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Text 00382 Ivory carving

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    "Yes, that's why I told you to come to the Shwedagon Pagoda. Now you don't think it's better to rest in the hotel than to come here." "Yes," Wang Ding nodded repeatedly.  As the saying goes: Hearing is false, seeing is believing. When Wang Ding saw the description of the Shwedagon Pagoda in the topography of Myanmar, he was still a little dismissive. When it comes to man-made buildings, the Forbidden City in China represents the ancient times.  The highest level of architecture. However, after seeing the Shwedagon Pagoda again, Wang Ding was shocked and realized that he had been a bit arrogant before. This Shwedagon Pagoda is indeed worthy of the pride and pride of the Burmese people.  By the way, the Shwedagon Pagoda is built on the mountain. Wang Ding spent three dollars at the door to buy a color page introducing the Shwedagon Pagoda. It has Chinese, English and Burmese characters and introduces the Shwedagon Pagoda in detail.  history, and many myths and stories.  The legend started with a pair of businessmen brothers who met the Buddha - they received eight hairs of the Buddha and prepared to send them to Myanmar for worship.  The brothers arrived in Myanmar and, with the help of the local king, found a sacred mountain where many Buddha treasures were enshrined.  When the eight Buddha hairs were taken out and enshrined in the gold box of the two people, something incredible happened: the light emanating from the hair penetrated heaven and hell, making the blind able to see, the deaf able to hear, and the mute able to speak.  It's clear, it's amazing.  Moreover, drought and thunder fell from the sky, the earth trembled, and even Mount Sumeru was affected. Precious stones fell from the sky like rain, reaching as deep as the knees. The trees in the Himalayas began to bloom and bear fruit even if they were not in the flowering season.  Of course these are all legends, but the relics of the four Buddhas are indeed enshrined in the Shwedagon Pagoda.  Including the crutch used to detain Sun Fo.  The water purifier that is waiting for the Enlightenment of Golden Silence Buddha.  Kassapa Buddha's robe, and the eight hairs of Buddha Sakyamuni. These relics are worshiped and incense burned by countless devout Buddhists every day.  When you walk into the mountain gate, you can see the huge tower base. The perimeter of the tower base is 433 meters. It is surrounded by 64 small towers and 4 middle towers made of wood and stone in different styles. The four entrances of the tower are guarded by stone lions.  After the entrance, there is a series of steps leading up to the platform on the mountain.  There are more than 15,000 gold and silver bells hanging around the tower. When the wind blows, the bells sound crisp and sweet, and the sound spreads in all directions.  There are gates in the southeast, northwest and northwest of the Shwedagon Pagoda. In front of the gates are the same pair of tall stone lions that often appear in front of Chinese temples.  There are long corridor-style stone steps inside the gate that can be climbed to the top of the tower. Both sides of the steps are lined with stalls, including Buddha statues and human figures carved from wood, bamboo, bone, ivory, etc., as well as incense, candles, flowers for Buddha, and  Various Myanmar snacks.  Wang Ding and Bi Yue.  The current position is standing at the entrance of the south gate of the Jinta, on both sides of the gate.  Guarded by a pair of lion-faced statues, Wang Ding wondered whether this building, which was rumored to be 2,500 years ago, had any mysterious connection with the Egyptian pyramids.  At the prompts of the staff, Wang Ding and Bi Yue took off their shoes and entered the Shwedagon Pagoda. On top of a series of steps, there was a statue of the Buddha, and the bottom of the tower was made of bricks and covered with gold nuggets.  They are real gold bricks made of pure gold, donated by Buddhists from all walks of life in Myanmar. In the niches on the foreshadowing inside the pagoda, jade Buddha statues of different shapes are enshrined.  Walking in the golden pagoda, from time to time monks would walk by in bare feet. Although this golden pagoda is extremely luxurious, when people stand inside, Wang Ding can only feel the peace and tranquility in his heart that he has never experienced before, and the worldly worries in his heart.  , seems to be gone.  After walking around the Shwedagon Pagoda, Wang Ding and Bi Yue visited several relics of the Buddha. The sun was already shining brightly, but after getting used to it, it didn't feel so hot anymore.  In the southeast corner of the Shwedagon Pagoda, there is an ancient Bodhi tree, which is said to have been transplanted from the sacred tree nursery of Sakyamuni's Vajra Throne in India. To the left of the ancient Bodhi tree, there is another tree built during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty.  A Chinese temple named "Fuhui Palace" was built with donations from overseas Chinese.  It's a lot more lively here. Many vendors are selling souvenirs and some antique coins on the ground. The high-pitched temples with Chinese characteristics, coupled with the vendors' shouts mixed with Chinese, give Wang Ding the feeling of coming here.  Go to the domestic antique market in general.  "Wang Ding, this should be the antique market here, let's take a look." "Okay." Wang Ding will be very interested in these antiques every time he goes to a place. Wang Ding has never seen antiques in Myanmar, so naturally  Want to know.  However, the stalls here are not the same as those in China. Most of them are carvings of figures or Buddha statues, and the materials used are nothing more than ivory and wood.  "Come and take a look at my place. They are all authentic ivory, bamboo, and old wood root carvings. They are guaranteed to be genuine" When Wang Ding walked to a stall, the stall owner said enthusiastically.  He spoke pure Mandarin, which surprised Wang Ding, "Brother, you speak Chinese very well."That's wrong.  Wang Ding knew that many Burmese people could speak Chinese, but he could clearly hear the unfamiliarity in the language. The proficient Mandarin of this middle-aged man in his thirties showed that he was definitely Chinese.  The variety of items at his stall is relatively rich. In addition to the Buddha statues carved from wood, ivory and bones, there are also handmade bamboo vases and other items. Of course, they are only decorations and cannot hold water.  The ones are quite exquisite, and there are also rattan products and brightly colored sand cages covered with sequins, which are very characteristic of Myanmar. ¡°It¡¯s OK, I¡¯m Chinese.  " "Are you Chinese?  "The stall owner replied: "Yes, it has been more than half a century since my grandfather's generation came to Myanmar, but he returned to the motherland to meet his relatives the year before last" Wang Ding couldn't help being awe-struck when he heard this, and asked: "Who is your grandfather?  Who stayed in Myanmar during the Chinese Expeditionary Force?  ¡± There are many Chinese people living in Myanmar, and they are all soldiers. During the Anti-Japanese War, China sent two expeditionary forces with a total strength of 260,000 to fight in Myanmar. Due to the Allied Forces¡¯ poor command and poor coordination,  The first expedition ended in failure. The number of people who were captured, bombed, starved to death, and killed by infectious diseases or disappeared in the rout reached as many as 70,000. There were many surviving Chinese soldiers.  He stayed in Myanmar until the 1990s when that dusty history was revealed again. At that time, there was a wave of activities to welcome the remains of fallen heroes, and many veterans also returned to the mainland to find their roots.  Asking Ancestors The second type of people who stayed in Myanmar were the Kuomintang troops headed by Li Mi who were defeated from Yunnan and other places during the Liberation War, entered Myanmar, and entrenched themselves in the Golden Triangle area stayed in Myanmar.  The Chinese people are nothing more than these two groups. That¡¯s why Wang Ding asked. No matter what the reason is, they are all descendants of Yan and Huang. After hearing Wang Ding¡¯s words, the stall owner felt a little embarrassed and said:  "My grandfather stayed in Myanmar during the expeditionary force. At that time, they were fighting guerrillas with the Japanese in the jungle, but later they followed the defeated troops of the Kuomintang and started fighting with the Communist Party of Burma" The expeditionary force stayed in Myanmar  These people were almost all veterans of countless battles. They had already settled down after fighting the Japanese, but later the defeated Kuomintang troops fled to Burma.  Of course, these people are now over sixty years old, and large-scale wars no longer exist. ¡°What do you call this big brother?  How is your business here?  What is the price of this ivory figure sculpture?  " Wang Ding knelt down. Since the other party was Chinese, he had to help him. It wouldn't cost much to buy some small things. The stall owner looked at the ivory carving in Wang Ding's hand and replied casually: "I My surname is Tan, my name is Tan Guanghui, the five US dollars, the kyat is 5,000, buy it in US dollars, it is a little cheaper" In Myanmar, the US dollar is a hard currency, one US dollar can be exchanged for 800 kyats. Wang Ding calculated in his mind Look, it¡¯s only over 40 RMB, which is still a good deal. More importantly, this ivory carving is still old ivory. It looks solid and dense, with a soft and smooth color. The whole object is pure white and slightly yellowed, like Things that are old. 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 tusks, and their tusks are mostly light yellow. , fine texture, good luster and high hardness. The color of Asian ivory is relatively white and will turn yellow over time. Therefore, when looking at the age of ivory carvings, it is generally judged by the color. Some collectors like its white color. Soak it with bean dregs and then rub it, and it will naturally turn white. After bleaching, it will also have an oily and white luster, and it will feel moist and delicate. It is also a top-grade product. However, most of the fake bone-made imitations are bleached and appear dry after bleaching. , rough to the touch, and the white color of plastic products is dull, unnatural, and dull. Since the 1980s, out of concern for protecting elephant populations, the international trade in ivory was once banned, which made it completely dependent on ivory. The domestic ivory carving market with imported ivory raw materials has had a great impact. After my country stopped direct import of ivory from Africa on June 1, 1990, and completely banned the international trade of ivory and its products in 1991, any commercial import No ivory is allowed. The ban on ivory raw materials has led to an increase in ivory collections, and the value of ivory carvings has continued to increase during the ban. With the ban on ivory trade and the shortage of raw materials for ivory products, the demand for ivory carving crafts has increased. The quantity is also very rare, and with the consumption of the market, the remaining fine ivory carvings will become increasingly rare. Therefore, for a period of time, the price of ivory handicrafts has skyrocketed by 100%.Carved artworks are enthusiastically sought after by collectors.  Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and other places are considered the hometown of Asian elephants, so ivory products are still very common here.  "I think your business is good?" "The business is not bad. I can make some money to eat. I heard that the country is developing well. I still want to go back if I have the opportunity" Tan Guanghui is very talkative, although there are many Chinese in Myanmar.  A tourist, but he didn¡¯t speak Chinese very often, so he started chatting with Wang Ding non-stop.  "Well, this and these, I want them all. Brother Tan, how much are they worth in total?" Wang Ding picked out several ivory carvings on the stall. This thing is now very popular in China.  Collectors are looking for them, and the value is more than a thousand yuan. If they are ivory miniature sculptures and royal utensils from the Song and Ming Dynasties, they are even worth tens of millions of yuan or more. They are priceless treasures and extremely rare.  ¡°But Wang Ding didn¡¯t want to make this money. He mainly wanted to enrich his basement. Apart from a few pieces of porcelain and ancient paintings, there was nothing there.  A bit too shabby.  "This little brother, the total is one hundred and thirty-eight dollars. Just give me one hundred and thirty dollars, and I'll wrap it up for you" Wang Ding bought quite a lot of gadgets. All of them added up to ten dollars.  There were multiple ones, and the prices were also different. Tan Guanghui took out more than ten small boxes from the big box behind him, and each one actually had a corresponding tooth carving.  They were put in one by one.  "Brother Tan, why don't you sell jade here? Doesn't Myanmar produce jade? I think other stalls sell it" "Haha, is this your first time in Myanmar?" Tan Guanghui asked with a smile.  .  "Yeah, what's the matter? Doesn't Myanmar allow the buying and selling of jade?" Now even Wang Ding was a little strange. Forget about banning the export of wool. If the Myanmar government also restricts finished jade, it would be a bit too much. And doing this  , which will also prevent their domestic jewelry companies from developing.  "It's not that buying and selling is prohibited, it's just that you two are buying jewelry and jade. Especially when it comes to jade, you must go to regular stores. And don't buy jade raw materials, that is, raw stones that have not been processed and polished. These are all within the scope of national export control.  After purchasing, be sure to ask for a shopping voucher to prepare for customs inspection. Most of the jade sold by those people is fake. Even if it is genuine and there is no invoice, the purchase will still be cleared. I don¡¯t want to deceive customers, so I simply  I won¡¯t show it anymore" Tan Guanghui was very disdainful of the behavior of the nearby stalls, with a look of disapproval on his face.  This is the first time Wang Ding and others have heard this statement. No wonder Myanmar is rich in jade, but there is no famous jade company. It is really restricted by the government, but if you think about it, it is normal. Myanmar¡¯s jade is probably like  Arab oil is the main source of foreign exchange, so it is naturally controlled by the government.  "Thank you. You are welcome to come back to China to see more in the future" Wang Ding took the ivory carvings that were put in the packaging bags and stood up. Just when he was about to say goodbye to this foreign fellow, his eyes were suddenly lifted from behind him.  An object in the box was attracted, and the foot that stepped forward took it back again.  "Brother Tan, are the things in your box for sale?" Since he was squatting just now, when he stood up, Wang Ding saw clearly that in the box next to the stall owner, there was something about fifty centimeters high.  An ivory Buddha statue is as thick as an arm, and its clothing and decorations are all hollowed out. The shape is elegant and the carving is extremely delicate.  What surprised Wang Ding was not these, but the shape of the Buddha statue, which is the angry-eyed Vajra in Buddhism. As the saying goes: Bodhisattva lowers his eyebrows, Vajra has angry eyes. This Buddha statue of Vajra has a ferocious face, holding a vajra, and the entire sculpture is made of materials.  It is so large that it is rare, and there is actually a ruby ??inlaid on its forehead, which is like a diamond eye, making the entire tooth sculpture even more powerful.  When Wang Ding first saw this object, he liked it from the bottom of his heart. This thing was placed in the living room of the courtyard. It looked so majestic. Speaking of which, in China, except for the exquisite large-scale ivory carvings in the Chairman¡¯s Memorial Hall,  Apart from ivory carvings of children playing with Buddha and ivory carvings of sailing boats, there are really not many private collections.  "You are talking about this thing" Tan Guanghui showed a look of hesitation on his face. This object was seized by his grandfather from the Japanese and has been kept as his own trophy. However, the old man passed away a few years ago. This  The things were left to him.  Although he was planning to sell it, when Wang Ding asked about buying it, he was really reluctant to part with it.  ¡°Brother Tan, can you show me this tooth carving first?¡± Wang Ding doesn¡¯t know.I don¡¯t know what Tan Guanghui is thinking. He is afraid that the dead old man will scold him for betraying his father. Wang Ding just simply likes this work, which can be called a large ivory Buddha statue, and wants to hold it in his hand.  Just playing around.  "Okay, of course, you'd better come over and take a look. This thing is not light" This object is not small, and the ivory carvings are relatively fragile. Tan Guanghui invited Wang Ding to come to his stall to take a look, feeling in his heart  I'm still wondering whether I should sell this thing, and if so, how much should it cost?  Wang Ding was not polite after hearing this, and stepped directly across the stall, walked to the box, took out the ivory carving that was almost as high 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 figure on this angry-eyed diamond ivory carving has one foot on the ground and one foot slightly raised. The shape of the face is extremely exaggerated, and the mouth is wide open.  , with his nostrils facing the sky, his eyes glaring forward, holding a vajra in his right hand, his chest exposed with strong muscles, and his clothes and belt fluttering in front, which is very beautiful.  Wang Ding once read some books about ancient Buddhist sculpture illustrations. This ivory sculpture should be a typical Buddhist statue from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which inherits the exaggerated and freehand style of traditional Chinese sculpture.  It is also in line with modern people's aesthetic appreciation of human body health and beauty.  ¡°I just don¡¯t know how this statue, which should belong to my own country, ended up in Myanmar. In the past, only China bullied Myanmar, but Myanmar did not have the strength to go to China to burn, kill, and loot.  Observing the details carefully, Wang Ding can see that the sculptor of this work has extremely profound skills. The knife is in place without any sloppiness. The lines are simple, smooth, and the details are clear and natural. The most special thing is that the work is covered with knife marks, and there are no traces of it.  The carving marks were carefully polished away, and the characteristics of the ivory were fully revealed.  This kind of plain and authentic treatment not only increases the power, magnanimity and appeal of the work, but also shows the author's full confidence in his own carving skills.  (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!
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