At this point, Liu Jia set her sights on Li Jia. Being able to establish a relationship with this top anchor of CCTV-2 would be extremely beneficial to her future development. It has to be said that this woman is extremely sensitive and pragmatic.
"This...this is a bit too much, isn't it?"
Upon arriving at a temporary warehouse belonging to CCTV, the group was immediately taken aback by the sight before them. Tables were filled with all sorts of antiques, some of which were quite large and were placed on the floor. There were approximately three hundred pieces in total.
Although the treasure appraisal program will be broadcast for seven consecutive days, that's only seven hours of screen time, making it impossible to record all the items in the program.
"This is just a part of it. There are more than thirty other treasure holders here on the show. Regardless of whether the items they brought are real or fake, they will all be featured on the show. The judges will just need to select sixty items from these..."
Liu Jia explained to the group that the items placed there were brought in by appraisers who were unsure of their authenticity and were just trying their luck. Those who truly felt their items were valuable came to the site in person, as they were afraid their items might get damaged.
"Alright, teachers, each of you focus on your own tasks. Let's get busy and finish as soon as possible so we can call it a day..."
Fatty Jin clapped his hands, then took out a pair of white gloves from the pocket of his robe and walked over to the place where calligraphy and painting supplies were kept to examine them.
Zhuang Rui was the most relaxed, as among the more than three hundred antiques, there were less than twenty pieces of jade, all of which were displayed on one table.
"What are all these things...?"
Zhuang Rui frowned as he looked at the jade artifacts on the table.
Although these items all appeared to have patina and had an antique shape, Zhuang Rui's spiritual examination revealed that they were all modern imitations. They were indeed jade, but their value was not high.
Chapter 528 Spring Festival Treasure Appraisal (1)
The appreciation of jade differs from that of antiques. Antiques are first judged by their age, and then by their craftsmanship. For example, with porcelain, one should determine whether it is an official kiln piece from a particular dynasty and whether it reflects the social conditions of that time. Similarly, with calligraphy and paintings, one should determine whether they are by famous artists. Each type of antique has its own specific requirements.
However, when appreciating jade, one must first look at the material of the jade. If the jade material is of poor quality, then even if it is from an earlier period, it will not have much value. Conversely, if the jade material is of the highest quality, even if it is carved using modern techniques, it will still be very valuable.
The twenty-odd jade artifacts placed in front of Zhuang Rui were not only of poor quality, but were also mostly carved using modern techniques. If they were sold on the market, they would only fetch thirty or fifty yuan at a street stall. They were hardly worthy of being called antiques, let alone handicrafts.
"Teacher Zhuang, what? Are all these jade artifacts fake?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui shake his head and leave the table, Liu Jia asked curiously, because in her opinion, all the objects on the table looked real.
Zhuang Rui nodded and said, "The jade is all genuine, but none of it is antique; it's all modern imitations, so its research and market value are not high..."
"Professor Zhuang, could you also choose a piece of jade made using modern techniques and comment on it? This would allow the audience to learn some knowledge about jade identification..."
When it comes to antiques, jade is probably the one most closely related to the lives of ordinary people.
In China, both young and old people have the habit of wearing jade ornaments. Therefore, among the experts, there must be a jade appraiser. Liu Jia's choice to invite Zhuang Rui was not entirely out of selfishness. After all, Zhuang Rui has the expertise and experience in television appraisal, making him very suitable for the program in all aspects.
"Alright, let's use the jade set that's in the box..."
Zhuang Rui pointed to a box on the table and said, "This wooden box contains a set of jade artifacts used in Han Dynasty sacrifices to Heaven. The material is ordinary, carved from green jade, but there are a few differences in the figures compared to those of Han Dynasty jade craftsmen. I can explain it to you on the spot."
"The teachers will probably have to wait a while before they can choose, so I'll go back over there and wait..."
Zhuang Rui glanced around. Jin Pangzi and the others were still intently examining the items. This program was going to be broadcast to a national audience, and Zhuang Rui didn't want to overstep his bounds. After all, a jack-of-all-trades would give the impression of being a jack of all trades; he only needed to mind his own business. ...
"Zhuang Rui, what's going on? I'm waiting to watch the show, why isn't it starting yet?"
Ouyang Jun was getting impatient waiting in the shooting studio, and started yelling at Zhuang Rui as soon as he saw him.
Zhuang Rui glanced at Ouyang Jun and said irritably, "Come on, you're more likely to be waiting to see me make a fool of myself. These items for the appraisal need to be selected, so it'll probably take a while..."
Li Jia was chatting with Miao Feifei and Xu Qing when she heard Ouyang Jun's words. She quickly said, "Teacher Zhuang, I'm so sorry. How about this, let's start filming the people who came to the scene to hold the treasures first. As for the other antiques, we can film them tomorrow or the day after. What do you think?"
The truth is that Hu Ming didn't arrange this properly. Since the antiques sent by others needed to be selected, it should have been done in advance. However, Hu Ming didn't make any arrangements in the morning. These experts were all watching the Spring Festival Gala rehearsal, wasting the whole morning. They only remembered this matter now that it was time to record the program.
Although CCTV launched its treasure appraisal program in 2002, this is the first time it has been broadcast for seven consecutive days as a New Year's special. It is understandable that there is a lack of experience and the last-minute change of personnel has led to some chaos.
Zhuang Rui had a good impression of the host, who had a baby face and a friendly smile. He immediately smiled and said, "Okay, Director Li, you can arrange it as you see fit. We'll all follow your instructions..."
"Teacher Zhuang, just call me Li Jia. I was forced into this directing role, so please don't take it too seriously. You all continue chatting, I'll go call the other teachers..."
Li Jia waved his hands repeatedly, he couldn't accept the title of Zhuang Rui, but when he turned his head, he was puzzled. This Teacher Zhuang had a very good temper. He wondered what Director Hu had done to offend him.
So, a person's good or bad fortune can be separated by a single thought. If Hu Ming hadn't had some feelings for Liu Jia and hadn't felt resentful seeing Liu Jia being affectionate with Zhuang Rui, he wouldn't have suffered this undeserved disaster. As the monk said, "Women are tigers," and that's absolutely true.
"So, Teacher Jin, did you find anything interesting?"
Upon seeing Fatty Jin and the others return, Zhuang Rui went to greet them.
"There's nothing good here. I do have a few prints, but really, there are very few good things left in the public these days. I guess you haven't come across any good jade over there either?"
As Jin Pangzi spoke, he and Zhuang Rui and the others walked to the guest seats and sat down. The other experts also shook their heads repeatedly, looking somewhat disappointed. They came to participate in this program thinking that they should be able to see some good stuff in front of a national audience, but they didn't expect that most of them were fakes.
The experts' seats faced a movable, sensor-activated door, adorned with traditional Chinese art and culture, such as paper-cutting. A couplet read: "Spring resides in whose home? A discerning eye appraises treasures; here, sentiments are stirred, treasures are hidden, and lofty sentiments abound."
On the glass floor in front of the main gate, there are also two large characters that read "Appraisal".
Li Jia stood beside the automatic door and said to the people inside, "Teachers, if you're ready, let's start filming..."
From the camera's perspective, this huge hall only contained Zhuang Rui and his six other experts. However, from a different angle, it would be apparent that a wall was missing, allowing Ouyang Jun and the others to observe the filming process from their seats.
"It's ready..."
Fatty Jin nodded on behalf of the group.
"Please make way, everyone. I need to walk out of this hall, and then you teachers can sit down after that door is closed..."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui and the others stood up and walked to a place out of the camera's view. Then, Li Jia, dressed in a traditional Chinese robe, and Liu Jia, dressed in a bright red cheongsam, walked happily from the hall to the automatic door.
"Following Li Jia to appraise treasures, seven parts story, three parts treasure. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and Liu Jia and I..."
"Please allow me and Li Jia, on behalf of the experts and all staff of the CCTV Spring Festival Treasure Appraisal Program, to extend our New Year's greetings to collectors and television viewers across the country..."
The two renowned hosts began their presentations, and after the automatic doors closed, staff members immediately led Zhuang Rui and the others to their seats in the expert section.
"Since CCTV launched its treasure appraisal program, it has been warmly welcomed by a wide range of television viewers. Last year, the production team traveled to more than 30 provinces and cities across the country. Today, we're taking a break in Beijing..."
Before Li Jia could finish speaking, Liu Jia continued, "However, since it's the Lunar New Year, we also want to offer some entertainment to collectors across the country. So, we've specially launched this Spring Festival Treasure Appraisal program. Over the past two weeks, we've sent out invitations nationwide, and in the end, we received tens of thousands of treasures..."
"There can't be that many, can there?"
Sitting in the expert panel, Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded. This was too exaggerated! In just one sentence, the value of the items in the warehouse had increased dozens of times.
"Some of them are just photos, not the actual items. We started selecting these two weeks ago..."
Qian Jun, the general manager of Kyoto Auction House, who was sitting next to Zhuang Rui, offered an explanation to Zhuang Rui.
"Teachers, it's time to introduce you. Remember to wave to the audience..."
While Zhuang Rui and the others were chatting, a staff member stood in a blind spot of the camera and greeted them.
"Alright. Let's first introduce the six experts we invited on the first day of the Lunar New Year..."
As soon as the staff member finished speaking, music started playing in the room, accompanied by Li Jia's voice from outside the door. Then, the automatic door opened grandly behind the two hosts, and the camera focused on the six people sitting in the expert seats.
"This kid... his smile is way too fake, isn't it?"
Having learned from his experience with the last TV treasure appraisal in Jinan, Zhuang Rui remained calm and composed. He followed the example of the people around him, waving his hand at the camera with a big smile, which made Ouyang Jun and others watching the fun laugh.
The camera only filmed Zhuang Rui and the others briefly before turning off, but in the director's seat, a pre-edited clip was immediately inserted, featuring photos and biographies of the six experts.
"Sun Sheng, expert in miscellaneous artifacts appraisal, researcher at the Capital Museum..."
"Jin Xiyi, expert in calligraphy and painting appraisal, associate researcher at the Palace Museum in Beijing..."
"Tian Fan, ceramics appraisal expert, researcher at the Palace Museum in Beijing..."
"Qian Jun, market assessment expert, general manager of Beijing Jingdu International Auction Company..."
"Liu An'an, expert in bronze Buddhist statue appraisal, researcher at the National Academy of Arts..."
To be honest, Zhuang Rui only knew the surnames of these teachers; he was hearing their given names for the first time. However, the edited footage on the screen below turned out to be him.
"Zhuang Rui, jade and gemstone appraisal expert, director of the National Jade and Gemstone Association..."
"Where...where was this filmed?"
The photo on the screen shows Zhuang Rui holding a jade pendant. He is examining the object with a magnifying glass. Although he looks young, he has the air of an expert.
Zhuang Rui thought for a while before remembering that this should be a scene from Jinan, and he didn't know where CCTV found the composite photo.
"Alright, now that we've introduced the experts, we welcome our first treasure holder today. Let's see what treasure he's brought!"
Chapter 529 Spring Festival Treasure Appraisal (2)
As the expert profiles appeared on the screen, hosts Li Jia and Liu Jia were also busy; the treasure appraisal program had officially begun.
"Welcome our first collector, Mr. Wang Meng. Happy Chinese New Year, Mr. Wang..."
"Happy Chinese New Year! Happy Chinese New Year to the host..."
The conversation coming from outside the door made Zhuang Rui feel a little awkward. There were still several days until the New Year, but the way those people were talking made it sound like it was already the first day of the Lunar New Year.
"Mr. Wang's treasure is truly extraordinary..."
Liu Jia's voice almost made Zhuang Rui spit out the tea he was drinking. Why did those words sound even more awkward? Okay, Zhuang Rui admitted that he wasn't pure anymore, but looking at the strange expression on Fatty Jin's face next to him, it seemed that he wasn't the only one with such a vivid imagination.
"This is a gold ingot, it's really auspicious. To see such a treasure on the first day of the Lunar New Year, this one is from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty..."
Li Jia's voice came from outside the door, letting the experts inside know what kind of object they were going to appraise.
After the two hosts and the owner of the treasure chatted for a few more minutes, the automatic door opened. A young man who looked to be only in his early twenties walked in, bowed to the experts, and said, "Happy New Year, everyone..."
These are all pre-arranged lines. Although the program is pre-recorded, it will be broadcast on the first day of the Lunar New Year. All the words used in the program must be interpreted as if they were spoken on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
"Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Chinese New Year..."
Although Fatty Jin wasn't an expert at appraising this object, he was quite knowledgeable about it. He continued, "Giving a gold ingot on the first day of the Lunar New Year is incredibly auspicious. Actually, when we eat dumplings during the New Year, we're essentially eating gold ingots. Wishing you prosperity..."
Sitting to one side, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but admire Fatty Jin. He could rattle off such anecdotes so easily, something Zhuang Rui himself was far inferior to.
"Young man, what's the origin of this gold ingot?"
After the palm-sized gold ingot was passed around in the hands of several people, it was handed to Teacher Sun, who was an expert in miscellaneous items, and this item belonged to the miscellaneous category.
"A friend of mine bought this at an auction..."
"When was this film taken? And how much did it cost?"
"It was taken the year before last, and it cost 1.6 million RMB to buy..."
Zhuang Rui was surprised when he heard the conversation between Teacher Sun and the person who owned the treasure. This gold ingot looked to weigh no more than two or three kilograms, yet it could be sold for such a high price.
Zhuang Rui reached out and took the gold ingot in his hand, examining it for a moment. He noticed that the edges of the ingot were engraved with exquisite patterns. Zhuang Rui secretly glanced inside and saw that the inside of the gold ingot was filled with a rich, purplish-gold spiritual energy.