Indulge in Life in America

Chapter 374: The Animal Heads of the Twelve Zodiac Signs

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"Oh, I almost forgot to mention that these two antiques are bronze statues of the animal heads of the traditional Chinese zodiac signs in country Z. When I was researching antiques and cultural relics, I read related introductions."

When Eiffel said this, a look of mockery appeared on his face, as if he had figured out something.

Indeed, when he finished speaking, Yang Cheng felt his jaw drop from shock, and wondered if he was hallucinating, "Beast heads? The animal heads of the twelve zodiac animals in Yuanmingyuan? Did you hear me right? Although these copper heads were originally It was designed to be used as a faucet, but it is a symbol of the civilization of the prosperous China, and it is of great historical significance."

The bronze statue of the animal heads of the twelve zodiac animals in the Yuanmingyuan was originally part of the fountain outside the Haiyan Hall in the Yuanmingyuan. It was cast during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It was designed by the Italian court western painter Castiglione Castiglione, supervised by the French Jiang Youren, and made by court craftsmen.

However, when the British and French allied forces invaded country Z in 1860, the Old Summer Palace was burned, and the bronze statue of the animal head was lost overseas since then.

Many people don't understand, just a few faucets, why is the bronze statue of the animal head in Yuanmingyuan so precious?

During the prosperous Qianlong period, the national power of the Qing Dynasty was strong, and the level of craftsmanship was at the pinnacle of the time. This is particularly fully demonstrated in the bronze statues of the animal heads of the twelve zodiac signs in the Yuanmingyuan.

First of all, the copper it uses is an alloy copper specially refined for the court. It contains many precious metals. It is the same as the copper used in the copper cranes displayed in the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. , can be called a must.

Secondly, it was carefully crafted by the craftsmen of the palace manufacturing office who specially served the emperor. The casters are fine and the surface is carved with fine chisels. The fine details such as the fluff and nose hair on animals are chiseled. Forged, it is clear and realistic, and the key parts such as the nose, eyes, ears, and the creases on the nose and neck are all very delicate, without any sloppy, showing a very high level of craftsmanship that can be called the pinnacle.

Interestingly, the bronze statues of the animal heads of the twelve zodiac animals were made by the court craftsmen of the Qing Dynasty, but the designers were Castiglione from Italy and other European artists. Therefore, the bronze statues not only have a strong traditional aesthetic taste of country Z, but also integrate Western culture. Characteristics of plastic arts.

More importantly, the animal heads of the twelve zodiac signs are the cultural inheritance of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, and they also symbolize the prosperity of the Chinese mainland.

Over the years, with the rise of the motherland, more and more precious national treasures have been lost overseas. With the efforts of people of insight, they have returned to their mothers one by one, including the 12 animal heads of the zodiac, such as the rat head. He Rabbit Head appeared at the French auction house Jasicie in 2013. Its website announced the estimated value of the rat head and the rabbit head bronze statue, which were lost cultural relics in the Old Summer Palace in Country Z, and were estimated at 8 million to 10 million euros respectively.

However, with the unremitting efforts of the experts and leaders of the Museum of Z, an in-depth meeting was held with Mr. Pinuo, the "owner" of the two bronze heads. The ZF of country Z donated the bronze rat heads and rabbit heads from the Twelve Water Laws of the Old Summer Palace that were lost overseas;

As early as the dawn of the new millennium, the cow head and the tiger head were taken back from the auction by Baoli Group at the transaction price of 7 million and 14 million G coins respectively, and are now stored in the Baoli Art Museum for public viewing;

The horse head and pig head were bought by the gambling king of Macau at a sky-high price around 2007 and donated to the motherland;

Although the whereabouts of the dragon head are unknown, according to some TV media reports, Wang Du, a collector of Z National Treasure Island, said that the Taiwan dragon head was in good condition in the 1980s, and its value at that time was NT$4-5 million. The original plan was to let the dragon head appear for auction, but in view of the turmoil encountered by the rat head and the rabbit head, the collector estimated that the dragon head and other unaccounted Yuanmingyuan animal heads would not appear in a short time, but there is no doubt that it was in Treasure Island.

And the dog head was also short-lived in the United States. It was also in 2009 that Zheng Andy, a Chinese who lived in a small town in Virginia, USA,

Said that he bought a bronze statue of a dog head at a thrift store for US$1,000 a month ago. Judging from the appearance, material and size, he thought it was most likely the bronze statue of a dog head among the 12 bronze statues of animal heads. It is claimed that the bronze statue was consigned by others, and the source is unknown. The seller offered $1,000, and nothing less was acceptable. Zheng Andi decided to buy it after careful consideration.

Zheng Andi once said that it would be a good thing if the national treasures lost overseas can return to the motherland, but he has neither the financial resources nor the opportunity to authenticate the bronze statue of the dog head. He hopes to attract the attention of cultural relic connoisseurs and collectors. It is worth mentioning Unfortunately, as early as 2003, a "dog head" appeared in the auction of an auction house in Xiangjiang, but unfortunately, its identity was not recognized by many experts, so the auction had to be withdrawn.

Therefore, including the dog's head, the whereabouts of four animal heads including the snake's head, the sheep's head, and the chicken's head are still unknown. Now, Yang Cheng is not excited when he hears that Eiffel claims that he has got two animal heads? What is certain is that these two animal heads must be two of the four animal heads whose whereabouts are unknown. No matter which two are, their value cannot be estimated by money.

Moreover, Yang Cheng has reason to believe that these two animal heads are genuine, because Earl Edmond's family has been passed down for hundreds of years. It is not surprising that his ancestors had soldiers or generals who participated in the burning of the Old Summer Palace by the British and French allied forces, and the Edmond family has never been short of money. , and there is no need to auction the national treasure of country Z, which is prone to controversy, for cash.

Thinking of this, Yang Cheng couldn't help breathing quickly. If he got these two animal heads, there would be too many places for him to use. Donating to the country is a must, even if it is for the sake of future business in China, these two animal heads He can't take it all alone, especially its own value is far less important than its meaning. Instead of hiding it privately and attracting hostility from some people in the country, it is better to exchange it for favorable policies, what? Free donation? Oh, I think too much! Of course, it must be free on the surface!

It's a long story, and the most urgent thing is to get the things first. The impatient Yang Cheng grabbed Eiffel's collar, and Hansen, who didn't know why, instinctively put a gun on Eiffel's temple, only to hear Yang Cheng slam it. He asked fiercely, "Where is the thing? Listen, Eiffel, I don't care what you want, as long as it is within reason, I can consider giving it to you, but if you lose something, you can jump into the Hudson River by yourself Feed the fish."

Eiffel patted Yang Cheng's hand tightly clutching his collar, but it didn't work, so he had to give up struggling, "Mr. Yang, you killed me, and those two antiques will never see the light of day again."

Yang Cheng ignored this at all, "Don't talk nonsense, tell me where the antiques are hidden, and we will discuss your compensation slowly afterwards. A means of getting you to speak."

Eiffel unconsciously met Hansen's cold eyes, couldn't help but shuddered, swallowed and said, "I don't trust you, Mr. Yang, unless you agree to my conditions first."

Yang Cheng stared at Eiffel, pushed hard for a while, and let him go, "Then stop talking nonsense, and make a condition quickly."

Eiffel straightened his collar with a wry smile, "It's good luck to escape from the earl's castle this time, but with two large animal heads, I didn't dare to run around, so I hid them in the Under a big tree in the forest on the outskirts of Leeds, only I know where they are, they are safe for the time being."

Yang Cheng was really impatient, and interrupted irritably, "You'd better not challenge my patience, tell me your conditions quickly, I'm not interested in listening to others."

"OK, OK, I want 30 million US dollars, as well as immigration for me and my daughter, and we are going to settle in the United States." Eiffel said his conditions helplessly, and waited anxiously for Yang Cheng's reply.

"30 million? Why don't you rob the bank? I can get it without spending a penny, why spend 30 million? If you are not sincere, just say it, and I won't waste your time with you. Hansen will definitely Treat you well." Yang Cheng hugged his shoulders and said with a sneer.

Eiffel was confident, "Before I came to the United States, I specially left a timed message for Philip and the others. If I didn't cancel it after 24 hours, the message would be sent to Philip and the others on time. It marked the coordinates of the location where the animal head was hidden, so If Mr. Yang doesn't want to take advantage of that idiot Fili, I think it's better for us to cooperate sincerely."

Yang Cheng narrowed his eyes, not moved by Eiffel's threat, but asked Hansen with a sneer, "Hansen, how long do you need to pry this guy's mouth open?"

Hansen gritted his teeth, licked his lips and said with a bloody smile, "An ace special soldier who has undergone the most rigorous training and has a high degree of faith can last up to 6 hours under my command. With this guy's fragile body, I think 1 hour is enough."

Yang Cheng was very satisfied with the answer, and proudly said to Eiffel, "Did you hear that? Otherwise, you can try it out yourself, maybe you will break the record of that special soldier brother?"

After a pause, the big stick and sweet dates must be used at the same time for the best effect, "However, I am very kind, and I don't want to see other people shed blood. I will give you a better choice, 3 million US dollars, and arrange for your daughter to come After studying at a university in the United States, she can get an internship in our company after graduation, but of course whether she can become a regular is up to her, what do you think of this condition?"

When Eiffel was struggling with thinking, Yang Cheng's voice kept buzzing in his ears like a mosquito, "3 million US dollars is a lot, and many middle-class families can't save 3 million US dollars in their lifetime, so let's do it again. I will give you a house worth 500,000 US dollars and a BMW for free, of course Mercedes-Benz is also available, anyway, you can choose the brand yourself, this condition is really generous enough, don’t miss this opportunity!”

"Think about it, even if I let you go back now and let you handle those two bronze heads by yourself, do you think you can handle it? Not to mention anything else, just those cultural relic thieves and black market robbers can make you Being in trouble with your daughter, as a father, how can you bear to let your daughter live in dire straits?"

"If you want me to say, people must be self-aware, ambitions must be matched with abilities, and 30 million US dollars will be given to you, can you keep it?"

Finally, Eiffel couldn't hold back, and shouted in a broken voice, "fuck, stop talking, you're a bastard, a complete bastard, I promise, can't I promise?"

The genius remembers the address of this site in one second:. Mobile version reading website:

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