Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 33
My great-grandfather used to run a pawn shop in Tianjin for half his life. Later, when the current situation was turbulent, in order to avoid the war disaster, he had to stop his business and return to his hometown - Xiulin City on the edge of Hunan and Hubei. He set up a house at the foot of Xiulin Mountain. Pension.From the time he opened the pawnshop, great-grandfather had acquired an elegant hobby, that is, he liked to collect antiques, whether it was famous calligraphy and paintings, gold, silver and jade, ancient books, inscriptions, coins and seals, they were all included in his collection.

Great-grandfather especially likes to collect porcelain, whether it is simple and generous ancient pottery, celadon like jade, or white porcelain like silver and snow, and gorgeous colored porcelain, he has a collection.Among his many collections, there is a town house treasure, a plum vase with cobalt blue glaze and white dragon pattern.This piece of porcelain was produced in the Yuan Dynasty. The glaze color is rich and pure, the bottle body is huge and strong, the blue glaze is the ground, and the white decoration is left. It is commonly known as anti-blue and white. It is actually the best blue and white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty.There was once a missionary in Xiulinyang Church who wanted to pay [-] yuan to buy it, but his great-grandfather politely declined.

Speaking of the origin of this blue and white porcelain, it is not so glorious. More than 20 years ago, a demoted Beijing official named Kuang Da came to the pawnshop opened by his great-grandfather.He pawned this cobalt blue-glazed white dragon-patterned plum vase to a pawnshop at a low price.Soon after, the Beijing official fell ill and died, and his wife took the pawn ticket to redeem the pawn.The great-grandfather bullied her as a woman, and without much insight, he took out a high-quality imitation that she had prepared long ago and asked her to redeem it.And that genuine piece naturally became the great-grandfather's private collection.

After returning to his hometown in Xiulin, his great-grandfather specially bought a camphor wood box with a lock in the study to store this cobalt blue glazed plum vase with white dragon pattern.

Because he had opened a pawnshop, was well-informed, and loved to collect, with a unique vision, his great-grandfather was soon elected as the president of the Collectors Association by the embroidery forest antique circle. He was often invited by his colleagues to appreciate antiques and distinguish authenticity from false ones.Great-grandfather felt that this was everyone's respect for him, so he was very happy to do such a thing.

On this day, another man named Guang Erdong sent someone to send an invitation, saying that he had bought two pieces of porcelain recently, and he wanted to ask his great-grandfather to come to his house to help appraise them to see if they were genuine.And agreed to send a carriage to pick him up the next day.This Guang Erdong is a young businessman in his 20s. Because he loves collecting, he recently joined the Collecting Association and had a relationship with his great-grandfather.So, great-grandfather readily agreed.

Early the next morning, Guang Erdong sent a carriage to pick up his great-grandfather.Guang Erdong lived in Nankou Town outside Xiulin City, more than 20 miles away from the inner city, and the horse-drawn carriage drove slowly along the way, and it took more than an hour.

When the carriage stopped and great-grandfather got out of the car, he saw a tall house standing in front of him, with blue bricks and black tiles, small walls and whitewashed walls, a wide and bright gate, cornices with corners, and four tiles inlaid on the upper forehead. Bamboo and chrysanthemum look rich and elegant.

Guang Erdong was already waiting at the door.He was wearing a gorgeous brocade gown, with a Hanyu pendant around his waist, and a sandalwood fan in his hand, with a graceful and elegant demeanor.Seeing his great-grandfather, he hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed deeply.After exchanging a few pleasantries at the door, I invited my great-grandfather into the house.

Entering the gate tower, there is a patio.In the courtyard, the landscape is made of stacked stones, the flowers and trees are sparse, and lilac, crabapple, and peach blossoms compete for splendor.To the east is a square pool, in which a few goldfish float leisurely, surrounded by carved stone railings, with some potted flowers and trees placed on it.The small patio is like a miniature garden.

After entering the study, great-grandfather's eyes lit up again.In the study room, to the east is a row of bookshelves filled with thread-bound books, and to the west is a red sandalwood carving shelf with some bronze and porcelain on it.On the north and south walls, there are several calligraphy and paintings hanging, among which there is a masterpiece "Ancient Wood Cold Spring" by Wen Zhengming in his later years.Great-grandfather went closer to have a look, and saw that the painting had a peculiar composition, rich colors, strong lines, and an antique look. It was actually an authentic work by Wen Zhengming.

After drinking tea for a while, Guang Erdong carefully took out two pieces of porcelain, put them on the desk, and asked his great-grandfather to help identify them.

Great-grandfather put on reading glasses to read.The first one is a blue-and-white plum bottle, one foot and two inches high, with a small mouth, short neck and wide shoulders, white body weight, white glaze, "Wang Xizhi's love orchid picture" painted with blue and white patterns, and "Yongle" on the bottom. Annual system" identification.The second piece is a large bowl with blue and white auspicious fruit patterns. The outer wall of the bowl is painted with six groups of auspicious fruit patterns such as peaches, pomegranates, persimmons, and grapes.

The great-grandfather looked at it for a while and said: "This blue-and-white plum vase has a thin carcass, smooth glaze, green and bright colors, vivid figures, and overall decorations with distinct layers, which are complex but not chaotic. It is a genuine Yongle blue-and-white vase. This blue and white auspicious fruit pattern bowl..."

Guang Erdong asked: "How?"

The great-grandfather squinted his eyes and looked at it for a while, and then said: "This large bowl with auspicious fruit patterns in blue and white looks fine and hard, the white glaze is slightly greenish, and the glaze is as smooth as jade, but I see it as "Daming Xuande". There are abnormal changes in the glaze around the six-character inscription "year made". Obviously, these six characters were dug out from other porcelain and inlaid in them. If the old man is not mistaken, this should be a modern imitation and has little collection value. "

After hearing this, Guang Erdong laughed and said: "I bought these two pieces of porcelain from an antique shop. Although they cost five thousand oceans each, one of the two pieces is genuine. , it’s not wrong to spend too much.”

Great-grandfather saw that the young man was so generous, Wuqian Dayang bought back a fake, but he was so understated and laughed it off, he couldn't help but secretly marveled.He picked up the Yongle blue-and-white plum vase and looked at it for a while, then suddenly said: "There is another theory about this Yongle blue-and-white plum vase."

Guang Erdong couldn't help being interested, and said, "Oh, what's the saying?"

The great-grandfather talked eloquently and said: "It is said that Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty ordered potters to make a set of 'Four Love Plum Vases' in order to be arty. There are four plum vases in this set. Orchid, Tao Yuanming loves chrysanthemum, Zhou Maoshu loves lotus, Lin Hejing loves plum and crane. Your Yongle blue and white plum vase with Wang Xizhi's love for orchid is one of them. Just this plum vase is worth a lot , if you can collect a complete set of 'Four Love Plum Bottles', it will be even more priceless."

Guang Erdong was amazed when he heard it, and couldn't help asking: "Where are the other three plum vases now?"

The great-grandfather laughed and said, "To tell you the truth, it's at the old man's house."

Guang Erdong was taken aback, and said: "So the old man has already arrived first." After thinking for a while, he said, "A set of four, you have already got the third, and the remaining one is meaningless for me to keep. Why don't you buy it?" Wouldn't it be wonderful to just give this to the old man, just to make up this set of 'Four Love Plum Vases'?"

The great-grandfather suddenly received this great gift, he couldn't help being surprised, and said, "How does this happen?"

Guang Erdong smiled generously, pushed the Yongle blue and white Wang Xizhi Ailan plum vase in front of his great-grandfather and said, "It's okay, please accept it. I just want to make you a friend, and I have more time to ask you for advice." I’m reading it. I heard that you have a cobalt blue glazed plum vase with a white dragon pattern in your collection, which can be called a rare treasure, and I want to open my eyes.”

Great-grandfather saw that he was a sincere gift, so he no longer refused, and said happily: "It's easy to talk about, welcome Xianqi to visit the humble house for advice and exchange ideas."

After the great-grandfather returned home, he sent a post to Guang Erdong the next day, asking him to come to his house to appreciate the treasure.

Guang Erdong came in a carriage after receiving the invitation.

The great-grandfather invited him into the study very politely, showed him his collection, and finally took out a key from the drawer, opened the camphor wood box, took out the plum vase with cobalt blue glaze and white dragon pattern, and placed it on the desk. Come on, let him admire.

Guang Erdong took a closer look, and saw that the plum vase had a fat and pure glaze color, and the bottle body was huge and strong, which was the typical style of the plum vase in the Yuan Dynasty.The engraved white dragon with a square head and thin neck, sharp claws and long mane, is fierce and flexible, hiding murderous intentions. It is thrilling and beautiful to watch. It is indeed the best among the blue and white flowers of the Yuan Dynasty.

Ever since this pleasant meeting, great-grandfather had taken a liking to this young man, and the exchanges gradually increased as he grew older and younger.Every time Guang Erdong bought a new collection, he would send a carriage to ask his great-grandfather to go to the house to help identify it.And great-grandfather sometimes found one or two treasures from antique shops, and he would invite Guang Erdong to come and appreciate them.After going back and forth, the two became close friends who forgot the years.

Great-grandfather had been with Guang Erdong for more than half a year, and in a blink of an eye, it was winter.

On this day, the weather was extremely cold, and it was snowing heavily.The great-grandfather was hiding at home and drinking tea by the fire, when he suddenly received a post from someone from Guang Erdong, saying that he had bought a Tang Sancai by chance.

Tang Sancai is a kind of pottery popular in the Tang Dynasty. It uses yellow, white and green as the basic glaze colors. It is famous for its vivid shapes, bright colors and full of life.Porcelain collectors of later generations are all proud of being able to collect a real Tang Sancai.When my great-grandfather heard that Guang Erdong had bought back a tri-coloured Tang Dynasty color, he immediately became interested. Regardless of the cold weather, he immediately got into the carriage that was already waiting at the door.

The coachman waited attentively. After he got into the car, he immediately clamped the front car curtain with clips, and put down the rolled up small curtains on both sides. The whole car was tightly closed, and no wind could enter.With a flick of the whip, the carriage turned around and drove out of the city.The snow was falling tightly, and it didn't take long to cover up the ruts left along the way.

Sitting in the car, great-grandfather felt that the carriage was driving out of the city gate and onto the thoroughfare outside the city. Knowing that the road was not easy to walk on a snowy day, the carriage would not be able to reach the south entrance in a while, so he sat in the car with a sheet of paper covered. Blanket, close your eyes and rest, and doze off.

I don't know how long I was in a daze, but I heard the coachman's "wow--" and the carriage stopped.

(End of this chapter)