Chapter 772 Whitewash
"My reason is very simple. I just don’t want these paintings and calligraphy to be lost overseas. I don’t want to watch our nation’s precious cultural assets being sold at a low price. You should know that after I pass When Director Liu was buying calligraphy and paintings, there was a Hong Kong businessman who wanted to buy them all. I had to take this expedient measure just to keep these good things in our country. "
When he said these words, Ning Weimin's face showed a righteous look.
However, given the characteristics of the times, Director Huo did not agree with his high-sounding reason.
For no other reason than the overall social environment, the artistic value of calligraphy and painting is not valued.
Although the prices of modern calligraphy and paintings have gone up, this is due to the increasing number of Hong Kong and Japanese businessmen in the mainland in recent years.
In fact, in the minds of most people in China, these modern paintings and calligraphy are nothing more than arty playthings, things hung on the wall for decoration.
After all, most people don’t understand calligraphy and painting.
Especially among ordinary people, influenced by the movie "Three Smiles", they generally believe that the creative process of calligraphers and painters is particularly simple.
It’s all done in one go, just like Tang Bohu in the story.
Earning money like this is simply faster than printing money. How can I write seventeen or eight pieces of paper and draw more than ten pictures in a day?
What’s more, many very famous calligraphy and painting masters are still alive and well.
Since you can write at any time, write whenever you want, and paint whenever you want, what's so precious about such a work?
In addition, even for a person of Director Huo's level, his job level and work content have allowed him to develop a kind of thinking inertia that should be the case.
He often interacts with foreign friends, and subconsciously, he feels that it is normal to give these paintings and calligraphy works as gifts to foreign guests.
So Ning Weimin hit a wall again. His views were almost immediately rejected by Director Huo.
“Don’t exaggerate or exaggerate. These paintings and calligraphy are not ancient relics, so how can they be said to have been lost overseas? From the perspective of international influence and cultural exchange, it is a good thing that these paintings and calligraphy can go abroad. . It is helpful to promote our traditional culture overseas and enhance other countries’ understanding of us.” , will invest in the purchase. Besides, you should know that Hong Kong City will return in 1997, and Hong Kong businessmen will soon become our compatriots. So what is the difference between you buying it and Hong Kong businessmen buying it?”
< br>"Almost none of what you just said is true. There is only one word that is right, which is 'sale at a low price'. You can never deny that the fundamental purpose of buying paintings and calligraphy is to take advantage of the public. So. Your motives are not noble, don’t beautify yourself.”
Director Huo’s tone was full of ridicule and disdain.
Obviously, he thought this was Ning Weimin's last resort.
I am very much looking forward to seeing this kid take off his fig leaf, his face covered with shame and speechless.
However, the reality is not like this.
Ning Weimin's eyes were still bright. Far from being discouraged at all, he argued with a more positive attitude.
"Director Huo, our views are quite different. First of all, I do not agree that only antiquities are valuable. Many things that are not antiquities are also worth cherishing. To use an analogy that may not be very appropriate, Giant pandas are not antiques. What if foreigners make a request and want to buy one? From the perspective of international influence and cultural exchange, should we agree? "
"As for the reason why I want to persuade Director Liu through Huo Xin to buy these paintings and calligraphy in large quantities, it is because these modern paintings and calligraphy can be called the giant panda among works of art. Every calligraphy and painting is a fine work by a famous artist. It is a perfect presentation of the creator's humanistic thoughts, aesthetic consciousness and painting techniques. Together, they can be called a comprehensive summary of our modern calligraphy and painting art, and its artistic value is limitless."
"You must not. If you think that these paintings and calligraphy are common in our capital, it doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t matter if they go overseas. You must know that these paintings and calligraphy can only be made by our own people, and it is absolutely impossible for foreigners to look at the whole country and achieve this. How many calligraphers and painters are there? These masters are all in their twilight years. No matter how many calligraphy and painting works they create, they are still scarce for art collectors in the world."
"In the past, we have. It is relatively closed, and the country is generally not wealthy. There is no chance for these good things to go out, and not many people in the country can afford them, so they seem to be poor. Now that the country is gradually opening up, the domestic economy is also developing rapidly, and the situation has changed a long time ago. There is a lot of money but little material. If we don’t control it and let it flow out at will, sooner or later we will regret it.”
“You might as well imagine that in a few decades, our students at the Academy of Fine Arts will study modern ink painting. What a tragedy it would be if we couldn’t even see an authentic painting by Fu Baoshi or Pan Tianshou. Most of our domestic high-level calligraphy and painting works were acquired by foreign collectors at low prices. What a ridiculous thing it is. I’m afraid we will have to redeem these things from foreigners at a high price.”
“Let me say something a little disrespectful to let foreigners understand. In our culture, handicrafts with national characteristics are more appropriate. A silk figure or a grape utensil can easily win the favor of foreign friends, because these things can be understood at a glance, but this is not the case with calligraphy and painting, which have a higher threshold for appreciation. , requires a certain cultural foundation and appreciation ability. Not to mention that most Westerners can’t understand it, even our compatriots are just watching it.”
"You often deal with Western countries. You can compare the situation at home and abroad. As far as I know, once painters from Western countries become famous, their works are sold at astronomically high prices. Their diplomats never Treat art as a gift. They will only give away their own country’s characteristic handicrafts, which are not even handmade, but mass-produced industrial products. So why should we send all our precious paintings and calligraphy abroad for diplomatic purposes? There is no need to pay such a price. "
"As for Hong Kong businessmen, I certainly believe that many people in Hong Kong are deeply attached to the motherland and hope that 1997 will come as soon as possible and return to the embrace of the motherland as soon as possible. But this does not mean that. All the people in Hong Kong think so. Maybe some people are used to being foreign slaves and no longer want to be descendants of the Yan and Huang Dynasties. God knows whether the person who is competing with me for calligraphy and painting is red or white underneath his skin? Wouldn't you choose to immigrate and would rather be a second-class citizen? ""If he is really such a person, then the more he knows about calligraphy and painting, the worse it will be. In the chaotic years before the founding of the People's Republic of China, traitors were often more harmful to our country than those who did not. Foreign invaders are even worse. As for those who bring foreigners to steal our domestic cultural relics and smuggle domestic cultural relics overseas, who are not knowledgeable and polite scum? "< br>
"As a side note, I have been working at Maxim for so long. If I go to Paris for a business trip, I have the opportunity every year. Many people advise me to go out and see it. Look. But I have never thought about it, just because Lu Qinzhai’s Red Mansion is in Paris. As his last hiding place, many cultural relics smuggled out of the country are still on display. If I go there, I won’t be able to help but look at it, and I won’t be able to help but get angry when I see those things...”
Ning Weimin’s speech this time had a lot of interesting things to say, and Huo Huo couldn’t help but get angry. The director really listened carefully.
He couldn't help but appreciate Ning Weimin's insight and eloquence, and he couldn't help but admit that Ning Weimin's perspective on the problem was very novel.
For example, analysis of the value of modern calligraphy and painting, suggestions for giving gifts in diplomatic work, and considerations for Hong Kong businessmen, a special identity group, were almost all issues that he had ignored and paid little attention to in the past.
If you think about it carefully, it really makes sense. These words are indeed very inspiring to him.
However, this is not enough to endorse Ning Weimin's character, nor is it enough to make him believe that Ning Weimin is really for the sake of the country.
“Your eloquence is very good, which surprises me. Your thinking is also very clear and you have a lot of knowledge, which gives me a new understanding of the artistic value of modern calligraphy and painting. You are even full of emotions and emotions. , you are very demagogic, but I still can’t believe you.”
"Because I look at people, their words, and more importantly their actions. In order to achieve your personal goals, you took advantage of Huo Xin's emotions. This is really despicable. According to normal logic, how can someone like you be so noble? Are you getting involved? Your moral standards are so high that you want to save valuable paintings and calligraphy for the country? There is no such thing in the world. "
"What's more, you yourself work in a foreign company. Capitalism, don't tell me, you don't put the interests of your foreign bosses first? You are alarmist in front of me, speculating about what will happen to Hong Kong businessmen, don't you think it's ridiculous that you even mention silk to me? People and Grapes? Do you still want to do my business? Do you think I don’t know that the production and supply of these two things are firmly in your hands?”
“ My final advice is that you should stop acting in front of me. There is no way you can get away with it. Just admit it honestly and admit that you are a philistine and that you are buying these paintings and calligraphy for personal profit. If you have the courage to admit your mistakes, maybe I will be more merciful to you."
Director Huo's words are another showdown.
Basically, it can be seen that his patience is exhausted. This is the last serious warning.
On the other hand, Ning Weimin couldn't help being startled when he suddenly mentioned the silk people and the grapes.
He was secretly shocked by Director Huo's secretiveness, and couldn't imagine how he could be investigated so clearly.
Ordinary people may not be able to bear this kind of unknown fear and soaring pressure. Surrendering may be the only option.
But Ning Weimin is not an ordinary person after all, he is a time traveler with a golden finger.
This is destined that his actions will always exceed the standards of ordinary people, and Jingcheng will do things that make people feel unreasonable and extremely incredible.
At this time, he also had the best evidence to "whitewash" himself.
"I can understand your distrust. Who made me take advantage of Huo Xin and break her heart? If from another angle, this matter is my daughter's fault, I will definitely do it. Go to the end. If you dare to touch my daughter, you are more cruel than touching me. This is the basic emotion of any father. However, although I am sorry for what I did, I do not regret it. I’m not lying to you. When I bought this batch of paintings and calligraphy, the results were different compared to when a Hong Kong businessman bought them.” I can't wait to make a profit overseas. If I buy it, I can keep these things intact in China, and I can pay any price as long as I can keep these paintings and calligraphy for the country."
" It doesn't matter if you don't believe me. Next, I can prove myself with facts. I don't deny that I wanted to buy these calligraphy and paintings at the beginning, just as you said, because the price was cheap and I saw the profit. But it changed later. , once I knew that a Hong Kong businessman wanted to give Bao Yuan'er 200,000 yuan and would take these paintings and calligraphy overseas, I no longer wanted to make money from these paintings and calligraphy."
" You investigated me very carefully and knew my details very clearly. But I don’t know if you know how difficult it was for me to get the funds to acquire this batch of paintings and calligraphy. I spent all my money and borrowed money from all sources. I borrowed all the money I could from relatives, friends, and the company. I even signed a five-year labor contract with the company and paid three years’ salary in advance, so I could barely get enough money to buy 90% of the paintings. .”
"When I buy these paintings, is this the end of the matter? No, proper preservation is even more of a problem. Calligraphy and painting are the most delicate works of art. They require appropriate space for placement, and any damage or moisture needs to be repaired in time. In the past few years, I spent tens of thousands to preserve these paintings and calligraphy. I once tightened my belt and worried about paying off debts. However, to this day, I have not sold any of these paintings and calligraphy. If I want to make a profit. If you do this, it will be easier for me to do at least a few shots.”
“To be honest, I admire your investigative ability, but you can’t just investigate me. Let’s look at the Hong Kong businessman who bought the other paintings and see how much he sold them to. I dare say he would never treat these paintings and calligraphy like this to me.”
"Of course, you can also suspect that I am playing a long-term game to catch a big fish and want to make a fat man in one bite. After all, the prices of these paintings and calligraphy have been rising in China. However, in order to prove myself, I can also make a promise. These paintings and calligraphy I will not sell any of them in the next twenty years, and I will try my best to make these paintings and calligraphy available to the public again so that students in art schools can see these works and have the opportunity to copy them. to these works. This is my purpose and the meaning of these paintings and calligraphy.”
(End of this chapter)