"Yes, so I said I asked you to come to Dajinta? You won't think it's better to rest in a hotel than to come here."
"Yes," Wang Ding nodded repeatedly.
As the saying goes: Listening is false and seeing is true. When Wang Ding saw a description of the Great Golden Pagoda in the Myanmar geography, he was still a little disdainful. If you want to talk about artificial architecture, the Forbidden City in China represents the ancient times.
The highest level of architecture, but after seeing the Great Golden Pagoda again, Wang Ding was shocked and realized that he had become a little arrogant before. This Great Golden Pagoda is indeed worthy of the pride and pride of the Burmese people.
Let me tell you, this big golden pagoda was built against the mountain. Wang Ding spent three dollars at the door to buy a color page introducing the big golden pagoda. It contains three Chinese, English and Myanmar texts, which introduce the big golden pagoda in detail.
There are many myths and stories in history.
The legend begins with a pair of merchant brothers who met the Buddha - they received eight hairs from the Buddha and were ready to send them to Myanmar for worship. The brothers arrived in Myanmar and found a holy mountain where many Buddha treasures were worshipped with the help of the local king.
When the eight Buddha hairs were taken out to worship in the golden box of two people, something incredible happened: the light emitted from the hair penetrated the heaven and hell, so that the blind could see, the deaf could hear, and the mute could speak.
It's clear, it's very magical.
Moreover, drought thunders fell from the sky, and the earth shook the mountains. Even Mount Sumeru was affected. Gems fell from the sky like rain, reaching depths below the knees. Trees on the Himalayas bloomed and bear fruit even in the season when they were not blooming.
Of course these are all legends, but in the Great Golden Pagoda, the relics of the four Buddhas are indeed worshipped, including the crutches that detained Sun Buddha, the water purifier of the Equal Enlightenment Jinji Buddha, the robe of Kashyapa Buddha, and the other is
The eight hairs of Buddha Shakyamuni, these relics, are kneeling and incense from countless devout Buddhists every day.
When you walk into the mountain gate, you can see the huge tower foundation. The circumference of the tower foundation is 433 meters. It is surrounded by 64 small towers and 4 middle towers with different styles. The tower has four entrances, all guarded by stone lions.
And after the entrance, there are a series of steps leading directly to the platform on the mountain.
There are more than 15,000 gold and silver bells hanging around the tower, and the wind blows the bells, which are crisp and pleasant, and the sound is spread all over the world.
There are gates in the southeast, southwest and northwest of the Great Golden Pagoda. There are gate guarding lions in front of the gate, just like the often gated lions in front of Chinese temples, each with a pair of tall stone lions.
There are long corridor-style stone steps in the door to reach the top of the tower. The stairs are lined with stalls, including Buddha statues and portraits carved with wood, bamboo, bones, ivory, etc., as well as incense, candles, flowers for Buddhas, and
Various Burmese flavored snacks.
Wang Ding and Bi Yue. The current location is at the entrance of the Jinta South Gate, on both sides of the gate. There is a pair of lion-faced figures guarding it. Wang Ding didn't know that this is rumored to be a building 2,500 years ago.
, does it have any mysterious connection with the pyramids of Egypt?
At the reminder of the staff, Wang Ding and Bi Yue took off their shoes and entered the Great Golden Pagoda. On a series of steps, there was a statue of Buddha. The bottom of the pagoda was made of bricks and covered with gold nuggets.
It is a real gold brick made of pure gold, donated by Buddhists from all walks of life in Myanmar. In the niches on the foreshadowing in the pagoda, jade Buddha statues of different shapes are enshrined.
Walking in the golden pagoda, monks wearing barefoots walked past each other from time to time. Although the golden pagoda was extremely luxurious, when people stood inside, Wang Ding only felt that his mood was never peaceful and peaceful, and the worldly troubled in his heart
, it seems to be gone.
After walking around the Great Golden Pagoda, Wang Ding and Bi Yue visited the relics of several Buddha Lords. The sun was already shining brightly at this time, but after getting used to it, he didn't feel as hot as he felt.
There is an ancient Bodhi tree in the southeast corner of the Great Golden Pagoda. According to legend, it was transplanted from the holy tree garden of the Vajra throne of Sakyamuni in India. On the left side of the Bodhi tree, there is also a Qing Dynasty Guangxu period, which is from
A Chinese temple called "Fuhui Palace" built by overseas Chinese donations.
It was much more lively here. Many vendors were selling souvenirs and some antiques and coins on the ground. The high temple with Chinese characteristics, and the small vendors were mixed with Chinese hawking sounds, which gave Wang Ding the feeling.
It's generally in the domestic antique market.
"Wang Ding, this should be the antique market here, let's take a look."
"Okay." Wang Ding is very interested in antiques here every time he goes to a place. Wang Ding has never seen the antiques in Burmese, so he naturally wants to know.
However, the stalls here are not the same as those in China. Most of them are carved by figures or Buddha statues, and the materials are nothing more than ivory and wood.
"Come on my side, you can see it. They are all authentic ivory, bamboo, old wood root carvings, like fake ones..."
When Wang Ding walked to a stall, the stall owner said enthusiastically.
He spoke pure Mandarin and called Wang Ding, and was shocked, "Brother, you speak Chinese well."
Wang Ding knew that many Burmese people could speak Chinese, but they could clearly hear the awkwardness in the language. This Mandarin, which looks proficient in the middle-aged man in his thirties, shows his identity, and is definitely a Chinese.
The variety of items on his stall is relatively richer. In addition to the Buddha statues carved by wood ivory bones, there are also bamboo-woven handmade vases and other objects. Of course, they are just decorations and cannot be filled with water.
It is quite exquisite, and there are also rattan products, decorated with sequins and colorful sand cages, which are very Burmese.
"It's better, I'm Chinese."
"Are you Chinese?"
The stall owner replied: "Yes, it has been more than half a century since my grandfather's generation, but I went back to my motherland to recognize my relatives the year before... "
Wang Ding couldn't help but feel awe-inspiring and asked, "Your grandfather stayed in Myanmar when he was the Chinese Expeditionary Force back then?"
There are a large number of people living in Myanmar in China, and they are all soldiers.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China sent two expedition forces, with a total strength of 260,000 people into Myanmar. Due to the mismanagement of the Allied forces and poor cooperation, the first expedition ended in failure and was captured and bombed in the defeat.
The number of people who died, starved to death and were killed or disappeared by infectious diseases reached 70,000.
Many surviving Chinese soldiers stayed in Myanmar to live. It was not until the 1990s that dusty history was re-exposed. At that time, there was a campaign to welcome the remains of the dead heroes, many of them were launched.
Veterans also returned to the mainland to find their roots and ask for their ancestors.
The second type of people who stayed in Myanmar were the Kuomintang troops led by Li Mi who were defeated from Yun#nan and other places during the Liberation War. They entered Myanmar and occupied the Golden Triangle region...
The Chinese who stayed in Myanmar were nothing more than these two groups of people. That's why Wang Ding asked this question: No matter what reason they stayed, they were descendants of Yan and Huang.
After hearing Wang Ding's words, the stall owner was a little embarrassed and said, "My grandfather stayed in Myanmar during the Expeditionary Force. At that time, they fought guerrillas with the Japanese in the jungle, but later followed the defeated Kuomintang troops, and
The Communist Party of Burma is fighting…”
Almost all the people who remained in Myanmar in the Expeditionary Force were veterans on the battlefield of hundreds of battles. After fighting with the Japanese, they had already settled down and settled, but later the defeated soldiers of the Kuomintang fled to Myanmar. Out of the idea of being in harmony with each other
Many veterans have taken up weapons again. Of course, these people are now over 60 years old, and large-scale wars no longer exist.
"What do you call this big brother? How is your business here? What is this ivory figure sculpture price?"
Wang Ding squatted down. As the other party was a Chinese, he had to help him. It would not cost much money to buy some small things.
The stall owner glanced at the ivory carving in Wang Ding's hand and replied casually: "My surname is Tan, my name is Tan Guanghui. That five dollars, the Burmese kyat is 5,000. I bought it in US dollars, which is a little cheaper..."
In Myanmar, the US dollar is a hard currency, and one dollar can be exchanged for 800 Myanmar coins.
Wang Ding calculated in his mind that it was only more than 40 yuan rmb, which was still very cost-effective. More importantly, this ivory carving is still old ivory. It looks solid and fine, with a soft and smooth color. The whole object is pure white and slightly slight.
Some are yellow, like something that has been around for a while.
Although ivory is described as white gold, its color is mostly yellow. Ivory is divided into African ivory and Asian ivory. Both male and female elephants in Africa have teeth, and the teeth are mostly light yellow, with fine texture and shiny.
OK, with high hardness, the color of Asian ivory is relatively white and will turn yellow over time. Therefore, seeing the old ivory carvings are usually distinguished from the color.
Some collectors also like their whiteness, so they will soak them with bean dregs and then wipe them. They will naturally turn white after bleaching. They also have an oily and white luster, which feels moist and delicate, and are also considered top-quality. Most of the fake imitations made of bones have been bleached.
The result is dry and rough after bleaching. The white and dull plastic products are unnatural and dull.
Since the 1980s, for the sake of protecting elephant populations, including China, the international trade has been banned. This has caused a great impact on the domestic ivory carving market, which relies entirely on imported ivory raw materials. After my country stopped importing ivory directly from Africa on June 1, 1990, and the international trade of ivory and its products was completely banned in 1991, no commercial import of ivory was approved. The ivory was driven by the ban on ivory raw materials. With the rise of collections, ivory carvings continue to appreciate in the ban on masterpieces.
With the ban on target dentistry trade and the emergence of raw materials for ivory products, the number of ivory carvings and crafts is also rare. With the consumption of the market, the existing ivory carvings will become increasingly rare. Therefore, for a period of time, the price of ivory crafts
It has risen by 100%, and ivory carving art has been enthusiastically sought after by collectors.
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and other places are the hometowns of Asian elephants, so ivory products are still very common here.
"I think your business is good?"
"The business is OK, I'm making some money for dinner. I heard that the country is developing well now, so I still want to go back if I have the opportunity..."
Tan Guanghui is very talkative. Although there are many Chinese tourists in Myanmar, he does not often speak Chinese, so he talks endlessly with Wang Ding.
"Well, this... I want all these. Brother Tan, how much is it worth in total?"
Wang Ding picked out several ivory carvings on the street stall. This thing is now very popular among domestic collectors, and is worth more than 1,000 yuan. If it is ivory micro-carvings and royal equipment from the Song and Ming dynasties, then it is even worth it.
It is worth more than tens of millions of yuan, and it is a priceless treasure and is extremely rare.
However, Wang Ding didn't want to make this money. He mainly wanted to enrich his basement. Speaking of which, there was nothing but a few pieces of porcelain and ancient paintings. It was a bit shabby.
"This little brother. There are a total of 138 US dollars. Just give 130 US dollars, I'll pack it for you..."
Wang Ding bought a lot of things, and there were more than ten in total, and the prices were also different. Tan Guanghui took out more than ten small boxes from the big box behind him, and each one was
There are corresponding ivory sculptures. They are put in one by one.
"Brother Tan, why don't you sell jade here? Isn't Burmese produce jade? I think other stalls sell it..."
"Hehe, this is your first time in Myanmar, right?" Tan Guanghui asked with a smile.
"Yes, what's wrong? Doesn't Myanmar allow me to buy and sell jade?"
Even Wang Ding is a little strange now. It is fine if the export of wool materials is prohibited. If the Myanmar government restricts even finished jade, it will be a little too much. And doing so will make it impossible for their domestic jewelry companies to develop.
"It's not that you are not allowed to buy or sell, but the two of you are buying jewelry and jade. Especially when jade is being used, you must go to a regular store. And don't buy jade wool materials, that is, raw stones that have not been processed and polished. This is all within the scope of export control by the state.
.
After purchasing, you must ask for a shopping voucher for inspection when leaving customs. Most of the people sold are fake jade, but there is real one, no invoice, and it is out of the customs after buying it. I don’t want to deceive customers, so I just want to
No more…”
Tan Guanghui was very disdainful of the behavior of several stalls next to him, and showed a dissatisfied expression on his face.
It was the first time Wang Ding and others heard this statement. No wonder Myanmar produces jadeite, but there is no famous jade company. It seems that it is really restricted by the government. However, it is normal to think about it carefully. Myanmar jadeite is probably like
It is Arab oil, and as the main income for foreign exchange earnings, it will naturally be controlled by the government.
"Thank you, welcome to go back to China more in the future..."
Wang Ding took the ivory carvings put in the packaging bag, stood up, and was about to say goodbye to this foreign fellow, his eyes were suddenly attracted by an item in the box where the box was placed behind him.
, the foot forward was taken back.
"Brother Tan, are the things in your box sold?"
Since he was squatting just now, Wang Ding saw clearly that in the box beside the stall owner, there was a ivory sculpture of Buddha about fifty centimeters tall and as thick as his arms, and in his clothes,
All of them are hollowing techniques, with elegant shapes and extremely exquisite carvings.
It was not these that surprised Wang Ding, but the shape of the Buddha statue, which was the angrily vajra in Buddhism. As the saying goes: Bodhisattva lowered his eyebrows and angrily vajra. This Buddha carved vajra has a vicious appearance, holding a vajra, and the material used in the entire carving.
It is so large that it is rare, and there is a piece of ruby inlaid on its forehead, just like the Vajra Heavenly Eye, which adds power to the entire ivory carving.
Wang Ding liked this object from the very first sight. It was placed in the living room of the courtyard. It was so majestic. To put it in such a large whole ivory carving, except for the finest quality in the Chairman's Memorial Hall in China.
In addition to the ivory carvings of boys playing with Buddha ornaments and sailing ivory carvings, there are really not many folk collections.
"You said this thing..."
Tan Guanghui showed a look of hesitation on his face. This object was seized by his grandfather from the Japanese and was always kept as his own spoils. However, the old man passed away a few years ago, so this thing was left to him.
Although he was preparing to sell it, he was really reluctant to let it go when Wang Ding asked about it.
"Brother Tan, can you show me this ivory sculpture first?"
Wang Ding didn't know what Tan Guanghui was thinking, nor did he know that Tan Guanghui was afraid that the dead old man would scold him for selling his father-in-law. Wang Ding just simply liked this work that could be called a large ivory carved Buddha statue. He wanted to take it.
Just play with it in your hands.
"Yes, of course, you'd better come and see it. The weight of this thing is not light..."
This item is not small, and its ivory sculptures are relatively fragile and fragile. Tan Guanghui asked Wang Ding to see it in his stall, and was still wondering whether this thing should be sold, and if it were sold, how much should it be sold
suitable?
After hearing this, Wang Ding was not polite. He stepped over the stall in one step, walked to the box, carried out the ivory carving that was almost as tall as the box, and placed it on the ground.
In this way, the entire ivory carving ornament was completely presented to Wang Ding. The King Kong character in this angrily ignorant ivory carving was supported by one foot and raised slightly. The shape of the face was extremely exaggerated and the mouth was opened.
, his nostrils were facing the sky, his eyes glared forward, he held a vajra in his right hand, his chest was exposed with strong muscles, and his clothes were fluttering in front of him, which was very beautiful.
Wang Ding once read some books about ancient Buddhist carvings. This ivory carving ornament should be a typical Buddhist statue from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which adheres to the traditional Chinese carving style of exaggerated and freehand painting. It is also in line with the modern people's health and beauty of human body.
Aesthetic.
I just don’t know how this person should be from my country, so how did he come to Myanmar? In the past, only China bullies Myanmar, but Myanmar does not have the ability to burn, kill, loot, and burn.
Looking closely at the details, Wang Ding can see that the sculptor of this work is extremely skilled, and the knife is in place and will never be dragged on. The lines are simple, smooth, and the details are clear and natural. The most special thing is that the whole body of the work is covered with scars and it is not possible.
The polishing and carving marks are completely reflected in the ivory characteristics.
This kind of treatment of the plain face facing the sky and the true nature of the person will increase the strength, temperament and appeal of the work, and on the other hand, it will also show the author's full confidence in his carving skills. (To be continued, please search for astronomy, novels are better, updated and more