In some film and television dramas, the "** Four Sons" are often mentioned, among which Zhang Xueliang is one of them, but few people can say who the four are. According to the "Supplementary Notes on the Continuation of Hongxian Chronicle Poems", the four sons are Zhang Xueliang, Zhang Boju, Yuan Kewen and Lu Xiaojia.
As one of the most distinctive members of this group, Zhang Boju stands out for his unique interests and hobbies. Unlike the other three sons who are known for their graceful and elegant sons, Zhang Boju's hobby turned out to be cultural relics.
He was born in Xiangcheng, Henan Province, and was related to Yuan Shikai, a high-profile politician at the time. Zhang Boju's father, Zhang Zhenfang, once served as the governor of Zhili and Henan, and his family was superior, but he was not a submissive person. Even after Yuan Shikai's death, the Zhang family still stands. Zhang Boju successively served as a senator under Cao Kun and Wu Peifu.
However, being among the warlords made Zhang Boju tired. So, in 1927, he resolutely gave up politics and turned to business, focusing on banking. Instead of squandering his wealth for pleasure, he invested almost all of his earned money into a collection of antiquities.
Zhang Boju is well-educated and has a deep knowledge of classical art. Since the age of 30, he has been searching for treasures. He is not an antiquities dealer or opportunistic, he buys antiquities purely for collection, in order to prevent national treasures from being lost abroad, which is his real purpose.
At that time, warlord warfare and Japanese invasions led to the exodus of large amounts of national treasures. Zhang Boju purchased and collected many treasures and national treasures by his own strength, such as a "Pingfu Post" he purchased, which was almost comparable in value to Wang Xizhi's "Orchid Pavilion Preface".
If he wanted to make money by reselling cultural relics, he might have become a rich man at that time. But he didn't. At the same time as he was buying cultural relics from his collection, foreigners were also actively acquiring them. Many treasures in the hands of the late Qing royal family or the descendants of the prince were mostly targeted by foreigners.
His collection of Pingfu Posts was purchased from Pu Ru, the great-grandson of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty. If it weren't for Zhang Boju's timely action, he might have been bought by Japanese businessmen. Pu Ru also has a Tang Dynasty "White Picture of the Night", which was also bought by foreigners, which made Zhang Boju feel sad.
Mr. Zhang's collection attracted the attention of some kidnappers, who saw him as a wealthy target. In 1941, in Shanghai, Zhang Boju was kidnapped, and the gangsters extorted a large ransom. However, Zhang Boju would rather die than agree with his family to sell the cultural relics in his collection to save himself.
After 8 months of stalemate with the gangsters, the ransom was finally reduced to 400,000 yuan. Zhang Boju's family had to borrow money to pay the ransom because he had no extra money. He exchanged almost all of his family possessions for cultural relics, which were worth at least hundreds of millions or more.
Zhang Boju did not leave his collection to his children and grandchildren, but donated it all to the state. He left none of them, and his donations are housed in the Palace Museum. Someone once said that he "donated half of the Forbidden City", but he modestly said: "Returning the pearl to the people today is my long-cherished wish!".”
In his later years, Zhang Boju lived in poverty, and he couldn't even afford to live in a single room, so he could only live in an 8-person room. On March 26, 1982, Zhang Boju died of illness at the age of 84. At the memorial service, leaders, including the founding marshal***, laid wreaths.
Through such a story of persistent pursuit of cultural relics and ultimately the donation of treasures to the country, we cannot help but be moved by the noble feelings of this collector.
Zhang Boju, a unique figure in the "Four Sons", left a deep impression on future generations with his unique taste and noble feelings. Compared with other "Four Sons", Zhang Boju was not an active figure in the political arena, but chose the path of pursuing cultural relics and art.
This article vividly depicts the life of Zhang Boju, who came from a prominent background, but did not indulge in power and power. On the contrary, his love of classical art made him a true collector. Despite the troubled times, he was not burdened by the world, giving up politics to devote himself to business, and using the wealth he earned to buy and protect national treasures.
His collecting activities are not motivated by profit, but by a sense of responsibility for the inheritance of Chinese culture. Especially in the era of the exodus of national treasures and the raging wars, he relied on his own strength to protect many valuable cultural relics by purchasing and collecting precious cultural relics, and avoided the loss of these treasures to foreign countries.
The noble feelings of this collector are also reflected in his actions. Even when kidnapped for ransom, he would rather endure hardship than sell his collection for his freedom. Eventually, he selflessly donated all his collection to the country and became the guardian of the national treasure, a selfless dedication and cherishing of the country's cultural heritage.
Zhang Boju's life is full of legends, and his tastes and beliefs are particularly precious in turbulent times. He is not only a collector, but also a guardian of culture, and his actions tell us that it is everyone's responsibility to protect the country's cultural heritage, and it is also to cherish and inherit Chinese civilization.
His life is not only a good story in the history of Chinese collecting, but also an inspiration for future generations. Zhang Boju has set an example for us with his actions, not only educating us about the importance of cultural inheritance, but also encouraging us to protect and cherish our national treasures, pass them on to future generations, and make our own contributions to the prosperity of Chinese civilization.
To sum up, Zhang Boju's story is a precious contribution to that era and cultural inheritance. His life is full of love and adherence to Chinese civilization, a guardian of Chinese cultural traditions, and an example worthy of our Xi and respect.
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