Chapter 67 Antique Glasses (for collection)
"Brother Lin, how are you? Are you a little disappointed?"
It seemed that Qiao Yufan, Li Qiushui and Huo Qingtong had been to Los Angeles before, and were not surprised by the sight before them.
In fact, it is normal for them to have been here. After all, Los Angeles is not too far from San Francisco, and Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States and the largest city in the West. It is not only the center of global finance and entertainment, but also the cradle of the Hollywood film industry and the intersection of art and entertainment.
As long as they are not in particularly difficult circumstances, they should come here because of it, right?
"It looks like a big county, so I'm a little surprised, but not disappointed." Lin Yuan said.
The second largest city in the United States?
Looking around, I didn't see any high-rise buildings, only the business district, which stood out slightly.
This level of urban construction has long been complained about in China. It is really not as good as second-tier cities.
The eldest nephews may have something to say.
High-rise buildings do not represent prosperity or development...
That's not what they said before, but now their words have changed.
"When I came here for the first time, I was shocked and couldn't figure out how they got their GDP." Li Qiushui said with a smile. You know, the GDP of this city is much higher than that of our largest city, Magic City.
Qiao Yufan explained: "Although they don't have much industry, they are very powerful in finance. In addition, their GDP calculation method is different from ours, and many of them are included."
If China calculated this way, GDP could still soar a lot.
"If you don't talk about this, let's find a place to eat first!" the old uncle said.
Huo Qingtong sent the location of his mobile phone to Paul who was driving, and said: "Paul, go here, this store is recommended by many people."
Girls do things thoughtfully and carefully.
When going to a place, I like to prepare a guide in advance.
Paul followed the navigation and came to a gourmet restaurant near the Avenue of Stars, a Chinese fast food restaurant.
It is said that this is a gourmet restaurant recommended by thousands of people, but my uncle and Lin Yuan thought it was ordinary. It seems that what is recommended by many people may not necessarily be good.
Some people step on pitfalls themselves and will guide others to step on pitfalls. In this way, they can achieve psychological balance.
"Go shopping on the Avenue of Stars?" Huo Qingtong suggested.
It is one of the must-visit attractions for almost everyone who comes to Los Angeles.
"Whatever." Lin Yuan responded.
Qiao Yufan: "Avenue of Stars is actually nothing interesting. It's just about looking at commemorative medals of celebrities."
It is a sidewalk stretching along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. There are more than 2,000 star-shaped medals with the names of Hollywood celebrities on it to commemorate their contributions to the entertainment industry.
"Stars" represent a lasting memorial to those who have made outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, recording the names of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical groups, theater groups, fictional characters and others.
To be honest, Qiao Yufan felt very bored.
Lin Yuan smiled and didn't expect it to be much fun. Now that it's here, let's go and have a look and gain experience.
The group of them came to the Avenue of Stars, and Huo Qingtong told Lin Yuan that there were a total of 7 Chinese people who had left stars on this avenue, including the familiar Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. "Hey! Buy a pair of glasses!"
Suddenly, a little black man blocked the way of Lin Yuan and others. He was somewhat forced to consume. He was covered with all kinds of glasses, most of which were sunglasses.
Paul subconsciously wanted to drive people away because he had a very bad impression of dark-skinned people.
Lin Yuan stopped Paul and told him to calm down and not be impulsive. Then he took off a pair of glasses from Xiao Heizi and asked, "How much does it cost?"
Xiao Heizi offered $50.
Henry didn't tolerate him and waved to Fopo Le who was not far away.
Xiao Heizi's expression changed, he didn't want his glasses or money, he cursed and ran away.
Henry could tell at a glance that this little black guy was an illegal refugee. This kind of person is most afraid of meeting Fopo Le, being caught, and possibly being deported.
"Lin, there is no need to be polite to people like this." Paul said.
He thought that Lin Yuan was "taking care" of the other party's business because he didn't want to cause trouble. In his opinion, it's completely unnecessary. Such people don't know how to be grateful. Why do you help them?
Lin Yuan smiled helplessly: "These glasses are also antiques!"
He really has no habit of sympathizing with black people. He just fell in love with these glasses.
Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!
Everyone: "..."
All right! Misunderstood.
"There are also antique glasses? Isn't this thing only available in modern times?" Li Qiushui was very surprised.
"Who said it only existed in modern times? It was introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty, and many officials in the Qing Dynasty still wore it!" Lin Yuan told her.
It is said that glasses were first born in Europe in the 13th century. They were brought to China by foreign merchants in the mid-Ming Dynasty. They were extremely rare items. At that time, a pair of glasses required several good horses in exchange.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty once gave glasses as a benefit to his close ministers.
At that time, glasses had begun to take on a modern form. The lenses were made of glass, slightly larger than copper coins, embedded in a metal frame, and could be folded and closed. They were specially used by the elderly who were dazzled and unable to see small prints clearly.
Until the late Ming Dynasty, glasses were so rare that many people thought they were made of seashells from the West.
In the early Qing Dynasty, glasses entered China in large quantities with Nanyang merchant ships, but they were still more expensive than pearls and jade. At this time, glasses could not be worn directly on the face. When writing or painting, a piece of silk had to be tied on both sides of the glasses frame and then tied behind the head to make it clear.
Later, craftsmen in Guangdong used crystal to imitate the imported glasses, and the quality was even better.
During the Kangxi period, minister Sun Yuehan was given crystal glasses by the emperor because of his old age and dizziness. Jiang Tingxi, a concubine who was traveling in the inner court at that time, saw this and asked the emperor for a pair of glasses on behalf of his mother Cao. Kangxi fulfilled his request, which was regarded as a great honor. At this time, glasses were only used by dignitaries and wealthy people.
"This frame is a good thing. If you read it correctly, it is made of ivory, and the lenses are polished crystal. It has a relatively high collection value." Lin Yuan said.
In early glasses, the frames were mostly made of tortoiseshell, ivory, animal bone, gold, silver, white copper and other materials, and the lenses were made of natural crystal. The frames of some glasses are also engraved with patterns to express good luck; or they are engraved with the name of the shop where they were made, the name of the user, the year of production of the glasses and the background of the era, which can be clearly seen at a glance.
The quality of the material, the craftsmanship of the shape, the completeness of the appearance, the exquisiteness of the decorative patterns, cultural interest, etc. are all factors that measure the value of a pair of antique glasses.
"Brother Lin, how much is this worth?"
Lin Yuan thought for a while: "Sixty or seventy thousand dollars!"
(End of chapter)