This old man is not an ordinary foreign old man, but An Siyuan, who is known as "the godfather of China antiques". An Siyuan's name sounds like China, but he is not from China. He is Jewish-American, and he is a master of China's collection. An Siyuan's accomplishment in Chinese studies is still very profound. You may not know that he is related to Qi Gong, a sinologist in China. Although there are language barriers, it can be said that they are interoperable. You may have to ask again, why do Qigong and An Siyuan overlap? Qi Gong is not only a calligrapher, but also a connoisseur, so his association with An Siyuan will not be so abrupt. It can be seen that his understanding of China is not general, but very in-depth. Some of his opinions, especially the study of China furniture, have had a very far-reaching impact on Ma Weidou.
He was already a very famous international antique dealer in 1980s, and Ma Weidou visited him, so it is not difficult to understand that he was highly valued. How poisonous are his eyes? Everyone knows that China's calligraphy works had a relatively low period in the international auction market. It is under such circumstances that An Siyuan bought "Chunhua Pavilion Post" with 200,000 yuan, which has a unique sunshine. People who study calligraphy are no strangers. This post occupies an important position in the history of calligraphy in China. Written in the Song Dynasty, this tablet is a collection of works by famous calligraphers from Qin and Han Dynasties to Sui and Tang Dynasties (17).
After getting the stone tablet, An Siyuan invited experts from China to appraise it. Experts from China were also amazed after reading it. Experts from China never imagined why a foreigner would have a tablet of China's calligraphy. However, this is the case. China's calligraphy tablet is indeed in the hands of An Siyuan. Later, this incident spread, causing widespread concern from all sides. Including the famous collector Ma Weidou.
Ma Weidou often admires An Siyuan for her unique vision. Later, when China Shanghai Museum learned that An Siyuan had a calligraphy tablet, it asked someone to mediate and wanted to buy this calligraphy tablet. After all, the "ancestor of the cluster" belongs to China, and its position is not excessive. Museums are obliged to purchase China's cultural relics abroad.
However, An Siyuan is an international antique dealer after all. In his eyes, interests often take precedence over cultural relics. For this reason, Shanghai Museum and An Siyuan have negotiated the price for many times, but the price has never been settled. Later, under the strong mediation of the middleman, An Siyuan compromised. An Siyuan said that it belongs to you in China, so he offered a minimum price of $4.5 million, which is not a small sum. After all, the Shanghai Museum's acquisition of the "cluster first post" is expensive. But now or never, the Shanghai Museum agreed to this condition. Subsequently, the Shanghai Museum reported to the relevant departments that after hard work, it finally brought this important inscription back to China.
Ma Weidou pointed out that the Shanghai Museum also thanked An Siyuan for his kindness. In any case, this important tablet has returned to the embrace of the motherland. In fact, to be fair, the efforts made by the Shanghai Museum are somewhat sour and helpless. There are many such cultural relics all over the world, and more of them are problems left over from history, which cannot be solved in a short time.