiques. Ellsworth played this trick better than his teacher, and he operated it even more skillfully in his private house in Manhattan. In every place of the house, people can not only encounter the antiques and treasures collected by the owner throughout his life, but also feel the visual impact and spiritual pleasure brought by the combination of Eastern and Western cultures from time to time.

This atmosphere, which is unique both in museums and ordinary private homes, is particularly attractive to countless scholars and collectors. Therefore, this apartment, which combines collection, research, meeting, living and business, is often full of guests.

The guests included museum directors from all over the world, researchers and collectors from China, the island countries and the peninsula, national collection institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art, as well as big bankers and industrialists such as Christian Schumann and John D. Rockefeller III.

These guests came not only for An Siyuan's reputation and status, but also for the authority of his collection.

For example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in which half of the collections of the Charlotte and John Weber Galleries of Ancient Chinese Art were purchased from An Siyuan;

Florence and Herbert Irwin's Museum of South and Southeast Asian Art also has many important collections purchased from Ellsworth.

An Siyuan is diligent, skilled in collecting and researching, and decisive and generous in his spending. He has now become the richest person in the antique circle.

He loved collecting, and he also loved using his collection to make enough profit for himself. In 1981, when banker Heumann passed away, An Siyuan purchased pieces of ancient Asian artwork from Heumann's collection for US$ million. After selection, he sold half of them, and then auctioned the rest at Christie's and Sotheby's the following year and four years ago respectively. In the end, he only kept a few of his favorite Chinese artworks.

Lin Wanqiu had once appraised the transaction of An Siyuan. She bought antiques for 12 million US dollars, and recovered 8 million US dollars by selling half of them that year. In the next two auctions, she sold them for another 18 million US dollars. Zhou Zhi estimated that the remaining pieces were worth about 18 million US dollars.

This means that An Siyuan earned back his $12 million capital in the second year alone, and the rest was put into the third sale in 1990, making a profit of $10 million. Even so, he still had several fine pieces worth at least $18 million left unsold.

This is vision.

This was just one of his many deals, which not only made him money but also established his world-class authority as an Asian art connoisseur and dealer.

The restoration materials had not yet arrived, and Zhou Zhi had been like a mouse in a rice jar these days, helping An Siyuan with some sorting work. He personally heard An Siyuan say in an interview with Norman, a reporter from The Independent: "I may not be the greatest Asian art dealer, but I am definitely the richest."

This gives me confidence.

Unlike Zhou Zhi who only takes in and never sells out, An Siyuan seems to advocate a mentality of "no regrets as long as you have owned it". No matter whether it has been ten, twenty or thirty years, no matter how precious the thing is, as long as the time is right, he will sell it without any nostalgia.

And he has another characteristic. Even if he doesn't like something or doesn't understand it, as long as it has potential value, he will buy it without hesitation, and then hold on to it for a few years to decades before reselling it.

These characteristics enabled him to make a fortune in the art market and create an art empire that he owned alone but was coveted by major museums around the world.