“Uncle Zhang, are you retiring soon?” Feng Yu met Zhang Han’s father again and noticed he looks much older.
“I will be retiring next year. But it is not considered a full retirement, as I still need to guide the young ones. Why have you come to visit me today? Did anything happen?”
“Uncle Zhang, I had bought a few pieces of antiques from Japan a few days ago. All of them are our China antiques. I felt it’s not right for me to hold on to them, and I want to donate it to the Museum.”
“Hahaha… good. Many people who had bought national treasures will keep them at home. Very few people will donate them to the Museum like you. Oh, what antiques have you bought?”
Feng Yu passed a small booklet to Zhang Han’s father. There are seven antiques, which include paintings, porcelain items, and bronze artifacts.
Paintings and porcelain items are common and very popular among collectors internationally. But bronze artifact is rare.
Zhang Han’s father did not know a lot about antiques and nodded after flipping through the booklet. “Alright. I will help you contact the Museum. Are you donating them with your name, or under your company?”
“Use my company, Tai Hua Holdings.”
Feng Yu has no intention to keep these antiques for himself, as he heard it’s hard to maintain them. Furthermore, he also does not know how to appreciate them.
These antiques should be displayed in the Museum. Feng Yu can see it whenever he wants and help his company gain publicity. Everyone in China will know that Tai Hua Holdings is a patriotic company.
Being patriotic can lower people’s resentment of the rich mentality and establish good relationships with the higher-ups.
……
“Ah… I have always heard of your name, and I finally get to meet you today.” Deputy Museum Director Liu greeted warmly.
Feng Yu thought to himself. Why do you want to meet me? You must have heard I had been donating money and items and wants my donation.
“Deputy Director Liu, nice to meet you.”
After exchanging some pleasantries, they sat on the sofa, and Feng Yu passed a picture booklet to Deputy Director Liu.
Deputy Director Liu smiles as he flipped open the booklet, and his face changed. “Ah…. National treasure! This is a national treasure!”
Feng Yu was shocked by Deputy Director Liu’s shouting. National Treasure? It cannot be. Feng Yu had asked people about these antiques. These antiques are valuable, but they should not be considered a national treasure. Is Deputy Director Liu referring to that bronze artifact? But that is a bronze artifact from the Song Dynasty.
Song Dynasty’s bronze artifacts are not very valuable.
“Manager Feng, this painting, porcelain and bronze artifact, are all National Treasures. We don’t have them in our Museum.” Deputy Director Liu exclaimed.
These antiques are only worth a few million USD. How can the Museum don’t have such pieces? Is Deputy Director Liu joking?
Feng Yu would look at Zhang Han’s father and wonder if this Deputy Director Liu had gone mad.
Zhang Han’s father said. “Oh, I might have forgotten to tell you that Deputy Director Liu is from Poly Art Museum. Our country’s state-owned enterprise set up Poly Art Museum to preserve and recover lost National Treasures from overseas.
Huh? This is the Poly Art Museum?! When has it started?
Feng Yu had heard of this Museum in his previous life because of the Bronze Zodiac Heads from the Old Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan. But he heard this Museum is mainly collecting stone carving and bronze artifacts.
Donating the bronze artifact to this Museum is fine, but paintings and porcelain items are not suitable for this Museum.
Deputy Director Liu added. “Although we are a State-owned enterprise’s Museum, we are not different from the National Museums. We had bought lots of lost antiques from overseas, and the most famous artifacts are the Yuanmingyuan’s Ox, Monkey, and Tiger Bronze Zodiac Heads.”
Feng Yu is speechless. Can those bronze animal heads be considered antiques?
Those zodiac heads are not from too long again, and it’s part of the building. How can it be considered antiques?
Feng Yu always felt Poly Art Museum had fallen into a trap by bidding for these bronze heads. It’s the auction house that purposely exaggerated these items’ value and increased the public’s attention.
Isn’t this considered being scammed by others?
If Poly Art Museum had not participated in that auction, the prices of those Zodiac Heads would not exceed more than 500,000 USD. They can contact the buyers after the auction to buy them. Why must the Museum compete with others at the Auction?
Feng Yu even suspected those foreigners that bid for the Zodiac Heads at the auction were arranged by the Auction house to push up the prices.
The auction house and the seller will try their best to increase the antiques’ value by claiming the item to have historical value, cultural value, etc. If not, how can an item be worth 1,000 USD fifteen years ago, appreciate in value to 20,000 USD, and become more than a million USD this year?
Feng Yu remembered in his previous life, the value of these Zodiac Heads will increase to over 10 million USD in a few more years. It’s crazy.
The more people liking an antique or a cultural relic, the value will increase further. Those businessmen pushed the value of the items to the national level. China’s reputation is at stake, and they must get the artifact back, or the price will be more ridiculous.
Before the sellers marketed those Zodiac Heads, who knows about them? Cultural relics? It’s just a bronze statue that can spout water from its mouth. How did it become a national treasure suddenly?
In Feng Yu’s previous life, many people are laughing at Chinese online for buying those Zodiac Heads. Those are just broken off pieces from a building, and it’s not worth that price.
These Zodiac Heads can be easily replicated and are not like oil paintings or literature items that cannot be imitated. There is no historical value in these items as they are only slightly more than 100 years old.
These bronze heads are just like the stone lions outside Chinese homes in ancient times to Feng Yu. It doesn’t have any cultural value. But to the Chinese, those heads represented the humiliating era of China. China is stronger now, and they must recover their wounded pride.
But Feng Yu felt this is meaningless. The US does not have a long history, but which nation dares to go against them?
Increasing the country’s national capabilities should be the right move. When China is strong enough to not let others belittle, all these artifacts will be returned to China.
Feng Yu ignored the excited Deputy Director Liu and left after making the arrangement.
When can China be strong enough to be standing on top of the world?
China must be economically strong. With money, the government can build a strong army, and when the military is the strongest in the world, then China can stand on the top of the world.
Feng Yu cannot do anything about this, but he can help China becomes economically stronger!
Translator’s notes: Another mindless nationalistic chapter by the author.
Haiyantang
