"If it's convenient for you, we'll meet at the TV station tomorrow, then we'll drive to Jinan. After lunch and a short rest, the live treasure appraisal event will begin in the afternoon... We'll stay in Jinan for one day, and the next morning we'll have half a day for activities. In the afternoon, we'll organize a tour of Jinan's famous sights for the guests, and then return to Beijing in the evening..."
Liu Jia was the host and producer of the on-site treasure appraisal event. She had just received the faxed information about Zhuang Rui, a director of the Jade Association, this morning. However, she was a little unsure about his age of 25, which seemed too young. After confirming with the relevant person in charge of the Jade Association, Liu Jia called Zhuang Rui.
This is understandable, considering that the people participating in the on-site appraisal event were all quite prominent, including an associate researcher from the Palace Museum, the general manager of a famous auction house, and a domestic expert in the appraisal of calligraphy, paintings, and miscellaneous items. It was indeed somewhat distrustful for Zhuang Rui, who was only twenty-five years old, to be among them.
"Okay, I'll be there on time tomorrow..."
After agreeing, Zhuang Rui hung up the phone. For him, distinguishing the authenticity of jade or even antiques was not difficult. What he needed to learn was how to identify what was real and what was fake.
Chapter 310 Experts (Part 1)
The next morning, Zhuang Rui drove to Beijing TV Station. Because he wasn't familiar with the roads and needed to use navigation, and also worried about traffic jams, he left Yuquan Mountain early, arriving at 7:40 AM.
However, Zhuang Rui was stopped at the entrance of the TV station. The reason was simple: his license plate was from out of town. These days, there are too many people coming to Beijing to petition. They can't get into the ministries' compounds, and the security at CCTV is very tight. So many petitioners have to settle for second best and often go to Beijing TV stations. Therefore, vehicles without a pass issued by the TV station or a Beijing license plate are generally not allowed to enter.
"Hey, I'm saying, even with this pass, you're not allowed in?"
Zhuang Rui pointed to the pass for the Yuquanshan Sanatorium that had just been issued yesterday on the front of the car and said to the young armed policeman guarding the gate.
"I'm sorry, this pass is not valid for entry. Who are you looking for?"
The armed police officer saluted and glanced at the pass with the special prefix, but still didn't let him pass.
"I was invited by the TV station. Oh, and here, take this..."
Zhuang Rui remembered the invitation and quickly handed it over through the car window. It worked perfectly; after verifying Zhuang Rui's ID, he was allowed to pass.
Inside the TV station compound, a luxury minibus was already parked. A tall, young woman in business attire was standing in front of the bus, constantly looking towards the entrance. When she saw Zhuang Rui's car come in, she glanced at the license plate, but seeing that it was from out of town, she didn't pay much attention to it.
Liu Jia, a popular host on Beijing TV, has hosted many live events, but this is her first time independently planning and producing a program. In addition, it is a joint event with a TV station from another region, so she was a little nervous. She arrived at the TV station early in the morning to prepare to welcome the guests of this treasure appraisal event.
The antique investment market has been booming in recent years, with even CCTV launching its own appraisal program, and local TV stations vying to follow suit. This live appraisal event was a joint production of Beijing TV and Shandong TV's "Collection World" program, and the station leadership attached great importance to the program. The photography and hosting team consisted of the station's pillars. ...
"Hello, this is Zhuang Rui. We've arrived at the TV station..."
After parking his car, Zhuang Rui took out his phone and dialed the number from yesterday.
"Hello, Mr. Zhuang, this is Liu Jia. I'm right here in the yard next to this car. I don't see you here."
Liu Jia kept her eyes fixed on the entrance of the TV station. There were still more than 20 minutes before the start of work, and very few people were coming in and out. Apart from one out-of-town car coming in, she didn't see anyone else enter.
"I drove in, you probably didn't see me. Okay, I see you now."
Zhuang Rui parked his car in the yard. After walking around the front of the minibus, he saw Liu Jia making a phone call.
At this moment, Liu Jia also saw Zhuang Rui, quickly hung up the phone, and walked towards him. She extended her hand and said, "Hello, I am the host and producer of this program. My name is Liu Jia."
"I am Zhuang Rui, and I am very happy to participate in your program."
Zhuang Rui extended his right hand, shook the other person's soft, boneless hand, looked her over, and couldn't help but admire her in his heart.
Today, Liu Jia is wearing a white business suit. The open collar of the suit reveals her beautiful face, long neck, and collarbone. Looking further down, her small but firm breasts accentuate the perfect lines of the suit. Below her slender waist, the knee-length skirt makes her high, pert buttocks protrude outwards. If viewed from the side, it would definitely be a perfect S-shape.
In Zhuang Rui's opinion, apart from being slightly shorter than Qin Xuanbing, this host was just as good-looking and had a similar temperament, except that her smile was a bit too professional.
While Zhuang Rui was sizing up Liu Jia, Liu Jia was also observing Zhuang Rui. According to his information, this jade appraisal expert was a year younger than her, which was enough to arouse Liu Jia's curiosity.
Standing at around 1.8 meters tall, with an ordinary appearance, Liu Jia was slightly taken aback when she saw Zhuang Rui's eyes through his glasses. Those bright eyes, gazing at her, radiated an intense confidence that made his otherwise plain appearance come alive.
Zhuang Rui dressed very casually, wearing a gray plaid short-sleeved shirt and dress pants. He had specially bought these at the brand store yesterday. He would be facing a lot of people at the treasure appraisal event, so he couldn't just wear jeans and a t-shirt, could he?
However, Zhuang Rui's outfit, which cost over two thousand yuan, was destined to be unwearable. After a brief conversation with Liu Jia, he was led onto a minibus, where a young man handed him a brand-new jumpsuit, saying it was the uniform for the guests. He then took out a bag and put Zhuang Rui's original clothes inside.
"Mr. Zhuang, let me introduce you. This is Director Zhu from our TV station, who is also the leader of this event."
After Zhuang Rui changed his clothes and got out of the car, a middle-aged man wearing glasses appeared next to Liu Jia. The man gave Zhuang Rui a forced smile and shook his hand, clearly disdainful of the expert before him, and putting on an air of superiority.
"Would the station director personally intervene? It's probably just a deputy station director."
Zhuang Rui didn't mind; it was all expected. After greeting Director Zhu, he got into the car and went to enjoy the air conditioning. Although it was morning, the weather was unbearably hot.
After waiting for another ten minutes or so, the other appraisal experts arrived one by one. Sitting in the car, Zhuang Rui noticed that Director Zhu's previously stern face immediately broke into a smile, and he quickly stepped forward to shake the experts' hands firmly, repeatedly saying, "I've heard so much about you."
The host, however, seemed to feel a bit neglected by Zhuang Rui, so he got into the car and chatted with him for a while.
Once everyone had arrived, Director Zhu waved his hand, and the minibus drove out of the television station.
Including Zhuang Rui, there were a total of six people, who formed the expert group for this treasure appraisal event. However, the other five were quite familiar with each other and chatted and laughed after arriving. Although they did not deliberately ignore Zhuang Rui, no one went to talk to the young man.
"It is an honor to have invited all of you experts to participate in this folk treasure appraisal event and promote national culture. I am Liu Jia from Beijing TV. It will take more than three hours to get to Jinan. Shall we introduce ourselves to each other?"
Liu Jia saw that Zhuang Rui was sitting by the window, and no one was talking to him, making him seem a bit lonely. So she stood up and tried to liven up the atmosphere.
"Xiao Liu, you're a big shot at Beijing TV, everyone knows you! I, Lao Jin, am a big fan of yours..."
A chubby, round-faced middle-aged man in his forties teased Liu Jia a few times before speaking first: "My surname is Jin, and I work at the Palace Museum. My friends call me Fatty Jin. We're all old acquaintances, so there's no need for further introductions, right?"
Upon hearing the man's name, Zhuang Rui looked up and sized him up. He had heard Uncle De mention Jin Pangzi before; Jin Pangzi specialized in the appraisal of calligraphy and painting and was the direct disciple of the calligraphy master surnamed Aisin Gioro. He had a great reputation in the industry, and he hadn't expected that Jin Pangzi would be invited by the TV station this time.
"Hehe, my name is Qian Jun. I've dealt with most of you here before. I currently work at the Kyoto Auction House, so I'm certainly not as professional as you all. However, I do know a bit about the prices in the antique market. If you have any good items and don't come to me, Qian Jun, that would be really unfair."
A middle-aged man sitting in front of Zhuang Rui also stood up and introduced himself. Among the experts present, he was probably the closest in age to Zhuang Rui, around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. He had a smile on his face the whole time, probably due to his profession.
Then the other three people stood up and introduced themselves one by one. People who are familiar with the antique circle are mostly worldly-wise. A few words made the young people in the car laugh out loud, and the atmosphere in the car became lively.
Zhuang Rui had heard of two of the three men. The lean old man in his early sixties sitting behind Zhuang Rui was nicknamed Sun Dasheng. He was a well-known expert in miscellaneous items in China and had a good relationship with Uncle De. Zhuang Rui had seen a photo of him and Uncle De together.
The other expert was a bronze ware and antique furniture appraiser, over fifty years old, and very humorous. Zhuang Rui had also heard of him.
The last person to stand up and introduce himself was Tian Fan, a colleague of Fatty Jin and a researcher at the Palace Museum. He had a deep understanding of ceramics. He was a man of few words; he stood up, said a few words, and then sat down. It was Fatty Jin who spoke up to help him finish the introduction.
Although Zhuang Rui didn't have any particular fondness for experts, he was still slightly excited to be with these renowned domestic experts in antique collection and appraisal. Putting aside everything else, just being able to learn a few things from them would make the trip worthwhile.
Antiques are generally divided into six categories: porcelain (including ceramics), bronzes, miscellaneous items (ivory carvings, wood carvings, bamboo carvings, snuff bottles, lacquerware, etc.), calligraphy and painting, jade, and furniture. In this car, experts from almost every field are present, making it a formidable lineup.
"Mr. Zhuang, would you please introduce yourself?"
Just as Zhuang Rui was categorizing these people, Liu Jia's voice suddenly came from beside him, and he was stunned for a moment. He had completely forgotten that he was also an invited jade appraisal expert and was among those who were qualified to introduce themselves.
Zhuang Rui quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "I am quite excited to meet all the teachers in the antique industry. My name is Zhuang Rui. I have some knowledge of jade and gemstones. I currently hold a nominal position as a director of the Jade Association, but I am also very interested in antiques. I would like to take this opportunity to ask you all for your guidance."
"Well, young people should always benefit from learning from a few teachers..."
Master Zhu's voice was somewhat sarcastic, as he was feeling resentful. All the organizations invited to this event had sent their best and brightest, who were all prominent figures in the industry. Only the Jade Association was not giving him any face, sending a mere twenty-something-year-old young man. This made Master Zhu feel somewhat embarrassed, so he had not given Zhuang Rui a friendly look.
Zhuang Rui glanced indifferently at Director Zhu, who had spoken disparagingly to him, but said nothing. This nobody was so arrogant and domineering; Zhuang Rui simply couldn't be bothered with him.
"Don't talk about learning. Xiao Zhuang is so young, yet he has already made a name for himself in the jade industry. He must have some special skills. We should exchange ideas more often in the future."
The speaker was the auction house's general manager. He was a businessman and naturally very shrewd. Although Zhuang Rui was young, he didn't look down on him.
"Hehe, I wonder what kind of antiques Xiao Zhuang likes?"
Fatty Jin also asked with a smile. They were also full of curiosity about this young guy. It was the first time they had ever seen a 25-year-old director of the Jade Association.
"I have a broad range of interests, including miscellaneous items and porcelain. I also studied under Uncle De for a period of time in Zhonghai..."
Zhuang Rui intentionally mentioned Uncle De's name.
"Old Ma? Hey, we're not strangers here. Come, come, sit in the front. How's Brother Ma doing? He hasn't been to Beijing for a while. I was just thinking of going to visit him sometime."
As soon as Zhuang Rui said this, the old man surnamed Sun immediately beckoned him to sit down. Given his relationship with Uncle De, it would be unreasonable not to look after Zhuang Rui.
Chapter 311 Experts (Part 2)
In the antique trade, the most important thing is that the items have a clear provenance. Similarly, collectors also value their background and identity. Zhuang Rui was apprenticed to Uncle De, so he was considered an insider. As a result, Fatty Jin and the others became more enthusiastic towards him. It is customary in the trade to mentor a junior.
The man nicknamed Sun Wukong was a close friend of Uncle De, so he naturally treated Zhuang Rui as his junior. After calling Zhuang Rui over, he asked about Uncle De's recent situation.
"Zhuang Rui? Zhuang Rui, why does that name sound so familiar?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's name, the ceramics appraisal expert named Tian Fan frowned as if deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and disregarding the car's jolting, he stood up and darted to the row of seats where Zhuang Rui was sitting, saying, "Little Zhuang, didn't you buy something at Panjiayuan the day before yesterday?"
Zhuang Rui was startled by the old man who suddenly rushed over. Judging from his age, he should be over fifty. Yet he was so agile. However, after hearing Tian Fan's words, Zhuang Rui was stunned. How did the news from the afternoon before yesterday spread so quickly?
As mentioned earlier, the circulation of antiques, besides buying and selling, also involves private exchanges among collectors. Beijing may seem like a big city, but most people in this industry know each other. After Zhuang Rui left, that shopkeeper immediately spread the word.
It should be noted that Longshan black pottery is not only highly collectible, but also of great archaeological value, making it one of the few fine examples of pottery. Tian Fan has been immersed in ceramics all his life, so he naturally cares a lot about this kind of thing. When the shopkeeper mentioned it, he took notice, which is why he reacted this way.
"Xiao Zhuang, I don't mean anything by it, I just wanted to ask if you found that item?"
Seeing everyone in the car staring at him, Tian Fan blushed and felt a little embarrassed. Although Tian Fan and Fatty Jin both worked at the Palace Museum, Fatty Jin often participated in social activities, while Tian Fan stayed at the office all day doing research and was a bit dull.
"Yes, I came across a piece of Longshan black pottery in Panjiayuan the day before yesterday. I was pretty lucky. Did the owner of Cilaifang tell you about it?"
Zhuang Rui openly admitted that he had found bargains on Taobao, which was perfectly legitimate.
"Hey, it really is you? What a coincidence! I was just about to ask Lao Na to arrange a meeting with you, Xiao Zhuang. After we finish the show and go back to Beijing, could you let this old man see your Longshan black pottery?"
Tian Fan followed up, saying that the number of fine black pottery pieces in existence is extremely small. Even he had only seen one or two pieces, and they were all somewhat damaged. If the car hadn't been heading towards Jinan, he would have wanted to take Zhuang Rui to see the object right away.
"Okay, no problem..."
Zhuang Rui readily agreed. Although Tian Fan was not well-known, his status as a researcher at the Palace Museum made him someone worth befriending. Perhaps he would even have the opportunity to see the vast collection of artifacts in the Palace Museum.
"Xiao Zhuang, I didn't know you had this trick up your sleeve. Not everyone gets to snag a bargain like this. Come on, tell us about it..."
After receiving Zhuang Rui's definite answer, Old Man Tian sat back down contentedly. He only wanted to see the object and didn't care how Zhuang Rui obtained it. However, Fatty Jin and the others became interested and sat down around Zhuang Rui.
Everyone enjoys listening to stories. It wasn't just the people in the antique trade who were interested; even the film crew, including the driver, perked up their ears to listen. It was like winning the lottery—it was like winning the grand prize.
Collecting things is a mysterious thing for ordinary people, and finding a bargain on Taobao is even more legendary. This has an extraordinary attraction for ordinary people.
Liu Jia's gaze toward Zhuang Rui changed at this moment. She was worried that he would be out of place with these experts and affect the filming of the program. However, she did not expect that this unassuming young man would become friends with everyone so quickly and now he was subtly guiding the conversation around him.
At this point, Director Zhu seemed a bit embarrassed. Several experts had overheard his remarks about Zhuang Rui. Although they wouldn't stand up for Zhuang Rui, they became somewhat lukewarm when trying to strike up a conversation with Director Zhu.
"Mr. Zhuang, you bought that black pottery for 1,000 yuan, I wonder how much it's worth?"
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, the bearded middle-aged man who had boarded the car with the camera asked, "They don't care about the research value of this object; what matters is how much it can sell for."
"Let me explain. Since Longshan black pottery first appeared in 1936, quite a few pieces have been unearthed and can be found all over Shandong. However, very few are of high quality. If the firing technique of Xiao Zhuang's piece of black pottery could reach the level of the one Mr. Liang had back then, the market price would probably be at least six million..."
The speaker was General Manager Qian of the Kyoto Auction House. He was very knowledgeable about the market prices of all kinds of antiques. After speaking, he looked at Zhuang Rui and said, "Xiao Zhuang, how about it? Are you interested in selling that black pottery? I can arrange a special auction for you and guarantee a transaction price of over seven million."
The auction house's revenue mainly comes from the commission after the product is sold. The commission rates vary from auction house to auction house, but they are generally above 12%. For example, if Zhuang Rui's black pottery can fetch 7 million, the auction house can earn at least 800,000. So when General Manager Qian learned that Zhuang Rui had this item, he immediately set his sights on it.
"Hehe, I recently bought a courtyard house in Xuanwu, and it's being renovated. I was thinking of acquiring a few more items, so I'll keep this one for myself. But I'll definitely need to trouble Mr. Qian when the opportunity arises..."
Zhuang Rui's words caused everyone to gasp in shock. They were all Beijingers or had lived in Beijing for decades, so they naturally knew that the courtyard Zhuang Rui mentioned was a traditional courtyard house. Nowadays, even a small courtyard of a few hundred square meters costs around a million or eight million yuan. They never expected that this director of the Jade Association would be so wealthy.