The old man sold 8 million family heirlooms, the Cultural Relics Bureau bid 10,000 was rejected, and turned around and 18 million was photographed by the Forbidden City

In early October 1995, Beijing Hanhai Company was holding a grand autumn auction.

A plainly dressed northeastern old man stood in the corner of the auction with his hands clenched in fists, his eyes fixed on the cultural relics being auctioned.

Li Laohan is the owner of this cultural relic, and he has previously offered a high price of 8 million yuan to the National Treasure Bureau and was rejected. Therefore, Li Laohan decided to take the legal auction procedure in a fit of anger!

The high starting price of 6 million yuan did not make the bidders retreat, and even Liang Jinsheng, the director of the Cultural Relics Department of the Forbidden City, continued to raise his sign to compete, and the auction price rose at an alarming rate.

When the auction price reached a staggering 18 million, someone stood up and shouted: "Don't argue, leave the painting to the Forbidden City!" ”

(Beijing Hanhai Company auction site)

In the end, Mr. Liang Jinsheng won the cultural relics on behalf of the Forbidden City for a sky-high price of 18 million yuan.

So, what kind of story happened between Li Laohan and the auction items? Why would the Forbidden City prefer to spend a sky-high price to buy this cultural relic?

Puyi fled, and cultural relics were lost

In 1932, after the Japanese army invaded and occupied the three northeastern provinces, it quickly supported Puyi to establish the puppet state of Manchukuo.

The Japanese invasion was menacing, the palace walls were full of joy and laughter, and the blood outside the palace walls was dripping with blood.

Puyi's name is the emperor, but in fact he is a puppet of the Japanese army, and the rise and fall of the nation is completely out of his eyes.

The emperor's life was extremely luxurious, and in addition to eating, drinking and having fun, Puyi would often search for famous paintings from the north and south of the river, and there were countless treasures in the palace.

(Puyi old photo)

In 1945, the Japanese surrendered, the Soviet Union led troops to attack the puppet state of Manchukuo, and the gorgeous imperial palace fell in an instant.

The once extravagant life disappeared under the sound of gunfire, and the last emperor Puyi abdicated for the second time, and he could only flee with the assistance of the Japanese army.

At the time of the emperor, Puyi still ordered the eunuch to smuggle many treasures out of the palace for future use.

For a time, the entire palace was leaderless, and soldiers and palace people fled in all directions.

(Ruins of Puppet Manchukuo)

But in the chaotic situation at that time, which of those treasures could be taken away by several palace people?

Puyi, who wanted to take away the treasures in the palace, was actually scrambled by a group of pseudo-Manchukuo soldiers under the embarrassment of losing power.

The famous calligraphy and paintings, gold, silver and jade in the palace were looted, and only a few of the treasures that Puyi brought out of the palace were completely preserved.

These treasures are precious historical imprints precipitated by China for five thousand years, their value cannot be measured in money, and a large number of cultural relics have also caused great losses to the country.

(Former puppet State Council of Manchukuo)

Among them, Empress Dowager Cixi's favorite painting before her death, Zhang Xian's "Ten Yong Tu", was lost in this turmoil.

In 1992, an old man surnamed Li in the northeast wanted to sell his heirloom, which attracted the attention of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

It turned out that the ancestors of the old Man had been soldiers of the puppet state of Manchukuo, and when Puyi fled, the palace was in turmoil.

Many palace people and soldiers saw Puyi lose his position and took advantage of the chaos to snatch the treasure, and this soldier surnamed Li was no exception.

Between pushing and shoving, he unexpectedly got a painting, which was Zhang Xian's masterpiece "Ten Yong Tu" of the Northern Song Dynasty.

(Old photo of Puyi living in the imperial palace)

The northeastern soldier was well aware of the value of the painting and sneakily brought it home as an heirloom.

And this relics that have been left behind by the people is secretly "hermit" in a corner of the northeast.

It was not until the early 1990s, when the "heirloom" reached the hands of Li Laohan, that the "Ten Yongtu" reappeared in the jianghu again.

It is said that since it is an heirloom, it should be passed down from generation to generation, so why did Li Laohan want to auction it off?

The sale failed and was auctioned off

It turned out that Old Han Li had been working in the fields for most of his life, and his family was still extremely poor, and his seven sons and daughters had not yet achieved anything.

He knew that he was about to die soon, and he wanted to leave some property for his children, which reminded him of his ancestral heirlooms.

(Li Laohan sells paintings)

Although Li Laohan was from a peasant background, he also knew that this calligraphy and painting was not an ordinary product, so in order to sell it for a high price, he entrusted someone to find a cultural relics appraiser to value this ancient painting.

The master came to Li Laohan's home with tools, carefully looked at and identified the painting, and then solemnly told him that this picture was indeed Zhang Xian's original handwriting, and it would cost 8 million yuan to say the least.

Listening to the appraiser's words, Li Laohan raised his eyebrows, because this value greatly surprised him. So after returning to God's Child, he thanked the appraiser one after another.

Because of the visit of the appraiser, the news of his reselling of the "Ten Yongtu" by Li Laohan's family also spread rapidly in the local area, and various wealthy merchants and collectors of antiques also wanted to see its appearance.

Not long after, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage also received this news, so it also quickly sent people to Li Laohan's house for consultation, hoping to nationalize it.

(Zhang Xian's "Ten Arias")

In the conversation with Li Laohan, they eagerly hoped that Li Laohan would donate this painting, which is a national treasure, to the state, and in order to show sincerity, they were willing to give a purchase price of 10,000 yuan.

In the face of valuable ancient paintings, how can Li Laohan be willing to give up to 10,000 yuan. He firmly remembered the appraiser's words and directly set the price of the Ten YongTu to 8 million yuan.

This was undoubtedly a sky-high price for the State Administration of Cultural Heritage at that time, and experts held out a glimmer of hope to persuade Li Laohan, but he still refused to let go of the price reduction.

In desperation, the Cultural Relics Bureau could only temporarily abandon the acquisition of the Ten Wing Diagrams.

And many rich businessmen who are eager to move can only be deterred after hearing the high price of 8 million, and they have left the market.

Seeing that the people who came to buy the paintings were frightened by the price, Li Laohan was also very worried, and could not help but think: When will this priceless painting be sold?

Could it be that the words of the treasure master are not credible at all, and this painting is not worth 8 million?

In this way, in the day-to-day anticipation and self-doubt, three years passed in a flash, and Li Laohan's body and bones were getting worse and worse, but the "Ten Yongtu" was still placed at home and no one cared.

Just when the Li family was at a loss, someone made a proposal.

Since it can't be sold at home, why not put it in a place where celebrities gather and bid for auction?

After hearing this statement, in the spirit of breaking the jar and breaking the mentality, Li Laohan decided to go to Beijing to give it a go.

(Palace Museum)

So in the late summer, Li Laohan pushed open the door of the Beijing Cultural Relics Company with the "Ten YongTu" and came to the office of Mr. Qin Gong, an expert in cultural relics appraisal and general manager of Hanhai Auction Company.

He handed the painting to Qin Gong and said, "This ancient painting, I want to understand his value, can you show it?" ”

Originally, many people came here every day to identify cultural relics, and this old man of unknown origin was originally nothing special, but the painting in Li Laohan's hand that looked old had attracted the attention of Qin Gong.

He carefully spread the scroll on the table, and the old yellowed paper gave off a unique smell.

After carefully examining it, Qin Gong was suddenly shocked, and he could probably be sure that this painting was the original copy of Zhang Xian's "Ten Yong Tu".

The cultural relics that had disappeared for decades suddenly appeared, and Qin Gong was happy from the bottom of his heart, and the hands holding the magnifying glass began to shake slightly involuntarily.

(Cultural relics in the Forbidden City)

Sensing the change in Qin Gong, Li Laohan once again asked, "Is this painting very precious?" ”

Qin Gong, who had always been sincere, did not think much about it, so he put out what he thought and thought in his heart, and his words were full of excitement about discovering the treasure.

Hearing the answer, Li Laohan determined that the value of the "Ten YongTu" was far more than 8 million, and hurriedly put away the painting, wanting to leave in a hurry.

Qin Gong could not keep it, and finally only got the home address of Li Laohan, thinking that he had time to visit the door, he also hoped that this national treasure could remain in the hands of the state...

After all kinds of difficulties, he finally returned to the Forbidden City

After that, Qin Gong always remembered the "Ten YongTu" in his heart, but seeing that Li Laohan never appeared again, he finally decided to visit him personally.

Through several conversations, Qin Gong thoroughly understood the family's concerns, that is, Li Laohan suspected that the money sold was small, not enough to spend the rest of the life of 7 children.

In the face of Li Laohan's concerns, Qin Gong tirelessly told Li Laohan the relevant regulations of the state on the acquisition of cultural relics over and over again, and promised that he would never harm Li Laohan's interests.

Finally, under the persuasion of Qin Gong and other staff, Li Laohan gradually let down his guard and agreed to use the auction method to get rid of the painting.

However, although it is the safest way to sell the painting by auction, Li Laohan is worried that the result of the auction is not satisfactory.

Therefore, it is proposed to give him a deposit of 2 million yuan first, and regardless of whether the auction is successful or not, the deposit cannot be refunded.

In order to ensure the authenticity of the paintings, Qin Gong once again invited Xie Zhiliu, Liu Jiu'an, director of the Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee and experts in calligraphy and painting appraisal, to come to the appraisal.

The big guys went through the ancient books three or four times, compared the handwriting on the painting one by one, and after repeated appraisals, they once again determined that this painting was Zhang Xian's original handwriting.

(Interior view of the Palace Museum)

In order to make the "Ten YongTu" return smoothly, Qin Gong decided to agree to Li Laohan's request and let the auction procedure proceed normally.

The auction, which has many national treasure-level cultural relics, has also attracted many well-known collectors at home and abroad.

In order not to let the cultural relics fall into the hands of others, The Duke of Qin also invited representatives from the Forbidden City to participate in the auction, and the leaders of the State Administration of Cultural Relics will also come to watch.

When everything was ready, the auction was scheduled for October 5, 1995. At that time, all the bidders who got the news came to the Beijing Jingguang Center early in the morning to wait, and the photographers and service personnel were already in place.

The auction gathered 1,166 antique calligraphy and paintings, and modern and ancient paintings and calligraphy works accounted for most of them.

(Auction site of "Ten Arias")

The "Ten Arias" on the stage "sits modestly and steadily", and it seems that it has anticipated what kind of "bloody rain and wind" will be ushered in in the next few hours.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the host announced the official start of the auction, and everyone raised their hearts to their throats, ready to compete with other bidders.

When "Ten Wing Tu" appeared, the starting price of 6 million yuan soared with the people in the venue to raise the cards again and again, and Yang Xin, vice president of the Palace Museum, sat on the auction table with his hands folded, and his eyes always followed the cards in Liang Jinsheng's hand.

At that time, there were not a few wealthy businessmen and celebrities participating in the Hanhai auction, and the Auction of the Forbidden City also carried great pressure.

Fortunately, the results of the auction did not disappoint, and when the Forbidden City bid 18 million cards were raised, all the bidders present were silent. In the end, the Forbidden City acquired the "Ten YongTu" for 18 million yuan.

(Palace Museum Vision)

Watching the 18 million yuan successfully auctioned out the heirloom, Li Laohan happily closed his mouth and completely relaxed his heart for the second half of his 7 children's life!

So, what kind of charm does this "Ten Arias" have, so that the Forbidden City has spent so much time and energy to buy it back? This also starts with Zhang Xian himself.

The value is geometric, but also look at the ancient and modern

In fact, Zhang Xian, as the representative of the gentle lyricist of the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote many poems in his lifetime, and his status could be on a par with that of the great talent Liu Yong.

He also had a close personal relationship with Su Shi, Wang Anshi and others, and also won the Jinshi with Ouyang Xiu, and was appreciated by the chief examiner Yan Shu.

Zhang Xian's lyrics mostly describe the love of men and women, and there are also some interpretations of the poetry and wine life of scholars, which only feel that the sentences are clever and gentle.

(Tourists come to the Forbidden City to visit)

Although Zhang Xian is famous for his lyricist, under the careful cultivation of his father Zhang Wei, he also painted Danqing well.

It is rumored that when Zhang Xian was 82 years old, he went fishing in South Park, and in the face of such a beautiful scenery, he couldn't help but think of his father's love for the scenery of South Park.

Unfortunately, the good times are still there, but the relatives have passed away.

While weeping and sentimental, Zhang Xian carefully read his father's "Wu Xing Tai Shou Ma Daqing Hui Six Elders in the South Garden People's Poems" made by his father before his death.

The poem is quiet and beautiful, and Zhang Xian, in order to commemorate his father, decided to jump the scene depicted in the poem on the paper.

During his painting, Zhang Xian closed the door to the guests, quietly studied his father's ten poems, and in order to highlight the focus of "Meeting the Six Elders", he pondered the layout of the scenes in the poems.

(Auction Scene)

Zhang Xian, who is already 82 years old, finally drew this "Ten Yong Tu" with a height of 52 centimeters and a length of 178.7 centimeters after dozens of days.

This landscape map of the figure vividly depicts the leisurely posture of several elderly people during the garden feast.

Although the picture is based on the theme of the South Garden Tour, it appropriately combines the scenery such as flowers and birds, landscapes, farmhouses, and terraces with the poet's current state of mind, and has an exquisitely conceived layout, making the picture fresh and elegant and vivid.

In addition, the author also integrates scenes of ordinary people's labor with the leisurely life of literati and scholars.

(The Qianlong Emperor and ancient masters left the real handwriting on the "Ten YongTu")

Therefore, such a work that is both artistic, historical and living was sought after by the literati of the same period as soon as it was born.

Therefore, after the painting was handed down to the world, it has always been a precious collection that many antique lovers compete for.

After the southern crossing, the "Ten YongTu" was inadvertently collected by Jia Xiangdao, and it was passed to the hands of Zhou Mingshu during the Southern Song Dynasty.

His son Zhou Mi also has a detailed record of this painting, and Zhao Mengfu wrote an inscription poem for it, "Titled Ancestor Zhang Gong Ten YongTu".

Zhang Xian's masterpieces have passed through the hands of many people all the way, and as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties before they flowed into the Forbidden City, the scrolls have left the authentic works of Sun Jue, Chen Zhensun, Yuan Yan Yaohuan, Detuomu'er and many other famous artists.

(The Original Ten Arias)

The Qianlong Emperor, who loved seals, also stamped several seals on this painting, leaving a handwritten inscription.

Later, at the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi secretly transported many treasures to the palace in the name of rewarding his brother Pujie, including Zhang Xian's "Ten YongTu".

At first, he secretly stored these calligraphy and painting collections in the "Little White Building" of the Puppet Manchuria Palace in Changchun.

However, after the victory of the War of Resistance and the disappearance of the puppet state of Manchukuo, the painting eventually flowed into the people.

(Precious historical relics of the mainland)

At this auction, it is not easy for "Ten YongTu" to return to the Forbidden City smoothly, and its value is no longer measurable by money.

postscript:

Today, it has been 26 years since the return of the Ten Yongtu to the embrace of the motherland, and it is being solemnly displayed in the Palace Museum.

The return of the Ten Arias is Chinese's solemn respect for history, and it is also a unique imprint left after the continuous erosion of the years.

In fact, each cultural relic is a witness to the changes of the times and a precious treasure of the country, and all we can do is to contrast them with the silence of history that once existed.

But to this day, there are still many cultural relics that have disappeared, perhaps they have disappeared silently in the smoke-filled war, perhaps they are displayed in unknown museums on the other side of the ocean, or they may be hidden somewhere as heirlooms of a certain family...

In short, the road to the return of many national treasures is still a long way to go.