In 1968, a primary school student in Shaanxi accidentally picked up a stone and brought it home to find that it was actually a treasure. Today, the stone has become a national cultural relic.
However, he did not collect it privately, but in the company of his father, he took the initiative to go to the museum to contact experts and handed over the treasure.
Because of this incident, he received 20 yuan for the road. 45 years later, experts come to visit again, what is going on?
The man who accidentally picked up the stone, named Kong Zhongliang, whose hometown was in the Shaanxi region, was very close to Xianyang. The year the stone was found, he was only 13 years old. One day, he came home from school and accidentally picked up a white stone by the river.
Although the young Kong Zhongliang did not know much about cultural relics, he instinctively felt that this thing must be of great value, and it was likely to be a treasure.
After taking it home, Kong Zhongliang showed his father what he had picked up like a treasure. Kong Zhongliang's father was also an ordinary citizen. Because of his rich experience, he recognized at a glance that the stone that Kong Zhongliang had picked up was a seal, possibly a cultural relic.
Father Kong said to his son Kong Zhongliang with a heavy heart, this is the treasure of the country, we must protect it well, and when we have the opportunity to hand it over to the state.
Kong Zhongliang was very young at the time, but he also knew that it was not his own thing and could not be appropriated for himself, so he had no opinion on his father's arrangement.
The next day, Kong Zhongliang and his father specifically found time to go to the museum. The expert in charge of receiving them was particularly surprised to see this stone.
The well-informed experts recognized at a glance that this was a seal carved from Xinjiang Hetian mutton fat jade, and at a glance, it was a valuable treasure. On top of this seal is also carved a mighty tiger.
In the feudal era, only people with very high status could have such things. When they learned that the father and son had come to hand over the treasure, the expert was particularly excited and immediately asked them, are there any requirements? If requested, the museum will accommodate as much as possible.
The father and son were also very happy to learn that this was indeed a cultural relic, because it meant that they did not run in vain.
But the father and son did not take this opportunity to make any demands, and they told the experts very sincerely that since this is a treasure, it should be handed over, it is our national treasure, and if it is given to the country, it will certainly be able to play its value. As ordinary citizens, we have an obligation to protect cultural relics.
The words of the father and son duo made the experts particularly moved. Subsequently, the experts paid out of their own pockets and took out 20 yuan to give them travel expenses.
When the father and son duo came to the museum, they were bumpy and indeed very tired. The 20 yuan road fee was very helpful to them, so they did not refuse, and left the museum with 20 yuan of road trouble.
After the father and son left the museum, they never mentioned it to anyone else. Unexpectedly, 45 years later, some museum experts found Kong Zhongliang again and invited him to attend a commendation meeting.
Kong Zhongliang, who has been living in a low-key life in the countryside for many years, when he first learned the news, he thought he had met a fraudster.
Instinctively wanting to refuse, the expert hastened to explain that they were museum people, and that the visit was mainly to thank him for his selfless act of handing in his seals.
They are very grateful for this and hope that Kong Zhongliang can participate in the cultural relics protection activities held by the unit. After Kong Zhongliang heard the expert's explanation, he couldn't help but think of the seal he had picked up.
After repeated confirmation, Kong Zhongliang believed the expert's statement, and he said quite sadly, I didn't expect that 45 years had passed, and there were still people who remembered me.
Finally, the elderly Kong Zhongliang participated in the program as scheduled, and at the scene of the event, he was praised and commended by the leaders of the museum.
So, what is the origin of the treasure that Kong Zhongliang handed over that year? Why do experts still remember him after more than 40 years?
The treasure that Kong Zhongliang picked up that year was a very valuable empress seal, and its original owner was Liu Bang's wife Lü Yan.
This queen seal is about 2 centimeters high and weighs about 33 grams, with a beautiful texture and grandeur, whether it is the style or the words depicted on it, it gives people a very unique feeling.
From the perspective of historical research, the cultural relics handed over by Kong Zhongliang in that year are the highest rank in the two Han Dynasties, and the only imperial seal preserved to the present.
Therefore, it is a well-deserved national cultural relic. Kong Zhongliang, as the handover of cultural relics, naturally has naturally become the object of experts' key thanks. When Kong Zhongliang participated in the event, someone asked him if he ever regretted what happened that year, and if he was given another chance, would he hide the seal privately?
It is not difficult to understand that everyone has such a question. The seal that Kong Zhongliang and his father handed over that year was a national treasure-level empress jade seal, and its value was incalculable. However, what the father and son got that year was only 20 yuan for the road fee.
Compared with the value of the Empress Yuxi, this 20 yuan is simply not worth mentioning, but Kong Zhongliang did not regret the choice he had made.
In the face of doubts, he explained very seriously: Although my life is not very good, I have never regretted it, if there is a chance in the future, I will continue to protect the national cultural relics, hoping to make more contributions to the country.
From the handing in of cultural relics to participating in the museum's commendation activities, Kong Zhongliang has lived a low-key life for more than 40 years, and he is like thousands of ordinary people living a simple and unpretentious life in the countryside.
For so many years, he had hardly told anyone else about the treasure he had picked up, and the people in the village knew nothing about it.
If it were not for the initiative of experts to come to the door, the elderly Kong Zhongliang would not even remember that he had the experience of handing over cultural relics.
If he had been grumpy about what had happened that year and felt regretful, he would definitely not be able to help but nag others a few words.
However, he never complained to anyone else and lived honestly in the countryside. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the elderly Kong Zhongliang is indeed a good person with high moral character and does not covet fame and fortune.
There is also reason to believe that he really hopes to protect the country's cultural relics and is willing to contribute to the cause of national cultural relics protection.
Comparing heart to heart, the sincere answer of the elderly Kong Zhongliang was soon recognized by many people.
In fact, the elderly Kong Zhongliang is not a special case, in the 1960s, when the economy was relatively backward, people in China often found treasures because of chance.
Most of them took the initiative to contact the cultural relics department, handed in treasures and did not ask for returns, they provided a lot of necessary help for the protection of cultural relics in the country, and also let future generations see more historical treasures.
These people are all objects of admiration and good examples worth learning.