In early October 1995, Beijing Hanhai Company was holding a grand autumn auction.
An old man in Northeast China dressed in a simple manner stood in a corner of the auction with his fists, staring at the cultural relics being auctioned with both eyes.
Old Man Li is the owner of this cultural relic, and he had previously offered a high price of 8 million to the National Treasure Bureau and was rejected. Therefore, Old Man Li decided to go through a legal auction procedure in anger! The high starting price of
6 million did not retreat. Even Liang Jinsheng, director of the Palace Museum's Cultural Relics Department, kept raising signs to compete, and the bidding price rose at an astonishing speed.
When the auction price reached a shocking 18 million, someone stood up and said loudly, "Don't fight, leave the painting to the Forbidden City!"
(Beijing Hanhai Company Auction Site)
In the end, Mr. Liang Jinsheng won the cultural relic with a sky-high price of 18 million yuan on behalf of the Forbidden City.
So, what kind of story happened between Mr. Li and the auction items? Why would the Forbidden City rather spend a sky-high price to buy this cultural relic?
Puyi fled, cultural relics were lost,
1932, after the Japanese army occupied , the three northeastern provinces, , quickly supported Puyi to establish the puppet Manchukuo.
The Japanese army's invasion was fierce, singing and laughing inside the palace walls, and blood was pouring outside the palace walls.
Puyi was named the emperor, but in fact he was a puppet of the Japanese army. The rise and fall of the nation was completely out of his eyes.
The emperor's life was extremely luxurious. In addition to eating, drinking and having fun, Puyi often collected paintings from famous masters from all over the country, and there were countless treasures in the palace.
(Puyi's old photo)
In 1945, the Japanese invaders surrendered, the Soviet Union led troops to attack the puppet Manchukuo, and the gorgeous imperial palace fell instantly.
The extravagant life of the past disappeared under the sound of artillery fire. The last emperor Puyi abdicated for the second time. He could only escape with the help of the Japanese army.
In a hurry, Puyi still ordered eunuch to smuggle many treasures out of the palace for future use.
For a moment, the entire palace was headless, and soldiers and palace servants fled everywhere.
(Pseudo-Manchukuo Ruins)
Can those treasures be taken away by several palace ladies in the chaotic situation at that time?
Puyi, who wanted to take away all the treasures in the palace, was actually fought over by a group of puppet Manchukuo soldiers in the dilemma of losing power.
The calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver and jade artifacts in the palace were looted, and only a small number of the treasures Puyi brought out of the palace were preserved intact.
These treasures are precious historical marks that have been preserved in China for five thousand years. Their value cannot be measured by money, and the large amount of cultural relics loss has also caused great losses to the country.
(formerly the State Council of the Puppet Manchukuo)
Among them, Empress Dowager Cixi ’s favorite painting during her lifetime, Zhang Xian’s “ Ten Songs of Pictures ” was in the end of this turmoil.
In 1992, an old man surnamed Li from the Northeast wanted to sell his heirloom, and this news attracted the attention of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
It turns out that the old man's ancestors were soldiers from the puppet Manchukuo. When Puyi fled, there was a strife in the palace.
When many palace men and soldiers saw Puyi lose power, they took advantage of the chaos to seize treasures, and this soldier surnamed Li was no exception.
While pushing and shoving, he accidentally got a painting, which was Zhang Xian's representative work "Ten Songs" by , the Northern Song Dynasty .
(Old photo of Puyi's life in the palace)
This Northeastern soldier knew the value of this painting and secretly took it home, treating it as a family heirloom.
This remains of folk cultural relics, in this way, "living" secretly in a corner of the northeast.
It was not until the early 1990s that the "family heirloom" came to the hands of Old Man Li that "Ten Songs" came back to the world.
In theory, since it is a family heirloom, it should be passed down from generation to generation. Why did Old Man Li want to auction it?
failed to sell, so he turned to auction
It turned out that Old Man Li had been working in the fields for most of his life, but his family was still extremely poor, and his seven children had not made any achievements.
He knew that he was about to die soon, and wanted to leave some property for his children, so he remembered the family heirlooms of his ancestors.
(Old Man Li sells paintings)
Although Old Man Li is a farmer, he also knows that this calligraphy and painting is extraordinary. In order to sell it at a high price, he asked someone to find a cultural relic appraiser to value the ancient painting.
Master came to Old Man Li’s house with tools, carefully looked through and identified the painting, and then told him with a serious expression that this picture was indeed the original work of Zhang Xian, and it costs at least 8 million yuan.
After listening to the appraiser's words, Old Man Li was overjoyed because this value was beyond his expectations. So after coming back to his senses, he thanked the appraiser repeatedly.
. Because of the visit of the appraiser, the news that he reselled "Ten Songs" quickly spread in the local area, and wealthy businessmen and ancient arts collectors also wanted to see the appearance.
Not long after, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage also received the news, so he quickly sent someone to Li Laohan's house to negotiate, hoping to nationalize it.
(Zhang Xian's "Ten Songs" part)
In the conversation with Old Man Li, they eagerly hoped that Old Man Li could donate this painting, which can be called a national treasure, to the country, and in order to show sincerity, they were willing to give a purchase price of 10,000 yuan.
How could Mr. Li be content with a valuable ancient painting? He remembered the appraiser's words and directly set the price of "Ten Songs" to 8 million yuan.
This was undoubtedly a sky-high price for the State Administration of Cultural Heritage back then. Experts persuaded Mr. Li with a glimmer of hope, but he still refused to give in to the price cut.
In desperation, the Cultural Relics Bureau could only temporarily give up the acquisition of "Ten Songs".
. After hearing the high price of 8 million, many wealthy businessmen were dissuading and left one after another.
Seeing the people who came to buy paintings scared away by the price, Old Man Li was also very worried and couldn't help but think: When will this priceless painting be sold?
(Zhang Xian’s "Ten Songs" part)
Could it be that the words of the treasure appraiser are simply unreliable? This painting is not worth 8 million?
Just like that, amid the expectation and self-doubt, three years have passed in a flash, and Old Man Li's body is getting worse and worse, but "Ten Songs" is still placed at home and no one cares about it.
When the Li family was at a loss, someone made a proposal.
Since it can’t be sold at home, why not place it in a place where celebrities gather and bid for auction?
After hearing this statement, with the mentality of giving up, Old Man Li decided to go to Beijing to give it a try.
(Palace Museum)
So in the late summer, Old Man Li held his heel and pushed open the door of Beijing Cultural Relics Company with "Ten Songs" and came to the office of Mr. Qin Gong , a cultural relic appraisal expert and general manager of Hanhai Auction Company.
He handed the painting to Mr. Qin and said, "I want to understand the value of this ancient painting. Can you show it?"
There were many people coming here to identify cultural relics every day. This old man with unknown origin was nothing special, but the painting that looked old in his hand attracted Qin Gong's attention.
He carefully spread the scroll on the table, and the old yellow paper exuded a unique smell.
After carefully looking, Qin Gong was suddenly shocked. He could probably be sure that this painting was the original work of Zhang Xian's "Ten Songs".
The cultural relics that had disappeared for decades suddenly appeared. Qin Gong was happy from the bottom of his heart, and his hands holding the magnifying glass began to tremble involuntarily.
(Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City)
I noticed the changes of Mr. Qin, and Old Man Li asked again: "Is this painting very precious?"
The Qin Gong, who had always been sincere, did not think much, and he conveyed his thoughts in his heart. His words were full of excitement of discovering treasures.
When Mr. Li heard the answer, he determined that the value of "Ten Songs" was far more than 8 million, so he hurriedly put away the painting and wanted to leave in a hurry.
Mr. Qin Gong failed to retain it, and finally got only the home address of Mr. Li. Thinking of having time to visit him, he also hoped that this national treasure could be kept in the hands of the country...
After going through all kinds of difficulties, he finally returned to the Forbidden City
After that, Mr. Qin always kept in mind the "Ten Songs of Pictures", but seeing that Mr. Li never appeared again, he finally decided to visit him in person.
After several conversations, Qin Gong thoroughly understood the family’s concerns, that is, Old Man Li thought the money he sold was too low, not enough for the second half of his life expenses of his seven children.
(Zhang Xian's "Ten Songs" part)
Faced with Mr. Li's concerns, Mr. Qin never tires about the relevant regulations on the state's acquisition of cultural relics and listens to Mr. Li over and over again, and promises that he will never harm Mr. Li's interests.
Finally, under the persuasion of Qin Gong and other staff, Old Man Li gradually let go of his guard and agreed to use auction to remove the painting.
However, although it is the safest way to sell the paintings by auction, Old Man Li is worried that the result of the auction will not be satisfactory.
Therefore, he proposed to give him a deposit of 2 million yuan first, and the deposit must not be refunded regardless of whether the auction is successful or not.
. In order to ensure the authenticity of the painting, Qin Gong once again invited the director of the Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, calligraphy and painting appraisal experts Xie Zhiliu , Liu Jiu'an and others to come for the appraisal.
The big guy looked through ancient books repeatedly and compared the handwriting on the paintings one by one. After repeated identification, he once again confirmed that this painting was the original work of Zhang Xian.
(Interior of the Palace Museum)
In order to make the "Ten Songs" come back smoothly, Duke Qin decided to agree to Mr. Li's request and allow the auction procedure to proceed normally.
This auction with many national treasures also attracted many well-known collectors at home and abroad.
In order to prevent cultural relics from falling into the hands of others, Qin Gong and others also invited the Forbidden City to send representatives to participate in the auction, and the leaders of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage will also come to watch.
After everything was ready, the auction was scheduled for October 5, 1995. At that time, all the bidders who received the news came to Beijing Beijing Guangfa Center early in the morning, and the photographers and service staff were already in place.
This auction gathered 1,166 antique calligraphy and paintings, and most of the paintings and calligraphy works in modern and ancient times account for.
(The auction site of "Ten Songs")
And the "Ten Songs" on the stage "sitting down and firmly" seems to have predicted what kind of "bloody storm" will usher in the next few hours.
At 9:00 a.m., the host announced that the auction had officially begun. Everyone was holding their hearts to their throats and was ready to compete with other bidders at any time.
When "Ten Songs" appeared, the starting price of 6 million yuan soared as the people in the venue held up their signs again and again. Yang Xin, the vice president of the Palace Museum, sat on the auction table with his hands folded, and his eyes were always following the cards in Liang Jinsheng's hand.
There were many wealthy businessmen and celebrities participating in the Hanhai Auction at that time, and the Forbidden City auction also carried tremendous pressure.
Fortunately, the auction result did not disappoint. When the Forbidden City raised the cards that bid 18 million yuan, all the bidders present reiterated. In the end, the Forbidden City acquired the "Ten Songs" for 18 million yuan.
(Vision of the Palace Museum)
Watching the 18 million yuan successfully auctioned the heirloom, Old Man Li was so happy that he couldn't stop talking about his seven children's second half of his life!
So, what kind of charm does this "Ten Songs" have that makes the Forbidden City spend so much time and energy to buy it? This has to start with Zhang Xian himself.
’s value, and also look at the ancient and modern
In fact, as a representative of the graceful poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhang Xian wrote many poems in his life, and his status is as famous as that of the great talented man, Liu Yong .
He also had a close personal relationship with Su Shi , Wang Anshi and others. He also won the Jinshi with Ouyang Xiu and was appreciated by the examiner Yan Shu .
Zhang Xian's lyrics mostly describe the love between men and women, and there are also some interpretations of the poetry and wine life of scholars and officials. When reading it, they only feel that the sentences are skillful and graceful.
(Tourists come to visit the Forbidden City)
Although Zhang Xian is famous for being a poet, he has also painted well with his father Zhang Wei's careful training.
Rumor was that when Zhang Xian was 82 years old, he went to Nanyuan for fishing and playing. Faced with such a beautiful scenery, he couldn't help but think of his father's love for the scenery of Nanyuan.
It’s a pity that the good times are still there, but the relatives have passed away.
While tears and sadness, Zhang Xian carefully read the poems written by his father during his lifetime, Ma Daqing, the prefect of Wuxing, met with the six elders and the people of Nanyuan.
The poem is interesting, quiet and beautiful. In order to commemorate my father, Zhang Xian decided to vividly expose the scenery in the poem on paper.
Zhang Xian closed his door to greet guests during his paintings, and carefully studied his father's ten poems, in order to highlight the key points of "Meeting the Six Olds" and ponder the layout of the scenery in the poem.
(auction scene)
Zhang Xian, who is already 82 years old, finally completed the painting of "Ten Songs" with a height of 52 cm and a length of 178.7 cm in dozens of days later.
This landscape picture vividly depicts the leisurely postures of several elderly people during garden banquets. Although the picture is based on the theme of Nanyuan Tour, it just combines flowers, birds, mountains and rivers, farmhouses, terraces and other scenery with the poet's current mood, and conceives a delicate layout, making the picture fresh and elegant and lively.
In addition, the author also integrates the scenes of ordinary people's labor with the leisurely life of literati and elegant people.
(The original works left by Emperor Qianlong and ancient famous artists on "Ten Songs")
Therefore, such a work that is both artistic, historical and lifelike was sought after by literati and patriots of the same period as soon as it was born.
Therefore, since this painting has been passed down from the world, it has always been a precious collection that many ancient arts lovers compete for.
After the southward transit, the "Ten Songs" was accidentally collected by Jia Sidao and circulated in the hands of Uncle Zhou Ming during the Southern Song Dynasty.
His son Zhou Mi also recorded this painting in detail, Zhao Mengfu wrote a poem titled "Title Ten Poems of the Sage Zhang Gong" for it.
Zhang Xian's lonely masterpiece has been passed down through many people. As early as before it flowed into the Forbidden City of in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the original works of famous artists such as Sun Jue , Chen Zhensun, Yuan Yan Yaohuan, and Tuomuer were left on the scroll.
(The original work of "Ten Songs")
Emperor Qianlong, who always loved seals, also stamped several seals on this painting, leaving behind a poem written by himself.
Later, when the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, Puyi secretly transported many treasures to the palace in the name of rewarding his younger brother Pu Jie, including Zhang Xian's "Ten Songs".
At first, he secretly stored these calligraphy and painting collections in the "Xiaobai Building" of the pseudo-Manchukuo Palace in Changchun.
But after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the puppet Manchukuo disappeared, this painting eventually flowed into the people.
(Precious historical relics of our country)
It is not easy for "Ten Songs" to return to the Forbidden City successfully at this auction, and its value is no longer something that money can measure.
Postscript:
Nowadays, it has been 26 years since the "Ten Songs" returned to the embrace of the motherland, and it is solemnly displayed in the Palace Museum.
The return of "Ten Songs" is the awe-inspiring Chinese people to history, and it is also a unique mark left after experiencing the continuous erosion of the long river of time.
In fact, every cultural relic is a witness to the changes of the times and a valuable asset of the country. All we can do is to confront the historical silence that once existed through them.
(Precious historical relics of our country)
But to this day, many cultural relics are still missing. Perhaps they have disappeared silently in the war filled with smoke, or perhaps they are still displayed in unknown museums across the ocean, or perhaps they are hidden somewhere as heirlooms of a certain family...
In short, the road to the return of many national treasures is still a long way to go.
