A great Chinese collector with a huge collection of treasures stored in his home. For the antiques at the price of these national treasures, the Chinese side has always wanted to buy them back from the big collector, so that the national treasures can return to the protection of the motherland. But the big collector not only disagreed, but even ended up donating the entire collection to museums in the United States. Let's move on.
The great collector was named Ongwango. As a private collector, even his native China is not good at handling his collection. For his collection, the national side is very concerned, after all, many of them are national treasures left over from ancient China and are priceless to China. However, Weng Wange was always reluctant to donate the collection to the motherland, even at a discount, or a museum in Shanghai relied on auction to win the most famous "Yangtze River Wanli Map".
The modern painter Ye Qianyu commented on the "Ten Thousand Miles of the Yangtze River": "Handling such a grand layout and pinning on a deep feeling of national sentiment is not something that ordinary landscape cultivation with hills and valleys can do, and it must have the mind to swallow mountains and rivers and full of patriotic enthusiasm to play it to the fullest..."
Fortunately, this national treasure eventually returned to the motherland. But this is not the case for others, and even if China is willing to pay for it, it will not be able to buy it back. On Onvango's birthday, he donated the entire collection to a museum in Boston, USA.
Regarding Onwango's approach, many patriots in the country are confused or even condemned. After all, giving away the treasures of the country to other countries is really not the practice of patriots.
But Weng Wange once said with emotion: "I live for my family," and family collection has become my life." He did his best to protect the family collection all his life, and it was also the inheritance mission carried by the heir of a collecting family. And that's where his family's collection came from.
Onwango's collection is basically derived from weng Tonggong's old collection. Among them, the collection of calligraphy, paintings and inscriptions is very large, and there are many fine works.
Weng Tonggong is the ancestor of Weng Wange, he was the emperor of the Tongzhi Guangxu Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty, the prime minister, and two into the military aircraft, and as the prime minister of state affairs, he was an important figure in the political situation of the late Qing Dynasty. Like many civil officials, Weng Tonggong was passionate about art, and he took over his father Weng's collection and gradually accumulated it into a grand view.
Having an ancestor who was a high-ranking official and loved to collect, Ongwango was able to have a family collection that no one else dared to imagine at the age of two. However, the Weng family has always regarded these collections not as property, but as a mission.
So what does this have to do with the fact that he donated the collection to the United States instead of to his homeland? This also begins with his "living for the family's collection".
For Ongwango, who had experienced the war, security was an extremely important presence, which is why he chose to donate all his collection to the United States.
"The donation of this outstanding collection allows the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to present a richer and fuller narrative in terms of Chinese literati art and culture, which still has a strong influence in Chinese society." We are deeply grateful to Mr. Weng for his trust and confidence in the Museum and Asia Department, and will work to make this collection public through research, restoration, exhibition and interpretation. Yu Yu, director of Asian curating at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, said after receiving a donation from Weng Wango.
In Wengwango's eyes, the United States has a better ability to protect and preserve these collections than the Chinese side, after all, these collections are extremely precious items in the eyes of Wengwango, so the way they are handled may make him feel that even if it is contrary to patriotism, he will not hesitate.
He himself once said: "If there is no historical consciousness, how can we collect for so many years, and historical consciousness is the most important pillar in the process of collecting for six generations or even longer." It is also a testament to the importance he attaches to the collection.
However, although his original intentions were good, he may not have made the right choice. It is said that the collection he donated has not received much good treatment in the United States, and even some of it is directly exposed to the air, which is undoubtedly very unfavorable for the preservation of antiques. Although the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, usa has good conditions, it does not mean that they will pay enough attention to and treat this collection.
The motherland, which is eager to buy back, can only watch. In fact, today's China will not lose to other countries, and in this matter, it is even more leading in attitude. The desire and love for the treasures of the country is unmatched by the United States, and perhaps it would be a better choice for Weng Lao to donate the collection to the motherland.
But at this point, there is no need to condemn Onwango, after all, this is his decision, and condemnation from the moral level is always a bad thing to do.