China is an ancient cultural country with a long history. Chinese ancestors have left many cultural treasures to future generations.
Among them, the Qing Dynasty during the feudal society period of ancient China built a famous royal garden covering an area of more than 5,200 acres and including more than 50 landscapes - the Yuanmingyuan.
The Yuanmingyuan is full of celebrity calligraphy, paintings and rare treasures, known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens", which is the "summer palace" used by the Qing Dynasty imperial family to escape the summer in the middle of summer.
From the bronzes of the pre-Qin era to the treasures of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing and other dynasties, they were all collected here by the Qing royal family in large quantities.
Among them, the bronze statue of the head of the zodiac beast cast in red bronze during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty is part of the internal architecture of the Yuanmingyuan.
If it were not for the invasion of China by the British and French forces in 1860, a large number of "robbers" invaded the Yuanmingyuan, the twelve bronze statues of the heads of the zodiac beasts are still stored intact in the garden as part of the fountain outside the Haiyan Hall of the Yuanmingyuan.
After the founding of New China, with the efforts of patriots and international friends, 7 of the 12 bronze statues of the head of the zodiac have returned to China one after another.
Among them, the return of the bronze statue of the rat head and the rabbit head was done by a famous collector in the mainland, and his name was Cai Mingchao.
It is said that after Cai Mingchao took the bronze statues of rat heads and rabbit heads with 270 million yuan, he actually did not pay the bill, what was the matter?
Twelve bronze statues of zodiac beasts: stolen cultural treasures
The bronze statue of the twelve zodiac beast heads that unfortunately disappeared in 1860 is a historical treasure that fused eastern and western cultures during the Qianlong period.
Originally, the "Fountain Outside Haiyan Hall" decorated with twelve bronze statues of animal heads in the Chinese zodiac was designed and built by Lang Shining, a Jesuit priest stationed in China during the Qianlong period.
Lang Shining, an Italian living in China, designed the fountain according to local conditions and integrated Chinese folk culture.
These twelve bronze statues of zodiac beast heads are not just decorations.
When Lang Shining designed the fountain outside haiyan hall, he made twelve bronze statues of zodiac animal heads into a special "time teller", showing the twelve hours by letting the bronze statues of zodiac animal heads take turns to spray water.
In terms of craftsmanship, the bronze statue of the twelve zodiac animal heads is also a rare treasure.
First of all, the Qianlong period was the heyday of the Qing Dynasty, the ancient Chinese copper casting technology in the Qing Dynasty has reached its peak, the superb skills of the craftsmen are vividly reflected in the twelve bronze statues of the zodiac beast, and even the animal fluff and neck folds on each bronze statue are vividly portrayed with hammerwork.
Secondly, the copper used to cast the twelve bronze statues of the zodiac beast heads is not ordinary cheap copper, but the copper used to cast the twelve bronze statues of the zodiac beast heads, which is an alloy copper specially made for the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and other court buildings during the Qing Dynasty.
This alloy copper mixed with many precious metals, its color is deeper than ordinary copper, the inner essence, not easy to corrode, is the forging material of high-grade copper crafts.
The cultural and practical value of the twelve bronze statues of the animal heads of the zodiac can be seen.
At present, the bull's head, tiger's head, monkey's head, pig's head, and horse's head in the twelve bronze statues of the zodiac beast have been rescued by patriots at different times and collected in the Poly Art Museum in Beijing.
After the head of the rat and the head of the rabbit were recovered, they were collected in the National Museum of China, and the head of the dragon is currently in the custody of Taiwan Province. The remaining snake heads, sheep heads, chicken heads, and dog heads are still missing.
Cai Mingchao: Enjoys a high reputation in the collection world
Born in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, Cai Mingchao made his fortune in the clothing business and gradually gained a foothold in the mall.
Because Cai Mingchao is an ideaful and bold businessman, his business field has gradually expanded from the clothing industry, gradually involving trade, finance, real estate, cultural and other aspects.
In the 1990s, Cai Mingchao began to get involved in the porcelain industry.
Out of Cai Mingchao's own love for antique cultural relics, after the funds on hand became rich enough, Cai Mingchao became an antique collector and was a regular customer in major auction houses.
In 2005, Cai Mingchao also opened his own auction company.
On October 7, 2006, Cai Mingchao auctioned "Ming Yongle Gilded Bronze Statue of Shakyamuni Shakyamuni" for HK$116.6 million at sotheby's "Buddha's Photograph of Buddhas in the Early Ming Dynasty" auction in Hong Kong.
The anecdote of the successful auction of the Buddha statue this time made him famous in the auction world, and Cai Mingchao was hailed as "the first mainland buyer to pocket the high-priced art".
Since then, Cai Mingchao has continued to be active in the antique collection industry and the auction industry, he has helped Sichuan Sotheby's Auction Company set up the exhibition, and helped sell the exhibits at the exhibition for a high price of 66 million yuan.
Cai Mingchao was active in the peak of the auction industry, serving as the chairman and general manager of Xiamen Xinhe Art Auction Co., Ltd. and the collection consultant of the China Rescue and Loss of Overseas Cultural Relics Special Fund.
Cai Mingchao once had an excellent reputation and a very high status in the antique collection and auction industry, until 2009, the French auction company Christie's Auction held a special auction "Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berger".
The rat head and the rabbit head were taken as lots, and Cai Ming was angry and let them shoot
At the special auction "Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berger" held in 2009, the rat and rabbit heads of the twelve bronze statues of the heads of the zodiac beasts belonging to China and lost overseas due to plundering were auctioned as lots.
Since the rat head and the rabbit capital belong to the cultural relics that China has plundered and exported, they are used for auction, which is undoubtedly a moral insult to the Chinese.
Therefore, the rat head and the rabbit head have been used as lots to set off a hot discussion, and domestic and international people are very concerned about who will spend these two "lots".
At this time, the auction house received a phone call from Cai Mingchao, who was famous in the antique collection and auction world at that time.
Due to the credibility and prestige accumulated by Cai Mingchao in previous years, the auction house made the decision to allow Cai Mingchao to participate in the auction remotely by telephone, and it was this decision that allowed Cai Mingchao to shoot the head of the rat and the head of the rabbit for 270 million.
Since then, Cai Mingchao refused to pay, resulting in the sale of rat head and rabbit head in the 2009 auction, because of the refusal to pay, Cai Mingchao's prestige and reputation in the antique collection and auction industry for many years were burned.
In the face of the seller's reprimand and the threat of pursuing his legal responsibility, Cai Mingchao only responded: I am a Chinese, and I want to speak out for Chinese.
Cai Mingchao felt that "stolen goods cannot be auctioned" and that "paying robbers who stole Chinese cultural treasures" is a disgrace to dignity and integrity.
After the incident, Cai Mingchao disappeared into the collection world, but he did not regret that he did not pay for the auction of rat heads and rabbit heads, because Cai Mingchao felt that the honor and disgrace of the Chinese people were more critical than personal honors.
brief summary
On April 26, 2013, the Pinault family, collectors of rat and rabbit heads, announced the donation of rat heads and rabbit heads to Beijing free of charge.
After learning the news, Cai Mingchao has disappeared into the collection world for a long time, he did not take the opportunity to appear, but entrusted a friend to convey a simple "congratulations".
For Cai Mingchao, he has retired in this "cultural relics dignity defense war".