Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 578 Prepare early
After seeing Section Chief Ma and the others off, Zhou Zhengdong and Chen Fan returned to the tea table and sat down.

Zhou Yali took the cups that Section Chief Ma and the others had used to the kitchen to wash, while Zhao Wanru went to the bedroom to pack her luggage, leaving only the two of them there.

Zhou Zhengdong lifted the lid of the cup, held it up to the light source to examine it. The lid was crystal clear, like white jade. His eyes were full of admiration. "What a wonderful thing!"

He then chuckled, "1200 pieces, haha, to be able to collect such treasures, this trip was definitely worthwhile."

He turned to Chen Fan and smiled, "When do you think they'll unseal the 1000 pieces of porcelain they've sealed? How many can we possibly acquire?"

He never intended to keep all of this porcelain for himself, nor did he plan to take it all with him. Taking one set back would be enough, and the rest would be left to his nephew.

On the one hand, there was a fear of damage during the overseas journey; on the other hand, this batch of ceramics was only able to be purchased because of my nephew's suggestion.

Originally, he planned to give his sister's share of the inheritance to his nephew, but his nephew refused and instead gave him a huge surprise. If all goes well, once his nephew finishes writing a Western fantasy novel at the end of the year, his family's publishing house will surely take off, while other businesses will grow in tandem. At that time, the Zhou family's wealth might even double.

Having already gained such a huge advantage, why would he want to take the lion's share in this area?

Since my nephew likes this kind of porcelain, I'll just take a set back for my own collection. The rest will be left to him for safekeeping, which is essentially distributing them to him. Although they're not very valuable, it's still a token of my appreciation.

This porcelain comes in 24 categories, including tableware, tea sets, wine sets, fruit plates, ashtrays, pen holders, and more. Each piece is equipped with a lid, a design that is unique among practical porcelain. A set contains more than 200 pieces.

So there were 1200 pieces, but only 5 or 6 sets.

Taking one set back with you is enough.

(7501 Porcelain, soup bowl, it won't burn your hands when you pour boiling hot soup.)

Chen Fan was unaware of Zhou Zhengdong's thoughts. Since he was certain to get a share of the porcelain, he calmly sat and drank his tea. When he heard Zhou Zhengdong's words, he smiled and said, "It shouldn't be too long. At the earliest, next year; at the latest, the year after. As for the quantity, if there are no unexpected events, we should be able to get them all."

Zhou Zhengdong was slightly taken aback. "So fast?"

Wasn't this batch of ceramics supposed to be reserved for supplying Xiyuan? Why was it unsealed so early?
Chen Fan smiled and said, "This batch of porcelain was fired in 1975. '7501' means that it was the first document issued by Xiyuan in 1975. And just this year, another document, known as 'Project 7801,' was also issued."

As he spoke, he raised the cup lid in his hand, "It is also made of porcelain, and it is specially supplied to Xiyuan. So we are just waiting for the delivery of porcelain 7801. It won't be long before porcelain 7501 can be unsealed."

Zhou Zhengdong was stunned. He stared at him blankly, then at the porcelain cup in his hand. "You can actually make porcelain like this?"

He suddenly realized why the government hadn't offered a high price; they had opened the kiln again!
Chen Fan shook his head, looking disappointed, and said, "I may make porcelain, but it's not like this."

He looked up at Zhou Zhengdong, who was full of confusion, and explained, "Back then, when we mobilized people to develop the 7501 porcelain, we didn't mention Mr. Li at all. But all the core personnel who participated in the research and development knew that this batch of porcelain was for Mr. Li's use."

Therefore, they all put in 200% effort, devoting themselves entirely to the research and firing process, all to ensure that every piece of porcelain was flawless. They refused to send any imperfect works to Mr. Li, which resulted in this unprecedented and unparalleled collection of perfect pieces.

He paused for a moment, then sighed, “Since Mr. Li’s passing, many veteran artists have been deeply affected, and their spirits are not what they used to be. Many veteran artists are absent from this Project 7801.”

Therefore, newly fired porcelain will inevitably have some flaws. Even if it is still a top-quality piece, it will certainly be far inferior to 7501 porcelain.

In later generations, due to the high price of 7501 porcelain, even if it is not auctioned, a small bowl will cost at least 10, and it is not uncommon for it to cost 2 or 30. If it is a complete set of wine or tea sets, it will never be sold for less than one million. If it is auctioned, it may cost tens of millions. Therefore, it has become a major area for porcelain counterfeiting.

Of all the fakes, the 7801 porcelain is the most difficult to distinguish.

Although both are works from the same unit, whether viewed individually or as a whole, 7801 porcelain is far inferior to 7501 porcelain, and the price difference is huge. Even its reputation is overshadowed, and very few people know about 7801.

It's no wonder, really. The best batch of kaolin clay had already been used in 7501 porcelain, and this kind of clay was no longer available. So, the material was a grade lower. Then there's the painting and firing process. Although ceramic art masters were still in charge, it couldn't compare to the concerted efforts of more than 40 masters.

It's only natural that the quality is slightly inferior.

On the contrary, with the development of industrial technology in later generations, some counterfeits can even be made to be of better "quality" than the real ones. However, pressed clay is not the same as hand-thrown clay, and the patterns on ceramics are not as vivid and lively as those hand-painted by art masters. Both the utensils and the patterns are stiff and clumsy, and the heat insulation effect is far inferior to that of the real products. Apart from being thinner, they are completely incomparable to the real products.

After hearing Chen Fan's explanation, Zhou Zhengdong's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Great! In that case, the day when we collect all these porcelain pieces won't be long."

Although he had already decided to hand over the porcelain to his nephew, it was still "his own home," and he could look at it whenever he wanted, so naturally he wanted to buy it as soon as possible.

At this moment, Zhou Yali returned after washing the cups. She carefully placed the clean cups into the tea cabinet, walked to the tea table, sat down, and watched her father and cousin talk.

Zhou Zhengdong put the lid on, looked at the teacup in front of him, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

Chen Fan and Zhou Yali remained silent, sitting quietly and enjoying their rare moment of leisure.

A moment later, Zhao Wanru also came down from the railing, and seeing him like this, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Zhou Zhengdong snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, I was thinking, if China has already reached such a level of mastery in traditional crafts, then besides porcelain, have other traditional techniques also made such progress?"

He looked up at Chen Fan, and said as he thought, "Xiao Fan, do you think it's possible for me to cooperate with relevant domestic organizations through investment and shareholding to sell these traditional craft products overseas, achieving a win-win situation?"

As he spoke, he picked up the teacup lid again and said, "Take Jingdezhen ceramics factory as an example. Even if their ordinary products are not as good as this 7501 porcelain, their quality should still be just as good, right?"

Many things in China are "secret recipes"; as long as you can master the product, you can open up sales channels.

This is a huge deal!
Before Chen Fan could speak, Zhou Yali said, "But, Daddy, there's already the Canton Fair in China, and there are also specialized foreign trade companies that are responsible for the export of these traditional handicrafts. If we want to cooperate, we can only place orders with domestic and foreign trade companies, buy products in bulk, and then sell them through our own channels. This is no different from other trading companies."

Zhou Zhengdong was somewhat surprised, "When did you learn about these things?"

Zhou Yali proudly raised her head and grinned, "Don't underestimate me. Although I don't have much international trade experience, I am a student majoring in international trade at New York University. Our major is among the top in the United States."

She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Moreover, after arriving here, I also inquired about the domestic foreign trade model with the accompanying cadres. The foreign trade here is very simple. It involves organizing goods through foreign trade companies at all levels and then mainly finding customers by participating in the Canton Fair. It's not complicated at all and is very easy to understand."

Zhou Zhengdong smiled, let out a long breath, and said, "However, the cooperation I want is not just about selling products. There are two key points..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan raised his head and solemnly uttered a few words: "Craftsmanship and patents."

Zhou Zhengdong clapped his hands together and asked Chen Fan with a hopeful look on his face, "Xiao Fan, why don't you come to America with me? I can entrust all of the Zhou family's businesses to you, and Ya Li will be your deputy. What do you say?!"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he glanced at Zhou Yali, who was still eager to try. "Forget it, I have no plans to go abroad."

Isn't this girl afraid that she'll take away what's rightfully hers? There must be quite a few cases like this in America.

But when Zhou Yali heard his words, her face fell, and she looked quite disappointed.

She didn't care whether she was the primary or secondary player; all she wanted was to get her cousin to America.

My cousin is handsome, talented, and very funny. Taking him out to meet my friends would definitely make me look good.

Moreover, with him managing the company, I'm happy to have an easier time and feel more at ease. My cousin is definitely more trustworthy than those professional managers.

Chen Fan had no idea what she was thinking. He was speaking to Zhou Zhengdong with a serious expression, saying, "The technology is the core, and patents are the protective wall. However, almost all companies in China lack patent awareness, especially their awareness of protection. This is a very serious problem."

After pausing for two seconds, he continued, "Judging from the situation in China over the past two years, opening up to the world is an inevitable trend. The only question now is how to do it."

Without any major changes, once the country opens up, our traditional handicrafts will inevitably become easy prey for many capitalists. Without sufficient safeguards, the loss of core techniques will be almost an unavoidable reality. Many people in later generations know that countless examples of our traditional products and techniques being stolen by foreign countries, from small notebooks to Europe and America, are well-documented.

Cloisonné, Xuan paper, special silk weaving techniques... and even ordinary winemaking, vinegar making, soy sauce making, and so on.

From the 80s to the early 90s, whenever foreigners came to visit, many leaders of domestic factories would readily grant them access, even showing them the most core processes and workshops. The most outrageous thing was that they would personally teach others, and these leaders would look very proud, feeling that it was a remarkable thing that foreigners could come to learn about their products.

The result is that our own products are copied by foreign countries and then replaced by improved and more exquisite products. A large market share is taken away, the losses are incalculable, and even the inheritance of many traditional handicrafts is cut off.

If it weren't for the fact that the purchase of 7501 porcelain today sparked Zhou Zhengdong's idea of ​​cooperating with domestic companies, Chen Fan wouldn't have thought of this yet.

Because when he grew up, intellectual property and patents had become common knowledge. Who would have thought that there was such an ignorant chapter in history?

After listening to Chen Fan's words, Zhou Zhengdong's expression gradually became serious.

He thought for a moment and said, "Originally, I was thinking about win-win cooperation, but now you've reminded me that this problem is indeed very serious."

However, I am not very familiar with the current state of intellectual property rights in China, nor with the market share and reputation of Chinese handicrafts in the international market, and I do not yet have a suitable solution.

He looked up at Chen Fan and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Without hesitation, Chen Fan said, "Since we don't know, let's investigate first."

He took a deep breath and continued, "Didn't you already send your assistant to the U.S. Liaison Office in China to collect information? But that's the U.S. side. Even if they collect domestic information, it's mostly superficial."

Regarding the domestic situation, you will certainly need to conduct further investigations, so why not start with the economy?

The window of opportunity hasn't opened yet, so we can start overseas to understand which domestic products are popular in the international market and what the competing products are.

As he spoke, he suddenly thought of something, “Starting this year, the Canton Fair will be divided into spring and autumn seasons, held twice a year. The spring Canton Fair has already ended this year, so why don’t you sign up for the autumn Canton Fair in October and take a look at the products in person?”

The Canton Fair is the earliest and largest economic window to the outside world in China. Participating in this trade fair will definitely provide you with a lot of first-hand information, which can also indirectly help you understand domestic product information.

After completing the initial investigation, I think some things should be clear. Then, based on the actual situation, we can decide how to intervene.

Zhou Zhengdong nodded slowly, "Investigating first and then making a decision is a wise approach."

He looked up and smiled, "Then let's do it this way."

Although Chen Fan did not offer any advice that surprised him, he was already very satisfied that a young man not yet 20 years old, especially in the closed economic environment of the mainland, could have such insight.

Unfortunately, this child stubbornly refused to go to America. Otherwise, he could have taken the reins of the family business, and I wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of raising my daughter.

As the saying goes, a fly can only fly a few steps, but if it attaches itself to the tail of a steed, it can travel a thousand miles.

Just leave your daughter with him, hey, easy and carefree, how great is that!

Why is this child so slow to learn?

Chen Fan was also silently hoping that this time the losses wouldn't be too severe.

It's impossible to completely eliminate this, because there will always be some clever people who think they are "bringing glory to the country."

Now, we just hope to prepare early and set up patent barriers in advance for some important things, such as the Zhejiang Xuan paper and Beijing cloisonné stolen by the notebook, to protect them and minimize the losses.

Moreover, if the cooperation goes smoothly, the Zhou family can also obtain very substantial profits, especially by establishing a relationship with the upper echelons, which will be of great benefit to their future development.

……

Since he had to leave early the next morning, Chen Fan hurried to finish the design drawings for the Taoist temple. He then asked his uncle's family to stay at home to rest while he went to his master's house to deliver the goods.

In the small courtyard's main hall, the bedside table on the daybed was moved aside, and Chen Fan spread the blueprints out on the bed, explaining them to Master Zhang one by one.

Finally, he said, "Since there is no official confirmation yet for the resumption of religious activities, it is not appropriate to build a Taoist temple in public. Therefore, I designed the Taoist temple to be a courtyard house."

He never mentioned that he only realized the layout resembled a traditional courtyard house after he finished drawing the overall plan, and then turned it into his own brilliant decision.

He then pointed to the design drawings and said, “Look, now we can demolish the original house completely, throw away what should be thrown away and keep what should be kept. Then, we can build the main structure of the house, leaving the murals, altar, and sacrificial altar, as well as the roof ornaments. We can build it as a new house.”

When the time is right, we'll add those other things, and the Taoist temple will be ready for use very quickly.

Zhang Xuansong looked at the blueprints and listened to Chen Fan's explanation, nodding gently the whole time.

After he finished speaking, he grinned and said, "Good, good, this Taoist temple is beautiful, even more beautiful than the Chaoyang Temple in Shandong."

He paused for a moment, then clicked his tongue, "It's just a little small."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly as he rolled up the blueprints and said, "Let's just make do with it for now. Many things are gradually being restored. Maybe one day we can apply for land to build a Taoist temple, or we can simply buy land and then we can buy a big one in the suburbs."

This suburb doesn't refer to places like Huairou or Miyun; it refers to areas outside the old city walls, which are now Chaoyang or Haidian.

(Farmland beside Kunming Lake in the 70s)

With one hand on his hip and the other on his cane, Zhang Xuansong chuckled, his eyes filled with imagination. "Actually, this Taoist temple is quite good now. I originally thought that it would be nice to have a Taoist temple with one courtyard, the size just matters. Who would have thought that we would have such a big three-and-a-half courtyard?"

Then he chuckled again, "Of course, it would be even better if we could buy a large plot of land and build an even more magnificent one. Look at how big Qiu Zu's courtyard is, our Wang Zu can't be too shabby, right?"

Lin Yuanxiang snorted twice and deliberately said, "Didn't you say that Taoists believe in going with the flow? Why are you making comparisons?"

Zhang Xuansong sat down, leaning on his cane, and laughed, “What do you know? We don’t compare ourselves with outsiders. We just compare ourselves with our fellow disciples behind closed doors. This isn’t called fighting; it’s called healthy competition. It’s the same principle as when we competed on the battlefield to see who killed more enemies, who produced more military products, and whose troops suffered fewer casualties.”

Lin Yuanxiang couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You're really talking nonsense. You're dragging the military into this Taoist temple."

Li Shangde sat to the side and laughed heartily, "You know him well, even if he turns to ashes, his mouth will still be stubborn."

Zhang Xuansong didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, he had a sudden inspiration and smiled at the two of them, "Hey, when the Taoist temple is built, although it can't be opened yet, the buildings are real. You've been there before, and it's much more spacious than here. Why don't you all move there with me?"

Lin Yuanxiang: "Why move there?"

Li Shangde, "To become an old Taoist priest?"

Zhang Xuansong immediately burst into laughter, "Anyway, you two old bachelors have no family or relatives, so it wouldn't be bad for you to come with me and become Taoist priests."

The two of them rolled their eyes in unison. "Get lost."

(End of this chapter)