Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 680 This is not for sale, not for sale!
Dashilan is not far from Rongbaozhai. The first time Chen Fan came here, he walked there with his three masters.

Now that we have cars, we can just step on the gas a few times, carefully avoid pedestrians on the road, and arrive at the door.

I parked the car on the side of the road, got out and went inside. Just like last time, it was still crowded with people.

Today is Saturday, I don't know where all these idle people are coming from to go shopping.

What? Myself?

Chen Fan stated that he was there to learn and to make purchases, and that it was all serious business; he was definitely not a nobody!
Upon entering the gate and glancing around briefly, he noticed the "Eternal Lotus" painting hanging on the wall, directly opposite the entrance.

A blue lotus grows out of thin air without roots. Its lotus leaves are graceful and seem to cover all directions. There is also a lotus flower with nine grades of bloom. Although it is not as big as the lotus leaves, it seems to be able to break through the sky.

This is the essence of "conveying meaning through painting" in traditional Chinese painting.

The inscription in the lower left corner of the painting, "A lotus under the eternal blue sky," is simple yet perfectly captures the essence of the painting.

Across the counter, many people gathered to admire the paintings, and naturally, some people made comments and criticisms.

The sales clerk behind the counter stood aside, seemingly used to this scene.

Chen Fan stood there for a while, mostly studying the painting technique and why this blue lotus looked so magical, as if it were in the void, and he could still see the whole lotus flower. He didn't hear any negative comments.

In response, he merely curled the corners of his mouth slightly, indicating that it was nothing more than borrowing a little bit of the future 3D drawing techniques.

Then he turned his head and looked around.

The shop still mainly sells the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper), and also deals in calligraphy, paintings, and antiques.

Even antiques are mostly "literary collectibles," which include writing brushes, inkstones, paper, inkstones, teapots, fans, jade ivory carvings, seals, and ancient paintings.

Ancient books?

Sorry, this ancient book belongs to the category of used books. According to regulations, used books are within the business scope of China Bookstore. You need to turn right after you leave and go to the store next door to find it.

Only then did Chen Fan realize that he seemed to have come to the wrong place.
But since we're already here, let's take a look first.

He walked straight in, through the front hall to the backyard, where someone immediately came up to "greet" him. "Comrade, the backyard is the work area. Do you need to buy anything? I can take you there."

Chen Fan said with a smile, "Hello, is Manager Hou here?"

The young man paused for a moment, then became even more respectful, "Have I not yet had the pleasure of asking your question?"

Those who come to Manager Hou are mostly writers, painters, calligraphers, and other intellectuals, and quite well-known at that. Now that the tide has turned, these people are showing signs of rising again, so naturally, we have to give way to them.

However, even when the wind was at its strongest, Rongbaozhai never did anything to look down on scholars.

Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged. "Please inform them that Chen Fan is here to visit."

The young man didn't say much, just nodded slightly, "Please wait a moment."

Then he turned and walked inside.

After walking several steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

Wait, Chen Fan?
Which young writer is the most popular?

When Chen Fan saw him stop, he was about to ask if there was anything else, but the man continued to walk inside, so he shut his mouth and waited where he was.

The young man went into the back room, turned around to avoid Chen Fan's gaze, and then ran away.

He rushed into the manager's office, panting, and said, "Manager Hou, Manager Hou, Chen Fan is here, he's in the courtyard outside."

Manager Hou was reviewing documents when he heard his words. He casually remarked, "Which Chen Fan made you run around like this?"

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly looked up. "Chen Fan? The Chen Fan you're talking about, is that Chen Fan?"

The young man nodded vigorously, "It's that Chen Fan from Luwan, the one who painted the Immortal Lotus."

Even in Rongbaozhai, not many people knew that Chen Fan was the one who painted this picture, and he was one of them.

In fact, almost everyone in the domestic literary and art circles knows that Chen Fan is a master of both calligraphy and painting. There's no way around it; his painting "Immortal Lotus" is right here, and Mr. Ba often promotes his calligraphy. There really aren't many people who don't know him.

However, news spread slowly in those days, and the art world was not as well-known as it would later become, so his fame did not spread to everyone, let alone to overseas businessmen who wanted to buy his paintings.

When Manager Hou heard that it really was Chen Fan, he didn't even bother to pack up his documents and ran out immediately.

Chen Fan was standing in the courtyard, having just finished surveying the layout of the backyard, when he heard footsteps approaching.

The next second, Manager Hou appeared at the door, his eyes shining. He strode over and stretched out his hands from afar, "Comrade Qing... Comrade Chen, a rare guest indeed!"

A question mark appeared above Chen Fan's head. What the heck is Comrade Qingcheng?

Once their hands were clasped, he realized that Manager Hou wanted to call him Qinglian.

How did that unreliable Master Zhang end up giving himself a Taoist name?
Return the green lotus!
Why not call her Bilian?

Manager Hou grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go, saying excitedly, "Comrade Chen, it's been so long since you've been here, I was really afraid you'd forgotten about my little shop."

You have no idea how popular that painting you did last time was…!

As he spoke, he pulled Chen Fan toward a side room. Once inside, Chen Fan looked around and realized that this was the place where the big shots had gathered last time, and where the blue lotus painting had also been drawn.

Only then did Manager Hou release his hand, invite him to sit at the tea table, personally brew two cups of tea, and offer him a cigarette. After finishing his business, he sat down opposite him and asked with hopeful eyes, "Comrade Chen, is there something important that you've come here for today?"

Smoking is prohibited in art and calligraphy shops, but this room is an exception. If even this room were to be closed, I'm afraid those literati who can't live without smoking would no longer come here.

Chen Fan was a little dizzy from his enthusiasm, so he lit a cigarette and took a puff before he came to his senses and said with a smile, "It's nothing serious, I just came to buy some things and ask you for some advice."

Manager Hou spread his hands and said, "Please speak."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "I have a relative who lives overseas. He came back to China a couple of days ago and wants to buy some antiques. I don't know much about these things, and I thought Rongbaozhai is a century-old shop with a lot of antiques, so I wanted to ask you where I can buy antiques and if there are any special considerations?"

My uncle is the perfect front man; using his name is always better than using my own. Otherwise, what are you planning to do with such a large-scale acquisition of antiques?
"So that's what happened."

Manager Hou nodded in realization and smiled, “There are many kinds of antiques, and there are indeed many tricks to them. If you are not careful, you may be deceived.”

However, that was in the past. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the antique market has been rectified all over the country. First, the major time-honored brands were merged into public-private enterprises, and later all of them were incorporated and reorganized to establish antique shops.

If you buy from an antique shop, you can generally be guaranteed that it's genuine. However, the prices at antique shops are slightly higher than those from private sellers, and the authenticity of items from private sellers depends entirely on your expertise.

Therefore, for safety's sake, I suggest your relative buy it from an antique shop. Items there are clearly priced, so you're less likely to get ripped off.

Chen Fan nodded, then asked, "Where is the antique shop in Beijing?"

Manager Hou pointed in the direction of the next room and said with a smile, "It's right next door."

Chen Fan looked in the direction he was pointing and only saw a wall.

Manager Hou continued, "Now, there aren't that many shops on Liulichang Street. Rongbaozhai is the most prestigious for calligraphy and painting shops, China Bookstore is for ancient book shops, and antique shops are all located in cultural relic shops."

After a pause, he continued, "Back then, the capital city integrated the old antique shops that had been acquired and established the Beijing Cultural Relics Company. Afterwards, several branches were opened, which facilitated the acquisition of private collections on the one hand, and the sale of them to the public on the other."

Later, however, there were more sellers of cultural relics than buyers. Since foreign tourists visit the country every year, the cultural relics company, after consulting with relevant authorities, partnered with a tourism company, and the cultural relics shop became one of the attractions for foreign tourists visiting Beijing.

Naturally, cultural relics became an important source of foreign exchange earnings.

The most popular branches these days are the antique shops in Liulichang next door, Dongdan, and Wangfujing Department Store. You can buy almost anything they have there.

Chen Fan blinked and asked curiously, "Then I want to buy a bronze artifact?"

Manager Hou chuckled and shook his head, saying, "As early as 1970, apart from private sales to cultural relics companies, my country strictly prohibited the export of bronzes. Even within the country, bronzes identified as national first-class cultural relics are not allowed to be traded or sold. If they are passed down from ancestors, they are only allowed to be collected by the owner and cannot be traded."

Only ordinary cultural relics that have been identified as belonging to the general category can be traded.

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but feel disappointed. "So you can't buy it?"

Manager Hou laughed and said, "Not necessarily. Not all bronze artifacts are national treasures. Only those that are identified as Grade A are national treasures. Grade B to Grade III cultural relics can only be called treasures, which are commonly referred to as precious cultural relics."

Some ordinary bronze artifacts are also sold in antique shops, but they're not very valuable. Chen Fan stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and asked, "You mentioned private trade earlier. Are there any spontaneous private trading markets now?"

Manager Hou tossed away his cigarette butt, took a sip of tea, and looked at him with a smile, "If it were two years ago, I would definitely have told you no. But since last year, some informal markets have spontaneously organized themselves, such as Shahe Market, which is a famous pigeon market in old Beijing. In addition to the usual flowers, birds, insects and fish, it also has many other things and has developed into a comprehensive market."

However, that place is a bit far, in Changping, and it has only recently reopened, so there aren't many items available. It's mainly organized by local residents, and the goods consist primarily of agricultural products and daily necessities.

Chen Fan nodded, indicating that he understood.

He had seen these spontaneous markets quite often in the park, which mainly sold clothes, fabrics, or handmade bamboo products and furniture, reflecting a small-scale agricultural economy.

In addition, there are some light industrial products.

Almost every industry in the capital has its share of "defective products" and "unplanned products" in factories. Many of these are given to employees as welfare benefits. Some workers have clothes and fabrics piled up at home that they could not wear or use for more than ten years.

With the reopening of local markets, many daring individuals have taken the initiative to sell their wares, or sell some to small vendors, which is risk-free and allows them to earn a little money.

Seeing that he seemed lost in thought, Manager Hou assumed he wanted to go to the market to hunt for treasures, and couldn't help but laugh, "If you want to see something new, you can go to the market. But if you're hoping to find some treasures there, then forget about it."

Since its establishment, the cultural relics company has issued countless documents and carried out countless publicity campaigns. Over the past twenty years, it has thoroughly explored every corner of the old capital city.

Every possible treasure was brought to their shop for appraisal by ordinary people. Finding a bargain wasn't impossible, but you needed incredible luck; otherwise, it was all a waste of time.

He offered Chen Fan another cigarette and said with a smile, "Then you might as well go to the Ghost Market and take a look; you'll have a better chance there."

Upon hearing the word "ghost market," Chen Fan immediately perked up and asked curiously, "Panjiayuan?"

Panjiayuan is undoubtedly the most widely known place for finding bargains in later generations. All sorts of stories can be told from that place. I wonder what Panjiayuan is like now.
Upon hearing his words, Manager Hou looked completely bewildered. "A ghost market in Panjiayuan?"

Chen Fan was taken aback. "No?"

Manager Hou, "Is there?"

Chen Fan, "No..."

He immediately coughed twice, picked up his teacup, took a sip, lit his second cigarette, and then laughed, "I heard it from someone else."

"Oh."

Manager Hou shook his head in confusion. "That must be a small, unregulated market."

Chen Fan blinked and looked at him, asking, "You... don't know that place?"

Manager Hou smiled and said, "Of course I know. That place used to be the cemetery of Haoge, one of the eight Iron-Cap Princes of the Qing Dynasty. Several generations of his family were buried there, and it was divided into old graves and new graves, occupying a large area of ​​land."

During the Republic of China era, there was a kiln owner from Shandong named Pan who dug a kiln there. He originally wanted to fire glazed tiles, but the soil there was not good, so he could only fire bricks. However, the quality of his bricks was good, and because he could produce slightly more bricks than other kilns at the same price, he finally opened up a market and became famous in Beijing.

From then on, the place was called "Panjiayuan" (潘家窑), and later, because in the old society, that kind of thing was called "yaozi" (窑子), it was renamed "Panjiayuan" (潘家园).

He took a drag of his cigarette and continued, "That place was riddled with holes from the kilns, it was even worse than a battlefield that had been bombarded."

It was around the 1960s that residential areas began to be built there, and the pits were gradually filled in, resulting in the Panjiayuan area we see today.

After explaining, he shook his head in confusion, "But speaking of ghost markets, I've never heard of any famous ghost markets there."

Chen Fan stared, mouth agape, eyes full of confusion. So that's how it is?

He only knew about Panjiayuan before, but he didn't know that Panjiayuan's rise to prominence actually started in the 80s. Because it was not far from the city center and had convenient transportation, and because the area was not small but sparsely populated, while there was a large residential area nearby, many people set up stalls there to sell secondhand goods. This attracted all sorts of shady characters to set up stalls there, and it gradually developed after that.

Panjiayuan Market, on the other hand, was not planned and constructed until 92.

So, in terms of fame, Panjiayuan is the biggest, but in terms of history, it can only be considered the younger brother.

Manager Hou looked at him and said, "I'll say it again: the quality of things in the ghost market varies greatly, and good things are even rarer than gold in the waves. If your relative is really interested in collecting, he might as well go to an antique shop to buy things. The ghost market is not a place to stroll around, but to 'go through' it. There aren't many good things there, but there are plenty of bad rules. Unless it's absolutely necessary, it's best not to go."

Chen Fan snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Yes, I'll tell him."

Manager Hou smiled and said, "It's rare for Comrade Chen to come to our shop. If you're not in a hurry, how about leaving a piece of your calligraphy?"

Chen Fan blinked and chuckled, "The calligraphy and paintings at Rongbaozhai, could it all have been stolen by Manager Hou like this?!"

Manager Hou was smoking when he heard this, and he choked on his cigarette, coughing several times.

He quickly picked up his teacup and took a sip. After catching his breath, he looked at Chen Fan helplessly and said, "The calligraphy and paintings in my shop are naturally acquired. If Comrade Chen is willing to cooperate, I am willing to offer you the highest possible purchase price."

He gestured as he spoke, “15 yuan per square foot. Qi Gong, Liu Haisu, Jiang Zhaohe, Li Keran, and Wu Zuoren all paid the same price.”

He paused for a moment, then explained, "It used to be 60, but the payment was interrupted until last year when it was resumed. The initial price was set at a maximum of 15 yuan."

Chen Fan shook his head. "Forget about the collaboration. You painted a picture last time, so let's write some calligraphy this time."

Upon hearing this, Manager Hou felt both disappointed and happy.

The failure to cooperate is certainly disappointing.

I'm happy to have gotten a piece of calligraphy for free.

If he had a choice, he would certainly prefer to cooperate, so that he could not only see more of Chen Fan's paintings, but also generate profits for the company.

Now that I've acquired a piece of calligraphy for free, it can only be used as one of the museum's prized possessions, just like the painting, and cannot be sold.

Who would dare to sell calligraphy and paintings given as a favor?
Such items are generally not for sale at Rongbaozhai, and there are quite a few of them.

Without Chen Fan lifting a finger or calling anyone in, Manager Hou personally served him the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Manager Hou took ten sheets of the finest Xuan paper, the kind used to paint "This Land So Rich in Beauty," and laid them neatly on the table, then pressed them down with a bronze paperweight.

He then took out a fine Huzhou brush, a superior Duan inkstone, and a piece of Luo Xiaohua ink stick.

Seeing such a luxurious outfit, Chen Fan couldn't help but feel an itch to touch it.

He turned to look at Manager Hou and smiled, "How much are you planning to have me write?"

Manager Hou remained unfazed and chuckled, "Write as much as you like. If you run out of paper, I'll get more!"

As he spoke, he scooped a spoonful of water from Yuquan Mountain into the inkstone and picked up the ink stick to grind the ink.

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. Was that what I meant?!
However, he didn't say much. After the ink had solidified, he picked up the brush, touched the tip of the brush to his fingertips to familiarize himself with the brush's firmness and looseness, and then prepared to write.

A 12-foot-long sheet of Xuan paper, measuring 367 centimeters in length and 144 centimeters in width, is specifically used for creating large-scale works.

Chen Fan had never bought this kind of paper before, nor had he ever painted on such a large sheet of paper. However, in his eyes, no matter how big the paper was, it was not bigger than the earth. As long as he had a vision in his heart, he could use any size paper, whether it was large or small.

He first laid the paper horizontally, then picked up the brush and began to write.

This time, Chen Fan moved very slowly; he wasn't writing, but drawing.

Manager Hou was taken aback at first, then stared intently at the drawing paper, watching with great interest while grinding ink.

More than half an hour later, a picture of a perilous mountain pass appeared on the paper.

Chen Fan took a breath and then continued to paint with abandon. Before long, a procession appeared under the setting sun, between the mountain passes, carrying a flag and marching forward bravely.

Only after he finished drawing the team did he write the words in the upper right corner of the ink painting.

Manager Hou widened his eyes and softly recited, "The west wind is fierce, wild geese cry in the frosty morning moon. Frosty morning moon, the sound of horses' hooves is broken, the sound of trumpets is choked. The pass is as iron as a formidable mountain, but now we stride forward anew. Anew, the green mountains are like the sea, the setting sun is like blood."

After Chen Fan put down his pen, he clapped his hands excitedly, "Great!"

Chen Fan smiled and was about to speak when the door was suddenly pushed open, and a middle-aged man barged in. A staff member followed behind with a wry smile, shrugging at Manager Hou to indicate that he couldn't stop him, he couldn't stop him at all!

Before Manager Hou could speak, the man rushed to the desk, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the calligraphy and paintings on it.

Manager Hou didn't care about Chen Fan at this point. He immediately spread his arms to stop the man, shouting, "Not for sale! This is not for sale!"

(End of this chapter)