golden ear

Chapter 74

"Is this the place Ma Lao said?"

After the relics of the Republic of China ended, Wu Tianyuan immediately followed Ma Lao back to the capital, took a taxi early in the morning and found a dilapidated three-story building according to the address, with two signs hanging beside it.One is the national treasure archives program group, and the other is the destination, the China Cultural Relics Rescue Foundation.

"Hello, is Mr. Niu Feng in?"

Wu Tianyuan re-checked the address and found that it was here. Confused, he went up to the third floor, found an office, and knocked on the door.

"I am Niu Feng, who are you?"

After a while, a man in his 40s opened the door, looked at Wu Tianyuan, and asked curiously.

"Hi, my name is Wu Tianyuan. It was Mr. Ma Dingxiang who introduced me to you."

Wu Tianyuan took the initiative to extend his hand to say hello. Niu Feng smiled and said, "So you are Xiao Wu? Ma Lao just mentioned you to me and said he found a good seed for me. Please come in!"

Wu Tianyuan walked into an office of only more than 20 square meters, which was full of materials and files, and there was only one desk. It seemed that Niu Feng was alone.

"Sit down and drink some water first!"

Niu Feng poured a glass of water for Wu Tianyuan, and sat down himself. Seeing Wu Tianyuan's surprised look, he said helplessly, "Is it different from what you imagined?"

Wu Tianyuan was a little embarrassed, shook his head and said: "Brother Niu, I thought the Chinese Cultural Relics Rescue Team is such a big name, and it is also an official organization, it should be..."

"Haha, it should be in the most prosperous location in the city center, a whole building, are they all subordinates?"

Niu Feng laughed at himself and said, "Brother, you don't know something. Although we are an official organization directly under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, we have no real power. It sounds like we are rescuing cultural relics. What do we use to rescue them? Money, there are hundreds of millions of special funds every year. But you should know what’s going on in the market now. Not to mention the Song and Yuan, even the Ming and Qing can’t buy anything!”

Wu Tianyuan looked at Niu Feng's helpless look and nodded.There is no way, the return of overseas cultural relics is too difficult. Even if the country has been working hard in the past few years, basically no country will respond obediently.In particular, those with cultural relics are all developed and powerful countries, and the national treasures are all in world-renowned museums. Who cares about you?

"So up to now, the rescue team has only you as a standing member! It's just doing some data collection and contact work, there's no way!"

Wu Tianyuan explained: "That's not bad, I heard Ma Lao said that Brother Niu has been studying the flow of national treasures, and there are clues to the lost treasures, can I have a look?"

"Okay, finally someone recognizes my efforts?"

Niu Feng's eyes lit up when he heard it. After so many years of research, few people paid attention to it.Unexpectedly, when I met a bosom friend today, what Ma Lao introduced must be extraordinary, so he happily took out stacks of files and introduced them to Wu Tianyuan.

"According to the statistics of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, since the Opium War in [-], a large number of precious Chinese cultural relics have been lost overseas due to wars, illicit trade and other reasons. More than [-] million pieces of Chinese cultural relics have been lost to countries and regions such as Europe, America, Japan and Southeast Asia. There are more than [-] million national first and second-class cultural relics."

"Mainly distributed in the United Kingdom, France, the United States, RB and other countries. The British Museum alone has more than [-] pieces of Chinese cultural relics, including many national treasures and masterpieces. Among the bronzes are the Shang Shuangyang Zun and the Western Zhou Dynasty. Hou Gui, Xinghou Gui and other rare treasures."

"The United States has the largest collection of paintings, with more than [-] pieces in the Freer Museum in Washington alone, and nearly [-] pieces of Chinese paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of America. The collection of Chinese paintings in the British Museum is the most exquisite."

"Porcelain, the Guimet Museum in France, which is famous for its collection of Asian artworks, has the best collection. The porcelain in the museum ranges from the earliest primitive porcelain in China to blue and white porcelain and multicolored porcelain in Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are all kinds of famous products from famous kilns in various dynasties, and most of them are high-quality goods. .

"Oracle bone pieces, RB has the most collection. Among the nearly [-] pieces of oracle bone pieces lost overseas, RB has nearly [-] pieces."

"Dunhuang treasures, there are only [-] Dunhuang posthumous writings in my country, accounting for only [-]%, and [-]% are lost abroad. Among them, there are [-] pieces in the Oriental Manuscript Department of the British Library; [-] pieces are in the National Library of Paris, France. Among them, the three Tang rubbings of Dunhuang calligraphy and painting are rare treasures. There are [-] pieces in the Institute of Asian Ethnology in St. Petersburg, Russia, and nearly [-] pieces in the library of the British Ministry of Indian Affairs. In addition, RB, the United States, Sweden, Austria, and South Korea also have Dunhuang cultural relics collection."

Niu Feng introduced the main destinations of the lost cultural relics like a few treasures. Wu Tianyuan knew some of them before, but seeing the data and photos with his own eyes is still shocking!

"Then we can't do something ourselves?"

Looking at Wu Tianyuan's sincere and firm eyes, Niu Feng said with some relief: "For now, in the face of cultural relics lost through abnormal means, there are three main ways to return them: repurchase, restitution, and donation."

"Repurchase is a relatively common market method at present. The donation repurchase of the pig head bronze statue in Yuanmingyuan is a successful case. The pig head bronze statue was lost overseas when the British and French allied forces invaded BJ City in [-]. In the spring of [-], cultural relics experts The bronze statue was found from an American private collector, and after arduous negotiations, the collector finally agreed to transfer it to the Chinese side. After hearing the news, Mr. Stanley Ho, a wealthy businessman in Macau, submitted to the China Special Fund for the Rescue of Lost Overseas Cultural Relics in September [-]. Donated nearly [-] million yuan to buy back the bronze statue of pig head in Yuanmingyuan.

"Of course, there are many difficulties in the repurchase. Due to the disproportionate price of cultural relics and the repurchase funds, the repurchase often fails halfway. In addition, the source of funds for the special fund mainly depends on social donations and corporate donations, and companies often hope to use their donations The returned cultural relics are hidden in their enterprises, which has become a new contradiction."

"Discussion is currently the most difficult way to return cultural relics, because once other countries are asked to return the hidden Chinese cultural relics, many historical issues and historical facts may be involved. Most of the objects of restitution are mainly for cultural relics looted in wars. Especially immovable cultural relics such as murals and Buddha statues."

"For example, "Ode to the Forty Scenes of the Old Summer Palace" is the target of restitution. This work was drawn by two court painters during the Qianlong period based on the forty most beautiful real scenes of the Old Summer Palace. It is the only existing poetry and painting that can fully reflect the original appearance of the Old Summer Palace. During the robbery of the Old Summer Palace, it was snatched by Colonel Dupin of France, and it has been preserved in the National Library of Paris, France to this day.

"There are also precedents for repatriation of cultural relics in the form of donation, but the first thing for donation is that the holders of cultural relics need to reach a level that is difficult for ordinary people to reach. After all, any cultural relic is expensive, and there are very few at this stage."

"What do I want to do for the lost national treasures overseas?"

Niu Feng patted Wu Tianyuan's shoulder with a smile, no matter what, this young man won his approval with his heart.After thinking for a while, he said, "I heard Mr. Ma told me about your deeds, saying that you have very good eyesight, and you are especially destined to pick up leaks. That's what he meant by introducing you to me. It's also a good thing for one more person to work hard.

Niu Feng turned around and took out a form, handed it to Wu Tianyuan, and explained: "Although I only have a polished commander here, it is an official organization after all. It has the right to recruit caring people from society as members of the cultural relics rescue team, not only you, but also Many people are working hard. If you want to, join us."

Seeing that Wu Tianyuan was about to fill out the form excitedly, Niu Feng added: "Let's say it first, it's all voluntary behavior, and there is no salary!"

Wu Tianyuan hurriedly filled out the form, Niu Feng entered it into the cultural relics protection system, and he officially became a member of the Chinese Cultural Relics Rescue Team.

"Don't underestimate this identity, it will be of great use in the future!" Seeing that Wu Tianyuan became one of his own, Niu Feng secretly explained: "In the future, as long as you can salvage cultural relics above level two and bring them back to China, both customs and taxation will be zero tax! If you want to establish There are many preferential policies and support for private museums, in short, as long as you sincerely help the national treasure go home, the society will not treat you badly!"

What Wu Tianyuan wanted was this sentence. The second-level cultural relics are already museum-level treasures, and they will not sell them.In the future, if you pick up leaks from overseas, you will not have to worry about going through customs or paying taxes.I will definitely build a museum in the end, and let the public share it when the time comes.

(End of this chapter)