He was born in a wealthy family, with a wealth of wealth and a distinguished background. He is a typical rich second-generation and official second-generation. He devoted his whole life to the collection of cultural relics, and for this reason his wealth was scattered, and he was called "the first prodigal son of the Republic of China".
The collection he donated claims to be worth half of the Forbidden City for one person. According to statistics, it is worth 113.6 billion in total. But in his later years he lived in poverty. He was hospitalized because of a cold, but he was told that his level was not enough to live in a single room. He is Mr. Zhang Boju. What kind of life history does Zhang Boju have? Why is his evening scene so bleak?
Please pay attention, please listen to me.
In 1898, Zhang Boju was born in a bureaucratic family. His father, Zhang Zhenfang, was the last governor of Zhili in the Qing Dynasty. He was a high official equivalent to the commander of the Hebei Military Region. After the Qing Dynasty was overthrown, his position remained. Yuan Shikai is Zhang Boju's cousin, and the Zhang family is extremely powerful.
Zhang Boju was smart by nature. He entered a private school at the age of seven and was able to write poetry at the age of nine. He was called a "prodigy". He is the only son of Zhang Zhenfang from his younger brother Zhang Jinfang, so Zhang Zhenfang loves him very much.
At the age of 13, Zhang Boju and Yuan Shikai's sons entered Tianjin Xinshu Academy together, and then transferred to Army Elementary School. After adulthood, he was admitted to Yuan Shikai's mixed model group to study in the Cavalry Division. After graduating, entered the military and successively held posts under Cao Kun, Wu Peifu, and Zhang Zuolin.
But Zhang Boju witnessed the corruption in the officialdom at that time,The current situation is chaotic, and the noble-minded Zhang Boju didn't want to be in a puddle of mud, but in this life, he determined to quit all his errands. He has no intention of politics. He likes poetry, books and music. Regardless of his parents' opposition to resign and go home, he concentrates on writing poetry, painting, and listening to opera and singing.
His mother complained for this: "You don't care about the business at home. You are not willing to let you be an official. You can write and paint all day long. What can you do? Famous?" With Zhang Boju's background and talents, he can make achievements no matter whether he is in politics or business, but his ambition is not here, and his parents have no choice.
But fortunately, the family has a strong family, and his parents turned a blind eye to Zhang Boju’s unfair career. It was not until the death of his father, Zhang Zhenfang, that Zhang Boju went to the bank to serve as executive director and management auditor at his father's will, and he supported a huge home. This also paved the way for Zhang Boju's obsession with collecting.
At that time, in addition to undertaking financial business, the bank also served as a pawnshop for property mortgage. Due to the turmoil of the times, a large number of artworks were mortgaged to the bank, giving Zhang Boju access to many treasures. Zhang Boju was interested in this aspect from the beginning, and he has acquired a good appreciative vision as he gets in touch with him more.
1927 was a turning point in Zhang Boju’s life. Not long after he started working in a bank, he occasionally bought a plaque from the "Cong Bi Shan Fang" of Kangxi's imperial pen from the Liuli Factory, and renamed his house as Cong Bi Shan Fang. After that, he found his spiritual sustenance,He is addicted to calligraphy and calligraphy, and often puts a clean coffee table in front of the bright window sill, carefully opens a calligraphy and calligraphy, and appreciates it slowly.
Only when he looked at these paintings and calligraphy, he felt clear and contented. He has collected a total of 117 paintings and calligraphy in the past few decades, of which 30 are from the Song and Yuan Dynasties and before, accounting for about a quarter of all his collections. Those paintings and calligraphy are often very old, and they are not easily distinguished by the fact that Zhang Boju's vision is indeed vicious.
Although he has a big family business, Zhang Boju is very simple in life. He does not smoke, drink, gamble, wear silk, and never wear a suit and leather shoes. Dressed in a long gown, and the diet is very casual, a scrambled egg with green onions is a good dish. His requirement for a car is that as long as it has four wheels and can turn it, it is not too fancy. But Zhang Boju was willing to spend a lot of money on the calligraphy and painting of the cultural relics he fancyed.
In 1936, Zhang Boju heard that Pu Ru, the grandson of Prince Gong of the Qing Dynasty, had many calligraphy and paintings in his hands. Among them was a "White Picture of the Night" by the Tang Dynasty painter Han Gan. was used by Shanghai Merchant Ye Shu bought it again. Zhang Boju knew the value of this painting very well, and was afraid that it would be transferred out of the country, so he hurriedly wrote to Song Zheyuan, who was in charge of Beijing at that time, but unfortunately it was too late and the painting had been resold by Ye Shu to Britain.
Zhang Boju was heartbroken when he learned about it, but he knew that Pu Ru still had an authentic handwriting "Ping Fu Tie" by Lu Ji, a Western Jin literati. "Ping Fu Tie" is more than 1,700 years ago. It is the earliest authentic celebrity book in ancient China, and it is also the first orderly spread of calligraphy in history.Seven or eighty years earlier than Wang Xizhi's handwriting, he has the reputation of "the ancestor of Fa Tie" and "China's No.
Zhang Boju was afraid that this work would also be sold abroad, so he immediately asked someone to find Pu Ru, hoping not to repeat the same mistakes, and asked Pu Ru to transfer it. But Pu Ru asked for 200,000 oceans at the time, and Zhang Boju did not agree. In 1937, when he learned that Pu Ru was raising money for his mother's funeral, Zhang Boju seized the opportunity and bought this post for 40,000 yuan.
In the autumn of 1941, Zhang Boju and his family went to Shaanxi to seek refuge because of the Japanese invasion and war. On the way, he put the "Ping Fu Tie" in a brocade bag, sewed it into a quilt, and hid it on the bottom of the luggage. Although the family traveled across the world to chaos, they never left, and this saved this important calligraphy work.
In 1946, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, many old paintings and calligraphy from the northeastern part of the Qing Palace appeared on the market one after another. Among them, the great painter of the Sui Dynasty, known as the "ancestor of Tang paintings", exhibited a pious "You Chun Tu" "The most precious, was bought at a low price by the cultural relic merchant Ma Jichuan. This painting is more than 1,400 years ago and is considered to be the earliest extant painting in China. It is the only one handed down by Zhan Ziqian. The painting and calligraphy circles of the past have regarded it as the best among the best, and it is called "the national treasure among the national treasures." ".
Zhang Boju was worried that the national treasure would be sold abroad, so he immediately found Ma Jichuan and asked for the price. Ma Jichuan lion asked for 800 taels of gold, but failed to make a deal. Later Zhang Boju heard that Ma Jichuan would sell the painting overseas at a low price of more than 20,000 U.S. dollars.In desperation, Zhang Boju sold his house. The property he sold was the place where he lived for a long time. It covers an area of 15 acres. It was originally the house that Cixi gave to the eunuch Li Lianying. For such a large courtyard house, in today's Beijing, only the demolition fee is required. As a result, Ma Jichuan had a rebellion, and he wanted to add another twenty taels on the excuse that the gold was not good enough. In desperation, Zhang Boju begged his wife Pan Su to sell the jewellery and collected two hundred and forty taels of gold to keep this national treasure. After receiving this painting, he happily gave himself an individual number, called "Master of You Chun".
"Taofu Praise" by Fan Zhongyan, a great writer and politician of the Northern Song Dynasty, is also Fan Zhongyan's only handed down calligraphy work. When Zhang Boju saw this work in the antique market of Liulichang, he immediately sold a bunch of ancestral properties and bought one hundred and twelve gold.
Zhang Boju likes to collect calligraphy and paintings, he is not only willing to spend money, but also can not even live. In 1941, Zhang Boju went to the Shanghai branch for a meeting, but was kidnapped by Wang Jingwei's spy government. The kidnappers came for the great cause of Zhang Boju's family. They asked Zhang Boju's wife, Pan Su, for three million and threatened them with "removal of votes." Zhang Boju hurriedly asked Mrs. to die rather than sell the house: "This is my life, it doesn't matter if I die, this calligraphy and painting should be kept! Especially the "Ping Fu Post"! Don't think it is sold. Calligraphy and painting are exchanged for money to redeem me, so I won’t go out.”
The two sides have been deadlocked for eight months. The kidnappers see no hope of blackmail.Only then reduced his worth to 400,000. After the family rushed to borrow money, Zhang Boju was redeemed from the bandit cave.
In 1951, Zhang Boju bought the calligraphy work "Zhang Haohao Poem" by Du Mu, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Haohao was a talented singer in the Tang Dynasty. Du Mu made this five-character poem for her. The long poem has also become Du Mu's only calligraphy handed down. Zhang Boju was ecstatic with joy. He put the calligraphy and painting next to the pillow to fall asleep every night. After a few days, he calmed down and put away "Zhang Haohao Poetry". His love for calligraphy and painting has long since become obsessed.
How rich is Zhang Boju’s collection? The Book of Poems from One of the Four Songs by Cai Xiang, Huang Tingjian's "Zhu Shangzuo Tie" by Huang Tingjian, one of the Four Songs, Yuan Dynasty calligrapher Zhao Mengfu's "Thousand-character Writings", Ming Dynasty painter Tang Bohu's "Wang Shu Palace Prostitute" "Pictures" and so on, there are all national treasures worth hundreds of millions today. Over the years, Zhang Boju's family property has also been squandered.
Zhang Boju is so obsessed with collecting, what is it for?
"The smoke of giving has passed the eye, and you have gained so much. So what you save, you don't have to end up as giving, but it will last forever in my soil, and the world will have a thread." He said very simply: "I have seen quite a lot of things and collected things, just like what I have seen before, but these things don't necessarily have to be kept with me forever, I can donate them so that these treasures will be preserved in our country forever and passed on from generation to generation."
When you encounter an enlightened government, you donate your collection,It is Zhang Boju's long-cherished wish to allow more people to appreciate traditional calligraphy and painting.
After the founding of New China, Zhang Boju sent a letter to Premier Zhou: "During the Kuomintang period, I had a will to my family Pan Suli, saying that the main treasures in my collection were loved by the people and should not be selfish and donated. It belongs to the public." 1 In 956, Zhang Boju and his wife Pan Su selected eight works of calligraphy and calligraphy from the paintings and calligraphy they had collected over the years, and donated them to the country free of charge, which were then transferred to the Palace Museum for collection by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
Zhang Boju's donation act aroused a strong response in the society. The state gave Zhang Boju a bonus of 200,000 yuan, but Zhang Boju tactfully refused. Mr. Mao Dun, the Minister of Culture at the time, specially awarded them a certificate of praise: "Mr. Zhang Boju and Mr. Pan Su have collected Jin Luji's "Ping Fu Tie" volume, Tang Du Muzhi's "Zhang Haohao Poetry" volume, and Song Fan Zhongyan's "Taofu" volume. A total of eight precious calligraphy pieces, including the volume of praise, the volume of Cai Xiang’s self-written poems, and the volume of Huang Tingjian’s cursive script, were donated to the country, turning private into public, fully capitalized, and praised."
Poems Xian Li Bai’s "Post on the Balcony" is a four-character poem written by Li Bai. The full text is 25 words: "The mountains are high and the rivers are long, the objects are ten million. It is not an old pen. It is pure and strong but poor. On the 18th, I went to the balcony. , Taibai." This is Li Bai's only calligraphy handed down. In 1958, Zhang Boju presented the "Post on the Balcony" to Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao cherished it, and he often took it out carefully to observe and study for a period of time. But within a few days of watching Chairman Mao, he set a rule that all gifts received by party and state leaders should be paid to the public. This "Post on the Balcony" was immediately sent to the Palace Museum in Beijing, where it has been kept in its collection ever since.
"My things are in the Forbidden City, so don't worry about it." Zhang Boju said relievedly.
"Break up and give each other away.One thing that collectors have in common is that they hope that precious cultural relics can be "children and grandchildren". Zhang Boju can donate these national treasures, which shows his noble feelings.
In a public-private partnership, because Zhang Boju had bought cultural relics in exchange for his original stocks, he retired from the bank position. Since then, he has been dedicated to cultural relics protection, poetry and opera research.
In 1958, due to the special age, Zhang Boju was beaten as Rightists, with the help of a friend, Marshal Chen Yi, and his wife Pan Su went to work at the Jilin Museum. At that time, the cultural foundation of Jilin Province was relatively weak, and the collections of the Provincial Museum could not be compared with other key institutions in China. So Zhang Boju generously donated again. , Donated dozens of his precious collections free of charge, including the "Hundred Flowers Picture" by Yang Jieyu in the Song Dynasty. "Hundred Flowers Picture" is the earliest existing painting by a female writer in Chinese history, and it is also the town hall of the Jilin Provincial Museum. The treasure.
After ten years of turmoil, Zhang Boju was criticized and ransacked for quarantine inspection. The family was sent to the countryside to jump in the queue. At that time, the Zhang Boju and his wife were very old and the local production team was unwilling to accept them. The last two had no choice but to return to Beijing. Because they did not have a working account and deposit, the couple had to rely on changing the seller’s production to survive. After Premier Zhou learned about it, he hired Zhang Boju as a researcher in Central Culture and History.
Although only He was able to squeeze in a small rented house of more than ten square meters to survive, but Zhang Boju was happy to be poor, did not complain at all, and never boasted about the story of donating national treasures to future generations. Zhang Boju was rehabilitated in 1978, but his body was rehabilitated at that time. It’s getting worse.
In 1982, Mr. Zhang Boju, who was 84 years old, was admitted to the hospital because of a cold.The multi-person ward is noisy and there is no way to take a good rest. His wife Pan Su hoped to arrange a single ward for Zhang Boju, but this request was rejected by the hospital.
The doctor said that Zhang Boju's level is not enough to live in a single ward. Zhang Boju didn't mind this, but Pan Su was very worried about Mr. Zhang's health. In the end, she asked for the responsibility of the Palace Museum at the time. People, only then successfully applied for a single ward.
On February 26, 1982, the old Mr. Zhang Boju passed away suddenly, completing his legendary and heroic life.
The Dean of the Palace Museum Shan Jixiang commented on Zhang Boju: "What he represents is the liberalism of Chinese literati, and it is a sense of mission and selfless dedication to promote Chinese culture. Spirit and lofty patriotism."
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