Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 669: Highly respected
Except for sleeping at the guesthouse at night, Chen Fan spent the rest of the time in the museum, and he stayed there for a whole week.

With Director Zhang's personal instruction and the foundation laid by Master Lu, his appraisal skills and experience points skyrocketed, and his progress amazed Director Zhang.

Even though he mentioned that he had studied the relevant theoretical knowledge before, Director Zhang was still impressed. No wonder he caught Professor Xu's eye and was accepted as a personal disciple.

They understand immediately upon hearing it, grasp the meaning instantly, and most importantly, remember it. This remarkable learning agility is something few possess.

Most importantly, they don't have the impetuousness that is most commonly found in intelligent people.

Why do many intelligent people achieve less than some ordinary people? The reason is that intelligent people are prone to complacency and lack thoroughness in their learning and work. If they cannot correct this in time, they will eventually become just another ordinary person.

This problem does not exist for Chen Fan.

His learning is so solid. Everything he has heard and seen has become experience points stored in his skill set. He can't forget them even if he wants to, and he can apply what he has learned to other situations. His foundation is absolutely profound, without a single flaw.

Therefore, Chen Fan made great progress during this week.

Throughout the museum, Director Zhang knew every piece of the collection he had introduced, including similar artifacts, from their craftsmanship and historical background to the stories associated with them.

If that's all there is to it, he's at best a bookworm, and it's still quite dangerous for him to really get involved in the antique appraisal industry.

Because in this industry, you not only need to be able to distinguish the genuine from the fake, but also the counterfeit!

Many people believe that there were no fake antiques before the reform and opening up. If you enter this industry with this idea in mind, then you're just waiting to be swindled out of your pants.

The peak of counterfeiting was not in the 90s when the antique market was booming, but in the 20s and 30s during the Republic of China era.

Note that that period can only be described as the peak of counterfeiting; it does not mean that things were peaceful at other times.

In fact, from the Song Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, counterfeiting in all aspects never stopped, from clothing, food, housing and transportation to writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones, and various antiques, which was no less sophisticated than the technological counterfeiting of later times.

For example, when Ji Xiaolan bought an ink stick made by Luo Xiaohua, a master ink maker during the Ming Dynasty, the ink stick looked "the lacquer box was worn and tattered, truly an old item." But when he used it, good heavens, it was just a clay stick coated with a layer of black, and even had a layer of white frost on it, making it look very real.

That's considered good; there are even more outrageous things that have happened.

When he went to the capital to take the imperial examination, he bought a few candles on the way. When he arrived at his lodging, he was about to light them, but the wicks had all burned out and the candles did not melt. When he broke one off, he found that it was made of clay strips with a layer of mutton fat on the outside.

In addition, he also bought fake roast duck and fake boots.

The ancient book "Old Tales of Wulin" which reminisces about the customs and culture of Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, records that "in the buying and selling of goods, counterfeit goods were exchanged for genuine ones, and paper was used to make clothes, copper and lead were used to make gold and silver, and earth and wood were used to make incense and medicine..."

It means that some people have incredibly creative ideas: making clothes out of paper, passing off copper as gold, mixing lead into silver ingots, and using ordinary wood to imitate sandalwood...

As for tricks like stuffing sand into chickens and ducks, blowing air into geese and sheep, and injecting water into fish, these were common practices during the Song Dynasty.

See, water-injected meat isn't a modern invention; people in ancient times ate it too.

Compared to the ancients, later generations are merely picking up scraps of their wisdom.

If this applies to everything from clothing, food, housing, and transportation, how much more so to priceless antiques and treasures?
Therefore, the forgery of antiques has existed since ancient times.

It's inevitable that some fakes will be mixed in with museum collections.

This kind of thing happened most often during the Republic of China period. Many big collectors have been fooled by it, and some even keep the fakes they mistakenly bought as a warning.

Later on, "identifying genuine items from fake ones" almost became a routine practice for museums.

In other words, museums will proactively collect some fakes that are difficult to distinguish from genuine articles, in order to compare them with the real articles, so as to prevent confusion between the real and fake, and also to increase knowledge.

To be able to make counterfeits look exactly like the real thing, one must have an excellent understanding of the manufacturing techniques of that era. What else could this be but a skill?!

Later on, most of the items exhibited in museums were actually fakes, especially national treasures, which were stored in warehouses for years and were basically only fakes on display.

Oh, they have their own technical terminology: counterfeit.

Anyway, most of the people who go to visit are laymen; they're happy just to see the spectacle. Who cares about the real artifacts?!
Given this reality, the Jiangnan Museum is no exception.

From counterfeit porcelain from folk kilns during the Republic of China era to modern simulated bronzes produced in Yanjian Village, Yinchuan, Henan, the museum's collection includes even the fakes, which are quite distinctive.

Chen Fan spent his days looking at genuine items and his nights pondering counterfeits. In just a few days, he had thoroughly emptied Director Zhang's mind of all his knowledge.

In the end, Director Zhang had no choice but to issue him a long-term pass, saying helplessly, "I have nothing to teach you about appraising treasures. Since you can appraise treasures, you can learn about history on your own. There's no need for you to keep wasting your time here."

Professor Xu is not only a master of Chinese studies but also a master of history. He knows more about these things than I do.

Since I have nothing to teach you, you don't need to come every day anymore. I've issued you this pass, so you can come and visit whenever you have time. You can freely enter the front exhibition area and the back storage room, as long as you don't take anything out.

Having learned someone else's skills, Chen Fan was naturally extremely polite. "Thanks to your guidance these past few days, I used to have no interest in antiques, but after studying them for the past few days, I've discovered that there's a lot to learn about them."

The value of antiques lies not in their material, shape, or rarity, nor in their monetary price, but in their craftsmanship, artistic connotations, and inherent historical value.

Museums are wonderful places where you can see the continuation of our 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization. This cultural heritage is unique in the world. I will come here often in the future and continue to study these things.

Hearing this, Director Zhang felt very gratified and nodded repeatedly with a smile, "I am very happy that you have made this change. It has not been in vain that I have taught you these past few days."

He paused for a moment, then joked, "You're welcome to come here anytime. As long as you don't take anything out, you can stay as long as you like."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "That's not the case. If I want to collect things, there are plenty in the Shanghai Antique Shop, and the prices aren't too expensive. I can go there to buy them."

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang's heart stirred. He took out his small notebook, opened it, flipped through it, and found a record, which he copied onto a blank sheet of paper.

He tore off a piece of paper, handed it to Chen Fan, and said, "This is an old classmate of mine. He's now the deputy director of the Shanghai Antique Shop and also a senior researcher. If you really want to buy treasures there, you can't go wrong by looking for him."

These days, people don't call themselves appraisers; they call them researchers. It sounds more professional and sophisticated.

After Chen Fan took it, he added, "Starting from the mid-50s, the Shanghai Antique Shop underwent renovations. Everything sold there is now genuine and has been authenticated. You can be quite assured when you buy things there."

Chen Fan carefully put away the note, his face beaming with joy. "Thank you."

Believe it or not, after studying here for a week, he actually started to have the idea of ​​collecting antiques.

Anyway, he has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it, and he's also developed an interest in antiques. Buying a batch to display at home and admiring them from time to time is quite cultured, isn't it?

He carefully put away the note, then pulled out two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from his bag, chuckled, and handed them to Director Zhang, saying, "Consider this your tuition. If you don't accept it, it means you're being disrespectful."

Director Zhang accepted the cigarette without ceremony, casually tossing it onto the table. He then smiled at Chen Fan and said, "I'll take the gift, but I'd be even happier if you could accomplish something for me."

Chen Fan blinked. "What is it?"

Director Zhang looked around mysteriously and whispered, "When you go to the antique shops in Shanghai, see if you can find one or two fakes there!"

Chen Fan stared wide-eyed, his eyes filled with confusion.

What do you mean? Are you trying to ruin someone's reputation?
Director Zhang coughed lightly and chuckled sheepishly, "A few years ago, I acquired a Qianlong blue and white plum blossom vase, but I never expected it to have a 'separated bottom.' Later, my classmate even noticed it, which made me lose face."

Chen Fan suddenly realized that this was a way of asking him to get revenge; after all, they were his classmates!

The so-called "bottom-attachment" generally refers to a special type of porcelain counterfeit where the bottom of a genuine antique is attached to the body of a replica bottle to form a complete piece.

Since the most important method of porcelain authentication is to identify the mark on the bottom, and the bottom of the piece is often genuine, even seasoned connoisseurs can be fooled if they are not careful.

But Director Zhang really thinks highly of you by sending him to "take revenge"!

That's the Shanghai Antique Shop, a place on par with Rongbaozhai in Beijing, with countless masters of appraisal. Getting a fake to slip in there is harder than climbing to heaven.

Well, just take this with a grain of salt; he won't take it seriously.

Director Zhang saw Chen Fan to the door and watched him leave, his mind still on the matter.

I don't care if I lose face or not, the main thing is that if I lose face, how can my old friends be spared?
Although this junior apprentice was young, he had completely mastered the craft in just one week, especially in identifying fakes. He didn't make a single mistake, including with that Qianlong plum vase that had fooled him. His eyes were like a microscope; he could spot even the slightest flaw.

Now we'll see if any fakes have been mixed into the antique shop.

What if there is?!
If he can identify it, then I'll have ammunition for a counterattack for the rest of my life!
……

Chen Fan returned to the guesthouse at around 9 p.m.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw the lights on inside the canteen. Unfortunately, the windows were two meters off the ground, so I couldn't see inside, but I could hear people talking inside.

He got out of the car and entered the gate, greeted Xiao Peng first, and then asked, "Who's still eating now?"

Xiao Peng stood up and leaned on the counter, whispering, "Aren't you having a meeting tomorrow? Everyone arrived these past two days, except for the last one who arrived an hour and a half ago. Chairman He and Secretary-General Xu are treating them to dinner."

Chen Fan said "Oh" and nodded, "That is indeed quite late."

Besides the Yangtze River, Jiangnan Province also has many mountainous areas. If you come from those areas, you can only take winding mountain roads. And the weather hasn't been very good these past few days; it even rained lightly this morning. The roads must be difficult to travel on. People may have set off before dawn and only arrived now, which is quite normal.

However, this was irrelevant to him; he had already eaten dinner at the museum cafeteria, the free kind, so he didn't need to order anything else.

So he waved his hand and was about to go back to his room.

At this moment, Xiao Peng suddenly asked, "Director Chen, didn't your unit allocate housing? Why aren't you moving?"

Chen Fan turned to look at her. "Has the news reached you already?"

Xiao Peng chuckled and said, "What's wrong with me? So many people come and go at the guesthouse every day, and they're all from the cultural system, so it's normal for them to be well-informed."

Chen Fan thought it made sense, and then smiled and said, "I've been too busy these past few days, I haven't had time. I'll find some time to move tomorrow."

Huang Tianzhi sent him a message through Xu Qizhen, saying that the house had been renovated and all the furniture had been put in place.

In addition, the Yunhu small appliances arranged by Chen Fan were also delivered under the arrangement of Deputy Factory Director Li. In addition to the two hundred sets given to the Writers Association, another set was specially sent to him after hearing that his new home in the provincial capital had been completed. In addition, the three major appliances, namely a TV, refrigerator and washing machine, which were found from who-knows-where, were also provided.

In addition, they even managed to get him a gas cylinder and a gas stove.

The gas stove here is the same as the one used in Shanghai and Beijing homes; it's made of cast iron and doesn't have an electronic ignition function. You need a lighter or match to light it. The difference is that this place only has bottled gas, while Shanghai and Beijing use piped gas.

There's no way around it; although the provincial capital is not bad, it's still far inferior to those two major cities.

The first piped gas line in the provincial capital wasn't completed until the late 80s, so there was still a long way to go.

In short, all the furniture and appliances in the house are now in place, and even the bed and bedding have been arranged perfectly by Xu Qizhen, just waiting for him to move in.

Since I don't have to go to training tomorrow, I can find a break during a meeting, pack my things in the guesthouse room, and move in.

Chen Fan looked at Xiao Peng and asked curiously, "Strictly speaking, the Cultural Palace also belongs to the cultural system. Your guesthouse is an affiliated unit of the Cultural Palace, so you should also be able to get rooms, right?"

Speaking of this, Xiao Peng couldn't help but pout, "There are some, but they can't compare to your unit at all. I heard that there are only a few dozen houses in total, and priority is given to older employees with housing difficulties. Someone like me who has only been working for two or three years has no chance at all."

Chen Fan pondered for two seconds and said, "If that's the case, the new house is definitely out of the question, but the old house, maybe we can still try."

Xiao Peng immediately stared at him with wide eyes, "What do you mean?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Think about it, those older employees who have housing difficulties, once they get new houses, won't they have to return their old houses to their work unit?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Peng immediately understood. He clapped his hands excitedly and said, "That's right! If we can't get a new house, we can try to get the old one. That's better than the whole family crammed together."

After saying that, he put his hands together and worshipped Chen Fan as if he were a god. "Thank you, Director Chen. If the house is allocated, I will treat you to wild game noodles."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "If that's what you mean, I'll give you another tip that will greatly increase your chances of getting a room."

Xiao Peng's eyes lit up immediately. "What do you mean?"

Chen Fan looked around mysteriously, then lowered his voice and said, "Our unit just distributed over 100 apartments, but we still have our old houses; the housing management bureau hasn't taken them back yet..."

Xiao Peng asked curiously, "Why wasn't it taken back?"

Chen Fan didn't say anything, but just smiled and winked.

At first, Xiao Peng was a little confused, but then a thought flashed through his mind: "The compensation wasn't in place?!"

Although the houses were allocated to the Writers' Association by the Housing Management Bureau, since they were allocated, they belong to us, right?
Although we no longer lack housing, and even have more than enough, other units still lack housing. If you want to take it back and redistribute it to others, that's not impossible.

But can't we just take this house away without any explanation?
Shouldn't we give some appropriate compensation?
Otherwise, how will you fight for the interests of your underlings in the future?

Seeing Chen Fan smile and remain silent, Xiao Peng knew he had guessed correctly. He immediately chuckled and said, "Our unit is quite short of housing. Since the Writers' Association has so many houses, I'll go and make a suggestion to the leaders tomorrow. Then, hehehehe..."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "This young man is teachable."

After saying that, he shook his head and walked towards the backyard.

Back in the room, the three little guys had already flown in through the open window and were nestled in the bag, ready to sleep. When they heard Chen Fan come in, they immediately poked their heads out and chirped a few times.

Chen Fan patted the three little heads, "Are you full?"

Then a few more chirps.

Chen Fan: "Okay, I'll go to sleep after I've eaten."

Watching the three little creatures huddle into the bag, Chen Fan scratched his head, wondering when he could build them a nest. Luckily, there was a very tall dawn redwood tree in the yard of his new house.

These dawn redwoods surround the entire Xinghu Lake, and their leaves turn yellow in autumn and winter, making them particularly beautiful from a distance.

They would be very happy if we built them a nest at the top of the tree.

After calming the three little birds, I closed the window, took a hot shower in the bathroom, changed into my pajamas, and got ready for bed.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside. Chen Fan glanced at the window and guessed that they had finished eating and were about to go back to their rooms, so he didn't think much of it, turned off the light, and went to bed.

But a short while later, there was a knock on his door.

Chen Fan opened his eyes. "Who is it?"

He Qingsheng's voice sounded from outside the door, "Me. You didn't just fall asleep, did you?"

Chen Fan sighed, got up, put on his coat, turned on the light, and went to open the door.

He Qingsheng and Xu Qizhen stood at the door and were somewhat surprised to see his appearance.

As Xu Qizhen walked inside, she said, "I heard you haven't gone to bed until after midnight these past few days. Why are you up so early today?"

Chen Fan yawned, picked up a teacup and poured tea, "You've finished studying, no need to be so nervous anymore, just take it slow from now on."

He placed the teacup on the coffee table, then took the cigarette He Qingsheng offered, sat down on the other chair, and asked the two men, "There's a meeting tomorrow, are you trying to let us know in advance?"

He Qingsheng shook his head. "You don't need to inform them in advance. You've said everything you need to say. Just wait for the arrangements."

Xu Qizhen took a sip of tea, looked at him and smiled, "After this meeting, you will be a leader in our unit, so you have to come and do some pre-conference work, right?"

Chen Fan's face darkened. "You guys didn't go back to sleep, but came here to bother me, just to joke around?"

He Qingsheng lit a cigarette and chuckled, "I'm not kidding you. To be honest, you may be a little less experienced in terms of seniority, but in terms of merit and works, it's no exaggeration to say that you are 'highly respected'. So, I specially called Xiao Xu over to talk to you about how to carry out our work in the future."

Chen Fan barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. So young and already so respected, and he says he's not here to laugh at me?!

(End of this chapter)