Recently, there are relatives moving to a new home, I am thinking about what gifts to send to him, gift money relatives are not bad money, he will certainly not receive, and it seems tacky, sending objects is really unable to think of what to send to him. For this reason, I was troubled for several days, or my wife woke me up with a sentence: "You have collected so many things, consider it from your collection, such as the four treasures of the study room, the abacus or something." ”
As soon as I woke up the dreamer, I made an article from my collection. Sending an abacus is just right, relatives are businessmen, investment and financial management, a wide source of wealth, the meaning is very good! I picked an early abacus from the early Republic of China and gave it to him. Relatives praised one after another, "In the end, it is a cultural person, even gift-giving is creative, graded, elegant and precious." ”
A Republic of China abacus worth thousands of yuan, such praise really makes me a little unbearable. Perhaps, the relative values not an "antique", but a good intention and the traditional culture carried by this abacus.
My relatives' love of the abacus did surprise me, as a former calculation tool, lying in a corner of many people's homes, covered with dust, almost forgotten by modern people. But before the advent of Arabic numerals, the abacus was a widely used calculation tool around the world. It can be said that the abacus can be regarded as the fifth major invention in China.
When I was in elementary school, the school opened a homework called abacus, which is to put it bluntly. When I was a child, in addition to learning abacus classes in school, I also learned from my elders, such as addition and subtraction, song removal tips, withdrawal tips, expensive differences, etc., which felt very magical. Addition and subtraction can also be patterned on the abacus, like a phoenix spreading its wings.
At that time, the accountants of the production team, the salesmen and financial personnel of the shops, supply and marketing cooperatives would all abacus, and there were abacuses on the counters of banks and pharmacies. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division can be calculated at any time, and the calculated number is both accurate and fast.
Once an elder gave me such a topic: chickens and rabbits are in the same cage, a hundred head cages are exposed, the legs of the chicken are twenty-eight smaller than the legs of the rabbit, and how many rabbits and how many chickens are asked. Does this question look difficult? You can figure it out with the expensive difference in abacus.
In the late 1970s, the state restored the college entrance examination system, and I was fortunate enough to be admitted to a finance and economics school, which was a compulsory course.
In the early 1980s, after joining the work, whether in the business system or in the statistics bureau, the daily financial books and statements, statistical statements, etc. were calculated by abacus.
In the late 1990s, as computers entered people's work and daily life, the abacus slowly completed its historical mission, gradually forgotten by people, and then entered the vision of collectors and was collected as antiques and cultural relics.
"One on one, two on two, three down five to two..." These familiar abacus tips have long been forgotten with the rapid development of the times. The once brilliant abacus has gradually faded from people's sight. But the abacus complex in my heart has never been able to give up, I have collected the abacus that my family, relatives and friends have used, and when I go to the antique market, I find that I have a favorite abacus, and if my financial situation can afford it, I will also pocket it.
In my mind, the abacus, in addition to being used as a collectible, is also an unforgettable object of our generation. They have witnessed the course of national economic development, and the conscientious and down-to-earth work style of their ancestors condensed in them will always accompany us, inspire us, and enrich our life years.