National Tide 1980

January 6, 1985, the second day when zodiac tickets for the Year of the Ox went on sale.

Because it was Sunday, even more people gathered at the Workers' Stadium from all over the capital that day, at least 100,000 people.

It stands to reason that the sales situation at the Workers' Stadium site should have been much livelier than yesterday.

What's more, "Black Crown" has been at the scene since ten o'clock in the morning. Luo Guangliang and Xiao Tao continued to invest money in front of the car, buying cattle tickets at high prices without blinking an eye.

This makes people who buy stamps with their stamp certificates even more excited, as if they are buying stamps like crazy.

Yes, no one is stupid.

Because there are two magical prices inside and outside the door, the price difference is huge.

Then buying it doesn’t mean you’ve earned it.

As long as you take out the stamps you bought, you can easily find a stamp dealer and make one and a half times the profit by selling them, so who wouldn't buy them?

So when it was their turn, people in line spent all their money buying stamps.

At the same time, everyone regrets that they brought too little money.

This naturally greatly increased the difficulty of maintaining order at the scene. Both the police and the security personnel of the philatelic company felt unprecedented pressure.

At the same time, philatelic companies saw that people buying stamps had gone to the wholesale market, and they began to worry that many people at the back of the queue would not be able to buy them, fearing that this would lead to greater dissatisfaction among the masses.

As a result, temporary purchase restrictions had to be introduced.

In addition to requiring sales staff to carefully check each stamp certificate, it also stipulates that a maximum of two full-page stamps can be purchased for one stamp card.

This naturally made those people at the back of the queue who had not yet bought stamps cry out that they were unlucky.

And in this way, even philatelic certificates have commercial value.

For stamp collecting certificates that have not been stamped, the stamp sellers offer a rental fee of ten yuan.

If you have already bought a stamp certificate, the stamp dealer is willing to rent one for three or four yuan.

You know, although people from philatelic companies, in order to distinguish customers' qualifications for buying stamps, they will put a red seal on the stamps that have already been purchased, so that they can be screened.

But don’t forget the saying that masters are among the people.

There are actually many experts in the group of stamp dealers, who are technical talents who specialize in crafts.

Because stamps, like other collections, will suffer from fading, damage, and many other problems.

Some people are specifically thinking about how to repair stamps so that they can be passed off as good and then fake.

Of course, these technologies and techniques have also been gradually developed as the market for stamps has increased.

At this stage, the types and levels of technology are still relatively superficial, and they mainly include the following.

Re-glue - Some stamps have yellow and moldy backing. Clean the backing with clean water and re-glue.

Repair the thinning - after the stamp is thinned, fill the thinned area with paper pulp and then re-glue it.

Stamp rebasing - A stamp with a severely damaged back is peeled off from the middle and replaced with another stamp of the same size and perforations.

Splicing stamps - Using two identical letter-selling or canceled stamps, remove the parts without postmarks and splice them into a new stamp.

Recolor.

If the stamps are not stored properly, the color will deteriorate. Re-coloring the stamps can make them appear brighter.

Some people even use chemicals or strong light to change the color of stamps and pretend to be wrong or variant stamps.

Finally, there is another important technology that is widely used, and that is - scratch and poke!

In this way, the postmarks and commemorative stamps on the stamps or canceled stamps can be removed and pretended to be new stamps.

Speaking of which, at the entrance of the philatelic company, the thin man "edited" the souvenir sheets of "The Great Wall" before selling them.

He is a typical example of such characters.

Like the first day cover of the red commemorative stamp issue issued by the Philatelic Corporation in the early 1980s.

For example, the Geng Shen Year stamp first day cover, the Dream of Red Mansions souvenir first day cover, etc. are also the types he prefers and are easy to counterfeit.

Think about it, even the postmark can be scratched off, so it will be no problem to erase the red seal of the stamp on the stamp.

So this day has become a good day for people like him to make a fortune.

If others don’t tell me, just call this thin guy an “editor”.

For one certificate, his processing fee was five yuan, but there was so much work that he couldn't handle it.

Even with a conservative calculation, he can do at least a hundred jobs in a day, which would give him a net income of almost 500 yuan.

It is equivalent to half a year’s salary of an ordinary person.

Finally, there is one of the strangest phenomena in the market.

That is, the stricter the restrictions on buying stamps, the more frantically people in the workers' body will rush to buy stamps.

The greater the price gap between stamps inside and outside the gate, the easier it is to cash in and exchange money after leaving the Gongti gate, and the less people want to sell the stamps they just bought.

So much so that after noon that day, Black Crown was actually out of stock.

Whether it was Luo Guangliang and Xiao Tao who were in charge of organizing outside the car, or Manager Sha, Qi Yanjun, and Xiao Duan'er who were waiting in the car to take care of the accounts, they were all so idle that they felt bored.

Because all the stamps that philately enthusiasts are willing to give up are intercepted by those who want money at the expense of their lives.

Some stamp dealers are so bold that they dare to go to the gate guarded by the police to solicit business.

This is equivalent to using your own head to make money, so who can compare!

And these stamp dealers, because the goods they obtained were hard-earned, chose to hoard them themselves after buying them, and refused to resell them.

So even if Manager Sha made the decision in the afternoon and asked Luo Guangliang and Xiao Tao to offer another 20 yuan to purchase, it would not have any effect.

Later, Luo Guangliang and Xiao Tao went to the two gates of the Workers' Stadium to find out.

A price war has already broken out among the stamp sellers at the gate.

In fact, the price at which these stamp dealers competed with each other has already exceeded 20 yuan.

The north gate has called twenty-three, and the east gate has also called twenty-one-five.

In comparison, they are the ones who are stingy. Naturally, there is no goods to accept at this price.

This has never happened before! It’s really incredible to say the least!

Of course, bullish voting is a great thing for both the investment group and Ning Weimin personally.

Among other things, his "rat warehouse" increased by another 22,000 yuan.

The price of rat stamps in the postal market has also risen sharply, jumping by five yuan. The previous edition in the postal market was already as high as ninety-one.

Earning this amount of money is really easier than robbing a bank.

In comparison, it is nothing if the investment group has not spent all the funds they are prepared to buy.

It would be over if all of them were thrown away on the rat ticket. That would be a positive difference.

As for Ning Weimin himself, why he couldn't come to Gongti to take charge of the matter in person that day? It wasn't because of him. It was because he was incapable of doing anything else.

Because this day is also the day when the 4th Sculpture Art Exhibition Selection and Award Ceremony is held.

Since the relationship with the head office has greatly improved, Song Huagui took the initiative to express his goodwill and said that he would attend the meeting that day to support him.

Of course, Ning Weimin had to take care of the face given by this elder sister.

Not to mention that it is necessary to accompany someone in person, but how to accompany them well is even more important.

Besides, he is not that philistine and only cares about money.

After resurrecting this life, his nature has undergone a relatively large change.

In addition to money, he also began to value traditional culture and the inheritance of national craftsmanship.

As long as he is able, he is quite willing to engage in some spiritual civilization construction and contribute to the development of the industrial art industry in Beijing.

Like this sculpture art exhibition, he worked hard to make some new attempts, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he made a profit at a loss.

You know, the award ceremony process for sculpture art exhibitions in the past was actually very simple.

Basically, it was held at the exhibition site of the sculptures in Zhai Palace.

Usually, the stone platform in front of the Wuliang Hall is used as a stage, a microphone is set up for the leader to speak, and then certificates and bonuses are distributed on the spot, and a group photo is taken.

In addition to the generous prize money, which can satisfy the winners, the scene is actually very simple and not pleasing to the eye.

Only the cafe in Zhai Palace can entertain guests, allowing everyone to take a break, drink a few cups of coffee, tea, and eat some Chinese and Western pastries.

But this time, it was unprecedentedly extravagant and formal.

Ning Weimin actually arranged the awards ceremony at Beishen Kitchen. Not only did he add a banquet, but he also invited guests and media reporters and gave them gifts.

The guests he invited this time, in addition to the leaders of the Temple of Heaven Garden and Service Bureau, the heads of the Artists Association, and the teachers and students of the Sculpture Department of the participating Academy of Fine Arts, there were also the leaders of the Municipal Diplomacy Office, the Tourism Bureau, and representatives of major foreign-related hotels. , as well as department heads, deputy directors, and well-known professors of all departments in the two art academies in Beijing.

In addition, he also invited many well-known calligraphers, painters, and seal carvers in the capital, as well as young painters who had won awards at national art exhibitions.

And this is not over yet. Finally, there are the directors, deputy directors, production section chiefs and technical backbones of major handicraft manufacturers.

As well as the well-known craftsmen who have long-term cooperation with Ning Weimin and whom he has always relied on.

After returning to Bao Dui'er, he probably had to provide food and drink for three to four hundred people for free, which was almost as big as a city-level model worker conference.

And the standard cannot be lowered. At least one person has to spend fifty yuan in raw material costs.

If the price is quoted externally, it will be within the reception standard of 200 yuan per person.

For no other reason than to display several special crafts produced by veteran craftsmen and teachers and students of the Academy of Fine Arts for appreciation by art colleagues, relevant units and guests.

Its purpose needs to be explained clearly.

Because this is not for Ning Weimin to show off, but because he feels that the cooperation between professional craftsmen and professional art talents is a path worth exploring and trying in the entire industrial art industry.

In fact, he discovered something through his own attempts in this area.

The special art products created by craftsmen and art professionals are simply a miracle of the perfect combination of art and craftsmanship.

Even from an artistic point of view, the standard is much higher than in the past when production and art were separated and everyone worked independently to create things.

Especially the several large-scale works placed in the banquet hall of Beishen Chef are quite inspiring.

Such exquisite special craftsmanship products can already be called national treasures.

The more high-end and grand the building is, the greater the need for this.

It should be favored by museums, exhibition halls or major foreign-related hotels. The commercial prospects are promising.

So this may be a good way to solve the low income of domestic industrial and beauty talents.

At the very least, Tan Palace needs something like this.

Ning Weimin was willing to spend a lot of money to purchase from art academies and handicraft manufacturers in the capital.

For the same reason, Ning Weimin also planned to take the opportunity to announce another relevant news about a cultural event.

Around the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival in 1985, Tan Palace Restaurant will serve as the organizer and join forces with the Artists Association to hold the first Temple of Heaven Lantern Festival in the Temple of Heaven Park.

It was decided to follow the model of the Sculpture Art Exhibition, collect lantern works from all over the country, and set up bonuses.

Needless to say, this is very important to major art schools across the country and traditional artists engaged in the lantern industry.

It's all good news that gives them another place to use their skills.

Even for the Temple of Heaven Park and Service Bureau, it is a good opportunity to increase revenue generation.

In short, this sculpture art exhibition awards ceremony planned by Ning Weimin has undergone considerable changes in terms of scale and content.

It can be said to be of extraordinary significance and a comprehensive upgrade.

If it goes well, the response is good.

It is very likely that a format will be formed in the future, allowing this awards ceremony, which was originally just for the sculpture industry, to break out of its industry limitations.

It has become a real grand event where practitioners in the entire industrial art industry can exchange creative experiences and discuss technology and market prospects.

In this way, as the founder of this activity, Ning Weimin can be regarded as worthy of the capital's industrial art industry that helped him get started, and then of the old craftsmen who helped him.

This is his inner desire, his true need.

So out of respect and gratitude, he hired a number of cars from the rental company that day and sent people to pick up those old craftsmen who had made great contributions to the banquet.

For example, Chang Yuling, a descendant of "Puochang", Jiang Sanchang and Zou Qingshan who made utensils, Liu Yongqing who made antique porcelain, Ma Kaiyuan who made silk figures, Zhang Chongming, the descendant of "Filigree King", Wu Yukuan who made palace lanterns, and wood craftsman Li Baoshan .

Their works are what I want to show you today, so they are all on the list and can enjoy this honor.

To put it bluntly, not only did they themselves never dream of such treatment, it also shocked their neighbors.

It's a simple matter. Who are our neighbors these days who have not lived together for decades?

Everyone basically understands each other.

As the saying goes, you know your destiny at fifty.

These old craftsmen have lived to this age.

Originally, he was supposed to live an ordinary life, but the rest of his life was ruined by Carrot and Cabbage.

Even people are retired, so honor and wealth have nothing to do with them at all.

Who could have imagined that there would be new branches and icing on the cake?

What's more, the old craftsmen live in poor areas, and their neighbors have limited knowledge.

Early in the morning, I saw a car picking up a senior official, parked in my alley.

After getting out of the car, the man in a suit treated someone who everyone usually didn't take seriously as an expert in the scientific field.

He respectfully asked me to get on the bus and kept saying "Sir, sir", so he was so shocked that he couldn't even open his mouth from ear to ear.

This is called contrast.

No one can understand that in everyone's mind, craftsmen are nothing.

Why don’t so many intellectuals still receive this kind of treatment? How can it be the turn of these ordinary old men and women to get on the car?

So in fact, this is when these old craftsmen are most glorious in front of their neighbors.

In front of their neighbors, they got into the car in perfect condition.

At this time, in addition to being extremely fulfilled and relaxed, I can't help but think about it.

It's thanks to my craftsmanship that I've grown old, which I haven't expected in decades.

Fortunately, I met this Manager Ning. He is really a talented person!

If I hadn't met this noble man, who would I have sold my skills to?