introduction
"One day, two robbers broke into the Yuanmingyuan. One robber plundered, and another set fire to it..." This is a letter written by the famous French writer Victor Hugo to the French captain Butler who invaded China, and the name of the letter is "Two Robbers". The things described in this letter are the indelible shame of the Chinese nation and the greatest lament in the history of world art.
01
It happened in October 1860, after the British and French forces captured Beijing, they forcibly broke into the Yuanmingyuan and plundered the magnificent Yuanmingyuan. The Yuanmingyuan went through the hands of six generations of emperors, starting from the Kangxi Dynasty and not being completed until the Xianfeng era. The painstaking efforts and accumulated treasures of the six emperors were placed in the Notre Dame Cathedral in the East. It is known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens" and is a model for all gardens in the world.
▲Burning the Yuanmingyuan painting
According to the historical records, "the Anglo-French coalition forces indulged in wanton feelings, taking and taking, and were in a hurry and chaos." In order to take away the jewelry, they chose to throw away the gold, and for the more valuable porcelain, they threw away the jewelry in their hands. The Yuanmingyuan was too big and there were too many treasures, so they smashed all the things they couldn't take away, and in order to cover up their banditry, they set a fire before leaving. The fire burned for three days and three nights, and the sky-high flames illuminated the entire city of Beijing.
▲Painting of the Invasion of China by the Eight-Power Alliance (Japanese painting)
In 1900, the Battle of Gengzi, the Eight-Power Alliance invaded Beijing, this garden that gathered tens of thousands of treasures, the treasure house built by countless generations of painstaking efforts was once trampled on again, it was once magnificent, carved beams and paintings, beautiful wheels, beautiful and beautiful, but it was destroyed between the two rounds of looting, leaving only the remains of the ground and the ruins of the wall. However, during World War II, the British army took the initiative to propose a famous painting of the Eastern Jin Dynasty that was looted from the Yuanmingyuan when the Eight-Power Alliance invaded China. It is extremely valuable, the artistic achievements are shocking, and strangely, China does not agree with their proposal, do not want this famous painting, what is going on?
02
This painting is called "Female History Zhentu", which is from the hand of Gu Kaizhi, a member of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Gu Kaizhi, calligraphy, painting, poetry to everyone. At that time, people called him a three-way gem, "talent, painting, and obsession." He is known as "one of the four masters of the Six Dynasties" and "the ancestor of Chinese painting". His masterpieces such as "Roselle Futu", "Female Shi Zhentu", and "Lienu Renzhitu" are well-known all over the world even after a thousand years.
▲ Part of "Female History Proverbs"
This "Female History Proverbs" is quite large. According to legend, Emperor Hui of Jin fainted and did not have a way, so that the power fell into the hands of Empress Jia. Jia Nanfeng was fierce and jealous, and often killed Zhongliang, so that the adulterers above the court were rampant, and the people were not happy, which triggered the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings." Later, the minister Zhang Hua was not afraid of hardships and dangers, and wrote the famous "Female History Proverbs" based on the sages and saints of the past, as a satire to warn Jia Nanfeng, and to warn the women of the court to abide by the feminine morality and attach importance to human morality. And "Female History" was created with this article as inspiration.
▲Statue of Gu Kai
This painting combines history and historical facts, and uses 12 stories to express the wisdom of women in critical moments, and the strength of not fearing life and death, full of human color, so that it has been respected and loved by emperors. Unfortunately, in the long river of history, only nine of the 12 volumes of paintings have been left, and the first three volumes have disappeared.
▲Photos of the British Museum
After the robbery of the Yuanmingyuan, the painting fell into the hands of British Lieutenant Ji Yongsong. Ki Yongsong, a barbarian who had no idea of the value of the painting, happened to be seen by Sydney Colvin of the Painting Department of the British Museum. When Sydney Colvin saw this painting, he was immediately amazed, and immediately saw the superb artistic level and unparalleled value of this painting. He quietly bought the painting for "£2" and placed it in the British Museum as a treasure of the town.
03
During World War II, Japan entered Southeast Asia, which was a British colony at that time, and the Japanese army was invincible, beating the British head and running wildly. In desperation, they had no choice but to ask the Allied Power, China, to send troops to Southeast Asia. At that time, in order to ensure that the international communication routes in Southeast Asia were not destroyed, and also to ensure that the Japanese army in Southeast Asia would not turn around and attack Yunnan, China immediately sent an expeditionary force to the Southeast Asian battlefield.
▲Old photos of the British army in World War II
After the end of the expedition, the British, in order to thank our country, decided to return the "Female Historiography" to China, but they were reluctant to the value of this unique masterpiece, so they played a trick and let our country choose between the "Female Historiography" and a submarine. Although the "Female Historiography" is of great significance, at the time of the survival of the country, military strength is the most important thing to save the country, and at that time, submarines China did not have and could not afford to build. Therefore, forced by reality, our country rejected the "Female Shi Zhentu" and chose a submarine.
The Female Chronicle missed the way home and was happily put back into the British Museum by the British. At that time, our country could only swallow such humiliation silently into its stomach. This is a kind of sadness, a sadness that if you are backward, you will be beaten. Weakness is original sin, and if you are not strong enough, you cannot protect anything.
epilogue
There are too many national treasures in our country, and they are all treasures created by the painstaking efforts of the Chinese people, and they are an important bridge for future generations to study ancient history and culture. However, when our country was weak, they were forced to cross the ocean and steal their lives. Nowadays, our country's position in the international community is becoming more and more important, and I just hope that one day, those things that have been lost can once again return to the embrace of the motherland.
Resources:
The Two Robbers