Exclusive article by China's well-off network.
Text丨"Xiaokang", reporter of China's well-off network, Yu Jingyuan.
The acquaintance with Zhai Jianmin and Zhai Kaidong father and son originated from a chance encounter. In a restaurant near Yongbao Zhai in Beijing, I bumped into Mr. Zhai Jianmin, a well-known celebrity who always appears on TV shows, and the amiable Mr. Zhai Jianmin readily agreed to my request to interview him, and invited me and my colleagues to come to Yongbao Zhai.
The names Yongbao Zhai and Zhai Jianmin must be familiar to antique collectors. As one of the most authoritative antique dealers, Zhai Jianmin's reputation and strength are very loud. Zhai Jianmin, who has been engaged in the antiques industry for more than 40 years, has not only thrived in business from an apprentice in a raffle factory to set up his own antique shop, but has also repeatedly won important porcelain at auctions. What is even more rare is that Zhai Jianmin is committed to the promotion of antique collecting culture and the dissemination of traditional Chinese culture.
When interviewing Mr. Zhai Jianmin, he occasionally mentioned his son Zhai Kaidong and said that he was doing something in line with his goal in a new way: to spread traditional Chinese culture. As a reporter, I wanted to know what the father and son had in common and what they were different, so I interviewed Zhai Kaidong, the son of Mr. Zhai Jianmin and the founder of Value.com.
As a post-80s Zhai Kaidong, he has a cutting-edge mind and a wide range of hobbies, he is very humble and always in a "Xi state of learning", but he has a unique vision and is very smart, and he has been very famous in the antique circle, and has even been praised by famous foreign antique dealers.
Zhai Kaidong was spurred by his parents since he was a child, and he knew that making antiques needed to rely on eyesight and memory. "My parents often say that you should start with antiques from a young age, because it will be more and more difficult to memorize historical materials as you get older. Zhai Kaidong said that only by seeing more can you practice basic skills, which is a road without shortcuts, and it is also the reason why the antique industry is "slow".
Zhai Kaidong used to be "in a hurry", but now, he has honed his "chronic son", he knows that engaging in this industry depends more on the accumulation of experience, and he can't be in a hurry. Today, most of Zhai Kaidong's career is busy in Beijing for a month, and he only has a few days to fly back to Hong Kong to spend time with his wife and children. There are many times when he feels longing in his heart, but he knows that he has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and he must carry the weight forward. This important task is not only to inherit his father's business and not let his father's craftsmanship be lost to him, but also to share the goal of him and his father to let more people, especially more young people, understand traditional Chinese culture. At present, Value.com has up to 1 million hits per month, and Value.com has also settled in major social platforms, spreading interesting antiques and artwork information and dynamics on it. I have to say that Zhai Kaidong and Value.com have a promising future!
Moderately Prosperous", China Well-off Network Exclusive Article).
This article was published in the early December 2023 issue of Xiaokang.