Refining the Golden Eye of Fire to see through the counterfeiting of "expert-level" cultural relics

This article is transferred from: Yangcheng Evening News

□ Wen/Yangcheng Evening News reporter Li Cungen

In the office of Liu Chengji, the director of the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Identification Station, there is no imaginary scene full of "cultural relics and antiques", ordinary tables, chairs, coffee tables, sofas, bookcases, and other common offices are nothing special. But when he talks about the identification of cultural relics, the words have a bit of mystery that makes ordinary people curious.

From the establishment of the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Preservation Committee in 1952, to the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee in 1977, and then to the establishment of the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Station in 1997, the cultural relics appraisal industry in Guangdong Province has now entered its 70th year. In the past year, the business staff of the Guangdong Cultural Relics Appraisal Station needed to identify an average of nearly 260 items per day.

From Shang Chengzuo and Mr. Rong Geng, to Song Liangbi, Su Gengchun, Mr. Peng Ruce, and then to Experts such as Ye Qifeng, Shan Xiaoying, Li Yuchun, Xie Haishan, Pan Minggao, etc., the efforts of generations of cultural relics appraisers have made Guangdong's cultural relics appraisal work in the forefront of the country.

Only about 20% of the genuine products are sent by the public

Yangcheng Evening News: In the eyes of ordinary people, Guangdong is not a major province of cultural relics, how do you view Guangdong's cultural relics?

Liu Chengji: In the impression of ordinary people, there are many cultural relics buried underground in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and other provinces, which can be called a major province of cultural relics; Relatively speaking, Guangdong has not had many buried cultural relics underground, but the cultural relics unearthed underground in Guangdong are actually very Lingnan characteristics. Our underwater cultural relics are more in the country, because the coastal area of Guangdong is the only way to pass through the Maritime Silk Road, so there are many ancient shipwrecks, such as Nanhai I, Nan'ao I, underwater archaeology has enriched our cultural relics advantages.

Guangdong's movable cultural relics, such as folk collections and museum collections, are also relatively rich. Because it is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao and has a developed economy, there are more people who love to collect, and cultural relics auctions are more active. In addition, there are also many collections with Lingnan characteristics, such as export paintings, Guangcai export porcelain, ivory carving products, and calligraphy and painting works of the Lingnan School. In addition, As the source of the modern democratic revolution, Guangdong has a strong sequence of revolutionary cultural relics and a rich variety, which is also a major feature.

Yangcheng Evening News: What is the demand for Guangdong folk collections in terms of cultural relics appraisal consultation?

Liu Chengji: In recent years, the demand for the identification of cultural relics in folk collections has never been stronger, whether it is ancestral old objects or legally exchanged antiques, the public's interest in collection and appreciation has been greatly enhanced, and gradually shown a trend of popularization, rejuvenation and personalization. In addition to mature and developed auction houses, cultural relics stores, antique markets and other cultural relics trading channels, many online cultural and play trading platforms have further reduced the threshold for the appreciation of folk cultural relics. At the end of 2021, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and other six ministries and commissions issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Management of Cultural Relics in Folk Collections and Promoting the Orderly Development of the Cultural Relics Market", believing that the administrative authorities of cultural relics and other departments will also release more favorable policies on the basis of doing a good job in the supervision and monitoring of the cultural relics market, and the demand for cultural relics appraisal will be further enhanced.

Yangcheng Evening News: Does the proportion of fakes in the identification of folk collections be large?

Liu Chengji: Judging from the previous appraisal data, the proportion of genuine products sent by the masses is not high, only about 20%. Last year, we identified more than 500 pieces of the "South Guangdong Jian Zhen Charity Walk" activity in Shaoguan, and more than 300 pieces were true, which is a very high proportion of genuine products, and also tried to have a public welfare appraisal activity in hundreds of artifacts that are not many genuine. On the one hand, this is due to the lack of professional knowledge of cultural relics identification, on the other hand, it is also caused by the endless emergence of cultural relics counterfeiting technology. When we identify, we often encounter some elderly friends who are deceived because of their lack of knowledge of cultural relics identification, buy a large number of fakes, and break their money and are sad. Therefore, we often remind the public to polish their eyes, choose carefully, try to see more, learn more, buy less, and at the same time, we must obtain and transfer cultural relics through legal channels.

What antiques can be bought and sold?

Yangcheng Evening News: What institutions should be found for the appraisal of cultural relics in folk collections?

Liu Chengji: If the public wants to identify the authenticity of the items in their hands, they can first consult the public welfare appraisal institution designated by the state, such institutions will not charge any fees, do not involve the relationship of interests, take our station as an example, the appraisers have passed the national assessment, obtained the cultural relics entry and exit responsibility appraiser qualification certificate, and have rich appraisal experience. For all kinds of profitable cultural relics appraisal institutions in the market, the quality is actually uneven, we cautiously recommend that citizens and friends can choose some legal business institutions with high popularity within their own capabilities, or can consult different institutions, if they claim to be able to help collectors after appraisal to sell high prices, you need to charge a certain fee in advance, you should be vigilant immediately to avoid falling into the trap of "routine auction".

Yangcheng Evening News: How should we guide the legal collection of cultural relics by the people?

Liu Chengji: Which antiques can be bought and sold has always been a topic of concern for folk collectors. In terms of legal collection, we remind everyone that according to the provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics, all cultural relics left underground and underwater in the mainland belong to the state, so do not illegally collect excavated and watered cultural relics. If cultural relics are found in the wild or in the waters, the site should be protected and immediately reported to the local cultural relics administrative department. When collecting enthusiasts buy antiques in the cultural relics market, they can also ask more questions to the transferor or seller to understand the source of the antiques and avoid falling into the risk of reselling cultural relics.

Yangcheng Evening News: The review of cultural relics auction targets is also one of the functions of the provincial cultural relics appraisal station, what is the relevant situation in recent years?

Liu Chengji: Since 2021, more than 50 cultural relics auction enterprises in our province have accelerated their online layout, and the online auction has reached 57 cases, accounting for 60% of the total number of auctions, forming a situation in which online + offline auctions go hand in hand. As the only institution in the province that actually undertakes the task of reviewing the auction objects of cultural relics sent by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Station has achieved prior review and implementation, and promoted operation in accordance with laws and regulations. Since 2016, it has participated in the audit of a total of 319 cultural relics auction objects, 152737 of the audit objects, and 737 of them that did not meet the regulations were withdrawn.

"Ancestral uploads" can be left at will?

Yangcheng Evening News: According to the relevant regulations, the provincial cultural relics appraisal station (Guangdong Administration Office for the Entry and Exit Of National Cultural Relics) on behalf of the state to identify and inspect the cultural relics exported from the Guangdong port, guarding the "South Gate" of cultural relics safety, what are the main measures in the review of the entry and exit of cultural relics?

Liu Chengji: In order to guard the "south gate" of the safety of cultural relics on the mainland, Guangdong has conscientiously done a good job in reviewing the entry and exit of cultural relics for nearly 70 years. Since 2016 alone, a total of 627 cases of 10,556 pieces/sets of 10,556 pieces/sets of individual and unit cultural relics exhibitions have been completed. As for the identification of suspected cultural relics seized by the customs, as of the end of March, the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Station has completed a total of 1,048 cases of 45,018 pieces/sets of customs suspected cultural relics in the past six years, and its Chinese has 16,420 pieces/sets. We also vigorously cooperate with the provincial museums to carry out cultural exchange exhibitions, such as last year's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cultural exchange and cooperation exhibition "Three Cities - The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Silk Export in the Ming and Qing Dynasties".

Yangcheng Evening News: In terms of the entry and exit of cultural relics, what "mine" areas are the people prone to mistakenly enter?

Liu Chengji: Now many people will go overseas to auction and buy some cultural relics to come back to China, which is to avoid stepping on the "thunder". For example, the treatment of cultural relics abroad may only be the concept of "commodity goods", and the examination of their legal sources is not as strict as that of the mainland, and there is an auction process and trading bills that can be circulated, but when these cultural relics are to be cleared and entered, the above information cannot fully confirm the legitimacy of the entire circulation source, and may be illegally lost cultural relics that have gone abroad. The entry of cultural relics purchased abroad must also be declared and customs duties are paid.

In addition, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics stipulates that the precious cultural relics of state-owned cultural relics and non-state-owned cultural relics and other cultural relics prohibited from being exported by state regulations shall not be exported. The export of other cultural relics shall also be subject to the examination and approval of the cultural relics entry and exit examination body before it can be declared to the customs and exited from the designated port. Don't think that by saying "this is ancestral upload", cultural relics can be exported at will.

In the face of high imitation "cultural relics" such as walking on thin ice

Yangcheng Evening News: In the daily work of cultural relics appraisal, how to improve the accuracy of appraisal results?

Liu Chengji: The accuracy of the conclusion is the lifeline of cultural relics identification, and the accuracy of the identification results is as heavy as Taishan for us, so we have specially formulated the business procedures for various types of identification work, and organized the appraisers in the station to study and strictly implement them in the work. Professionals involved in the appraisal business, in addition to obtaining the qualification certificate of the responsible appraiser; the appraisal business activities are responsible for the appraisal team, according to the type of appraisal required, each team is composed of at least two responsible appraisers of the project, and the total number of people must be more than 3 people. In addition, for different work needs, we will also invite members of the Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee and experts and scholars inside and outside the province to participate in appraisal activities to ensure the professionalism of the appraisal work. Because the appraisal of cultural relics cannot be made in the slightest mistake, cultural relics cannot be identified as modern handicrafts, and the level of cultural relics cannot be set wrong.

On the basis of traditional ophthalmic appraisal, Guangdong Province has proactively introduced scientific and technological testing methods in the appraisal of cultural relics in Guangdong Province, supplemented the scientific data of traditional appraisal methods, and built a protective network for accurate appraisal. By the end of March this year, we have completed the scientific and technological testing of ceramics, jade and metalware, etc., and entrusted hundreds of thousands of pieces, accumulating rich data and experience for the scientific and technological appraisal of cultural relics.

Yangcheng Evening News: Where is the difficulty in identifying high-quality imitation "cultural relics"?

Liu Chengji: The level of cultural relics counterfeiting is getting higher and higher, and now many counterfeiters are also "expert-level", and they have been studying this field for many years, and people have also run to the Forbidden City and the National Museum to specialize in research. Now the scientific research parameters of many cultural relics are also public, through the digital museum three-dimensional images, full HD and other comprehensive display, counterfeiters can also imitate the size, color, composition of cultural relics highly similar to the fake. For example, the counterfeiting of ceramic cultural relics, many of which are no longer the eyesight of ordinary people, but the eyesight of experts, and sometimes even experts are a little difficult to identify. There are even counterfeiters who use the bottom of the ceramic of the real age to transfer flowers and elderly wood, and use high-tech means to recreate a ceramic to fake the truth, because he knows that the scientific and technological precision identification age is generally sampled at the bottom of the bottle, and this bottom is real. At this time, people need to have a golden eye of fire, and scientific and technological intelligence is assisted. If we encounter a high imitation, we will feel a lot of pressure and face the challenge carefully.

Yangcheng Evening News: Where is the difficulty in cultivating cultural relics appraisal talents? Can cultural relics appraisal talents meet the demand now?

Liu Chengji: Cultural relics appraisal talents need to combine theoretical learning with practice, with a longer training cycle, a more detailed branch of knowledge, and a larger amount of knowledge required. The most important practical examination requires that 60 cultural relics be identified as true or false in one hour, clearly write out what artifacts are, what dynasty they belong to, and determine whether they can leave the country, judging one piece per minute on average, the accuracy rate is more than 90%, and the difficulty can be imagined.

At present, the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Station has only 11 people with the qualification of the national cultural relics entry and exit audit responsibility, and it is necessary to undertake the identification business of the whole province, and each person basically needs to bear 2-3 appraisal directions. Therefore, we attach importance to the training of appraisal personnel in the station, and the station has always adhered to the fine tradition of "passing on the help", and the newly hired professionals will be arranged into specific business departments, follow the predecessors to perform appraisal tasks, and receive guidance in specific work. Although this training method is traditional, it is quite effective and allows new people to grow faster.