Grandson buys backTreasure of all nations
Introduction·】 The reappearance of the bronze statue of the Chinese zodiac animal head at the Hong Kong auction in 2000 after 140 years of being lost overseas shocked the world and aroused the anger of countless Chinese people, who eagerly awaited the return of these precious cultural relics to the embrace of the motherland.
At this critical moment, He Ping, chairman of Poly Group, auctioned off these three national treasures with a huge amount of 30 million yuan and generously returned them to the state free of charge. So, who is this generous He Ping?
What prompted him to do such a feat?
Although He Ping is not well-known, his father-in-law is a big man known throughout the country. He Ping was born in a revolutionary family, his father was the founding major general, and his wife was Deng Rong, the daughter of Deng Gong.
Their relationship dates back to 1971, when He Ping was working on a military farm in Yuanjiang, Hunan, when he suddenly received a letter from Jiangxi Province from Lü Tongyan, the daughter of General Lü Zhengcao.
The two have long been friends, and they were friends when they were in Beijing. He Ping knew that Lu Tongyan was working on a farm in Jiangxi, and he didn't have time to write a letter of greetings, but he didn't expect her to send him a letter first.
What surprised him even more was that the letter turned out to be a letter of introduction.
Ms. Lu wrote to say that she had met Mr. He's childhood friend Deng Rong at a farm in Jiangxi. The two little girls got along very happily, and Lu Tongyan found that Deng Rong's personality and conversation were very similar to He Ping, and felt that they were very suitable for dating, so he specially wrote a letter to introduce Deng Rong to He Ping.
Although He Ping didn't know Deng Rong, he also knew that she was ***'s most beloved daughter "Maomao". Lu Tongyan's matchmaking made He Ping both surprised and very excited.
Out of politeness and friendliness, He Ping seriously replied to Deng Rong with a letter, which was full of encouragement and support. Deng Rong, who received the letter, was also very surprised, she originally thought that Lu Tongyan was just joking, but she didn't expect He Ping to really write a letter.
She could feel He Ping's modesty and erudition between the lines, and the two began to correspond.
As time passed, the relationship between these two people also unintentionally and quietly changed. The dialogue between He Ping and Deng Rong became richer and richer, and their understanding of each other gradually deepened.
The similar life experiences of the two have made each other resonate deeply, and the original innocent friendship slowly transforms into deep love. In later correspondence, they also swapped **.
Deng Gong has always been open to the issue of children's love, and Deng Rong was not surprised when Deng Rong told his father that she and He Ping had established a relationship. Deng Rong confessed to his father: "I fell in love with a comrade, his name is He Ping. ”
When he heard this name, Deng Gong felt a little unfamiliar with this young man, and Deng Rong hurriedly added: "It's the third child of He Biao's family!" Hearing this, Deng Gong couldn't help laughing: "I know He Biao, he is a person with backbone and courage!" ”
He Ping's outstanding family background is that his father, He Biao, was also a revolutionary who joined the Red Army in 1930 and became a brave and skilled fighter.
On the battlefield, He Biao not only fought bravely and dared to charge, but also served as the chief nurse of the hospital of the Second Red Army and the captain of the medical training team. In that difficult period when there was a shortage of doctors and medicines, He Biao, as a medical staff in the team, saved the lives of many soldiers.
During the Long March, General ** almost died of dysentery, but He Biao used the soil method to rescue him with two bowls of vinegar, so he was known as the "Red Army Huatuo". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, He Biao mainly worked in the Ministry of Health and made great contributions to the construction of New China.
He Ping inherited his father's tenacity, not only studying hard, but also excelling in military service and labor.
* Marshal Deng Gong was very supportive of the love between his son He Ping and his daughter Deng Rong. When He Biao learned of his son's affair with his daughter, he was both shocked and happy, and repeatedly told He Ping to take care of Deng Rong.
After that, He Ping passed through Nanchang on his way to visit his parents in Yongxiu, Jiangxi, and came to Deng Gong's house by the way. Deng Rong met her boyfriend for the first time, and Deng Gong also met his prospective son-in-law for the first time.
He Ping's polite conversation impressed the Deng family, and the two soon decided to get engaged. After marriage, He Ping and Deng Rong were in love and lived happily, and this marriage was a happy one.
So, how did He Ping get in touch with the bronze statue of the head of the 12 zodiac animals?
To understand the story of He Ping and the bronze statue of the head of the 12 zodiac animals, we must start with this national treasure that has been passed down for 140 years.
This bronze statue of the head of the zodiac animal was made during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and was carefully designed by the court Western painter Lang Shining. Lang Shining conceived the bronze statue of the zodiac with the head of the beast and the human body, which represents the twelve hours of the day.
The craftsmen placed the 12 bronze statues on the stone platform of the pond in front of the Haiyan Hall of the Western Building of the Old Summer Palace for timekeeping purposes. At certain times, the twelve heads of the beast will take turns to spray water, and the scene is very spectacular.
The copper used to make the bronze statue of the head of the 12 zodiac animals is not ordinary copper, but an alloy copper specially refined for the court, which will not be corroded even after wind and rain, which is amazing.
In addition, the carvings of the 12 zodiac signs are lifelike and visible in detail, showing the superb skills of our craftsmen. These twelve bronze statues integrate the artistic styles of the East and the West, symbolizing the clear Haiyan River and the prosperity of our country.
Sadly, in 1860, the British and French troops broke into the Old Summer Palace and looted it. Not only did they loot the treasures in the garden, but they also set fire to this place of pain in our country's history, leaving behind a shame that will never be erased.
The ruins of the Old Summer Palace carry the sorrow of the past. And in this incident of burning the Old Summer Palace, the bronze statues of the heads of the twelve zodiac animals were completely taken away, and any news about them was silenced.
Bull's head"with"Monkey head"These two national treasures, which were lost overseas, first appeared at auction in Hong Kong in 2000. They are our relics, but they are auctioned off by foreigners.
This is undoubtedly an insult to us and makes every Chinese angry. After He Ping, who was in Europe, learned the news, he resolutely decided that no matter what the cost, he would buy them back and regain the lost dignity for the country.
He Ping grew up in a revolutionary family since he was a child, and his heart was full of strong feelings for his family and country. He has a profound understanding of the humiliating history of our country at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the arduous revolutionary process.
After marrying Deng Rong, they made a joint vow to fight for the rise of the motherland wholeheartedly. All the while, they are committed to contributing to the country.
After the difficult period, He Ping returned to the army, remembered his father's teachings, obeyed orders, obeyed commands, and took it as his mission to become an excellent People's Liberation Army. In the early 90s of the 20th century, Deng Gong focused on the overall situation, focused the whole country on economic development, and made major disarmament decisions.
He Ping responded positively to the ** policy and decided to leave the army and start a new chapter in his life.
Relying on the east wind of reform and opening up, He Ping devoted himself to business, and experienced the tempering of labor, soldiering, and entrepreneurship all the way, and constantly improved himself. At Poly Group, a state-owned enterprise giant, he served as the chairman of the board of directors, and pondered how to make the company develop steadily for a long time, contribute more to China's economy, and become a company that benefits the people.
With his hard work, Poly Group has grown rapidly, involved in real estate, mineral investment and other industries, and ranked among the world's top 500. When they heard that the national treasure would be auctioned, He Ping and his wife were determined to bring it back to their homeland.
However, what they did not expect was that the process was full of difficulties and dangers.
When the Chinese Poly Group acquired twelve bronze statues"Bull's head"with"Monkey head"In fact, they were only sold for $1,500 when they first lost overseas.
However, when these precious artifacts reappeared, foreign auctioneers became intrigued by their value. They deliberately disseminated news of the upcoming auction to test our country's reaction to it.
As we all know, these cultural relics are of great significance to China, and the national sentiment is fierce and demanding the return of the cultural relics, so their value is self-evident. In order to prevent the return of these two beast heads to China and make more profits, foreign auctioneers deliberately raised the price before the auction, which caused greater anger among the Chinese people.
At this time, He Ping in Europe remotely guided Poly Group and decided at the auction"Recapture"National treasure.
Luckily, Poly Group is buying"Bull's head"with"Monkey head"did not fall into the trap of the auction house. At the same time, the other bidders also showed a relatively fair attitude, and the whole auction process was not affected by the malicious price increase of the third party, so the proceed was relatively smooth.
Poly Group was ready to go all out before the auction, and although the purchase of these two bronze statues was expensive, they were within the group's original budget. He Ping was overjoyed when he learned the news and told his wife, Deng Rong, the good news, who were extremely excited about the smooth return of the national treasure.
However, to the surprise of He Ping and Poly Group, the auction house tested the market and kept a hand. In fact, there were not only national treasures that were exhibited together at that time"Bull's head"with"Monkey head", and"Tiger head"。
The auction house intended to catch Poly Group off guard by auctioning the "Ox Head" and "Monkey Head" first, and increasing the price when the "Tiger Head" appeared. However, in May 2004, the "Tiger Head" was unveiled at Sotheby's auction, and Poly Group was ready to bid.
However, auctioneers set surprisingly high starting prices, and there are constantly malicious bids from third parties. When the ** of the "Tiger Head" exceeded the budget of Poly Group, the staff turned to He Ping for help.
He Ping said firmly: "No matter what the price is, this national treasure must be auctioned off!" In the end, Poly Group used 30 million Hong Kong dollars in cash to successfully bid for the three beast heads back to China.
After successfully retrieving the three beast heads, He Ping immediately decided to return these precious national treasures to the state unconditionally. The state is deeply grateful to He Ping for this selfless action, and praised it as an "act of benevolence and righteousness".
However, the state did not immediately nationalize the three animal heads, but first kept them in the art museum of the Poly Group. Until now, these three animal heads are still properly kept by Poly Group.
He Ping spent a lot of money to recover the national treasure for the country in a low-key manner, and this move won wide praise from the Chinese people. In the face of the ** interview, he said succinctly and clearly: "We just take back what belongs to the Chinese!" ”
This resolute attitude has won him countless praises and admiration from the public, and he once again interpreted his patriotic feelings with practical actions, and is a hero worthy of everyone's respect.
His wife, Deng Rong, was also very pleased with her husband's behavior, and they were both satisfied with being able to contribute to the motherland.
Before 2020, the seven bronze statues of the ox, monkey and tiger in the lost bronze statues of animal heads in the Old Summer Palace have returned to the motherland through different channels. Among them, the Poly Collection has returned the head of the ox, the head of the monkey and the head of the tiger, and has been properly collected in the Poly Art Museum.
Mr. Stanley Ho paid for the purchase of the bronze statues of the pig's head and the bronze statue of the horse's head and sent them back to China. In 2013, France** donated rat and rabbit heads to China free of charge.
At present, it is said that the dragon's head is in Taiwan, while the whereabouts of the other four bronze statues remain a mystery.
·Epilogue·]—As of today, only seven of the lost bronze statues of the zodiac have returned to their hometowns, and the remaining five are still adrift. This is not only a shortcoming of China's cultural heritage, but also reflects the arduousness and urgency of China's work of recovering lost cultural relics, and always reminds us of the importance of the prosperity and strength of our motherland.
Fortunately, in the process of recovering lost cultural relics in our country, there are many people like He Ping who have feelings for their family and country. They did not hesitate to sacrifice their personal interests, but also to win glory for the motherland and safely escort the return of national treasures.
They shine with a shining patriotic spirit, and they are role models worthy of our admiration. This article pays tribute to these treasure keepers, and also looks forward to the return of the remaining five bronze statues to the embrace of the motherland as soon as possible.