Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 73 An unexpected surprise
Once upon a time, strolling down the street, we could always spot those unique little shops. They might not be particularly eye-catching, but they always stood out from the crowd. What made them unique? What made these small shops become big businesses? The answer is their "treasure of the town."

Antique shops usually have one or two treasures that are their most valuable possessions. Besides being expensive, their greatest function is to attract customers, increase the popularity and reputation of the shop, and thus demonstrate the strength of the shop and the authenticity of its goods.

Before coming to the United States, he was looking forward to finding one or two treasures that would make his new store a sensation in Panjiayuan when it opened, and even shock the entire treasure-hunting world in Beijing.

Of course, the suspected Qianlong shroud in his hand is enough to stabilize the store and achieve the effect he wants. It is also his biggest backup plan. If there is no better treasure to stabilize the store by then, he can only use the shroud to alarm the treasure world.

But there will definitely be troubles later on.

Now, the icy-cold and spiritually-filled Qing Dynasty Qianlong official kiln blue-glazed celestial globe vase in my hand is enough to be the store's treasure in terms of both value and rarity.

"Boss, how much is this celestial globe vase?" Gao Dongxu carefully placed the celestial globe vase on the counter and asked the boss with a faint look.

"Sir, you have a good eye. This celestial globe vase is 30--" the shop owner quoted the price with a smile.

"The price is too high, 20--" Gao Dongxu bargained without any hesitation. Not to mention that Europeans and Americans don't like to bargain, all prices are clearly marked, and they will also give discounts.

The shop owner shook his head and laughed. "Sir, the fact that you were so impressed by this vase at first sight shows that you're a professional. You should be well aware of its value, especially in China. $30 is really not expensive. If it were to be auctioned, the price would only go up even higher."

"The value you mentioned is just imaginary. 30 US dollars is already the highest price this celestial globe vase has fetched at auction. Besides, no one can guarantee that this celestial globe vase was made during the Qianlong period, right?" Gao Dongxu said nonsense seriously.

Gao Dongxu knew very well that if this celestial globe vase was hyped well, its value would definitely reach tens of millions of RMB. At present, when the new rich in China have not yet gone overseas to hype up Chinese antiques to sky-high prices, this celestial globe vase could only be sold for three or four hundred thousand US dollars at an auction in the United States.

To put it bluntly, the antique market in China is just beginning to get hot. Once foreigners understand the real situation, these robbers and profiteers will hype it up in various ways and even stir up national sentiment to reap the wealth of China's new rich.

"No, sir, I can guarantee that this is a genuine blue-glazed celestial globe vase made during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. I will refund it if it is genuine." The owner assured Gao Dongxu with a serious expression.

"But 30 is still too expensive. I really want to buy it, but unfortunately..." Gao Dongxu acted as if he couldn't accept the price and was regretfully giving up.

"How about this, I'll give you a 5% discount..."

"Twenty percent off—"

"No, no, I can only give you a 10% discount at most. This is my bottom line!"

"15% off—that's my bottom line."

“I’m sorry…”

"82% off. Let's both compromise. Don't let such a small discount cause this deal to fail. It would be a pity for both of us. Please think about it. By the way, take out these porcelain pieces and let me see them..."

Gao Dongxu interrupted the shop owner's refusal and compromised again, while persuading the other party. In order to ease the negative atmosphere between the two, he put forward a new request to interrupt the shop owner's insistence.

"Hold on--"

Sure enough, the owner's stubbornness was interrupted. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly opened the cabinet door and took out the five blue and white porcelain bowls, plates, vases and a pair of covered bowls that Gao Dongxu asked to appreciate, and placed them on the cabinet.

After handling them one by one, Gao Dongxu's eyes flashed with an imperceptible glint of brilliance. He calmly placed the blue and white porcelain bowl on the counter and said to the owner with a smile, "Add these five Guangxu blue and white porcelain pieces and get a 12% discount. How about that? Believe me, sir, it will be difficult for you to find a customer as generous as me for a long time to come..."

The shop owner looked at the five pieces of Guangxu blue and white porcelain on the counter and quickly calculated in his mind.

A Qing Dynasty Guangxu blue and white covered bowl with a double dragon and pearl pattern, from the official kiln, bears the six-character mark "Da Qing Guangxu Nianzhi" in two lines of regular script and is priced at $2. A Qing Dynasty Guangxu blue and white plate with a lotus pattern, from the official kiln, bears the six-character mark "Da Qing Guangxu Nianzhi" in two lines of regular script and is priced at $2.5.

A Qing Dynasty Guangxu blue and white jade pot vase with a bamboo, rock and banana pattern, official kiln, with the six-character double-line regular script mark "Made in the Guangxu Period of the Qing Dynasty", sold for US$3.

A Qing Dynasty Guangxu blue and white lotus seed bowl with floral patterns, from a folk kiln, with no bottom mark, is priced at US$3500.

. . . . . .

Gao Dongxu suppressed the excitement in his heart, not daring to show the slightest change in his expression, but his bright eyes would still from time to time fall on the bottomless blue and white lotus seed bowl with floral pattern from the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty.

During the late Qing Dynasty, Emperor Guangxu was relatively powerful, and there was a saying that he "revived the Qing Dynasty". For various reasons, there were many cases of Emperor Guangxu imitating Kangxi porcelain, and the good ones were almost indistinguishable from the originals.

A notable characteristic of Guangxu official kiln blue and white porcelain is its imitation of the blue and white porcelains of the Kangxi and Qianlong periods. High-quality imitations approach or even reach the level of Kangxi and Qianlong porcelain, while the majority bear distinct Guangxu characteristics. Blue and white porcelain from private kilns, however, was produced according to market demand and pursued a commercialized approach. Consequently, there are numerous varieties, diverse styles, and both fine and coarse quality.

It is not surprising that this blue and white lotus seed bowl with floral pattern was mistakenly identified as one from the Guangxu folk kiln. It is even possible that these five items were collected together, which is why they were mistaken for ones from the Guangxu folk kiln.

In fact, this blue and white lotus seed bowl with floral patterns is very likely a Ming Yongle blue and white porcelain, and it may be a very rare treasure from the Ming Yongle period and is extremely valuable.

Because the cold feeling when he held it made him almost think that he was holding a piece of ice containing spiritual energy.

When it comes to the development of porcelain, each dynasty and each emperor's reign in my country produced their own masterpieces. For example, the underglaze red of the Hongwu Emperor, the sacrificial red glaze of the Xuande Emperor, the doucai (a type of glaze) of the Chenghua Emperor, and so on... And when it comes to the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, blue and white porcelain is naturally one of the most outstanding masterpieces.

The blue and white porcelain of the Yongle period, with its fine body and glaze, rich blue color, diverse shapes and beautiful patterns, together with the blue and white porcelain of the Xuande period, ushered in the golden age of blue and white porcelain of the flower-growing family - the Yongle and Xuande period.

The blue and white porcelain of the Yongle period used a blue pigment called "Sumaliqing". After firing, this blue pigment can present a color like sapphire, which is thick and rich in layers, making it a classic of Yongle blue and white porcelain.

This porcelain bowl is a lotus seed bowl, also known as a chicken heart bowl. It was first fired in the Yongle and Xuande periods. The bowl has a deep belly, a wide top and a narrow bottom, a pointed bottom, and a small ring foot.

The name "Lotus Seed Bowl" comes from its shape, which resembles a lotus pod. It's also called a "Chicken Heart Bowl" because of the heart-shaped protrusion on the outside of the bottom. Gao Dongxu used the knowledge he learned from books as a basis for identifying the type of bowl.

Of course, more importantly, there is also a lotus seed bowl of the same shape in the museum on Frog Island. He has seen the photo of it, and with his current memory, he will not make a mistake at all.

"Okay, sir, you win--" After some hesitation, the owner was finally moved by Gao Dongxu's words that it was rare to meet a customer as generous as me.

Of course, the most important thing is that he makes money, and a lot of it.

You know, he bought that Qing Guangxu blue and white lotus bowl with floral patterns at a flea market for only $35, while the most valuable piece, the imperial blue glaze celestial globe vase, was bought at a small auction a few years ago for $3.

"Boss, let me calculate the total amount. Please pay by card--" Gao Dongxu said with a smile as he took out his credit card.

"Okay, wait a minute—"

The shop owner also smiled happily and took out a calculator to start calculating.

"...After the 333080% discount, the total is ."

"OK, swipe the card and issue the invoice——"

Gao Dongxu remained patient, swiping his card and receiving the receipt. He waited until the owner brought out exquisite boxes, carefully placing the six pieces of porcelain into each. He then packed the remaining boxes into two large plastic bags. Gao Dongxu, clutching the bags, stepped into the red Raptor pickup truck parked on the curb as the owner, with a smirk on his face, opened the door to greet him.
　I'm asking for collection, monthly tickets, follow-up reading, recommendation tickets, and all kinds of requests for my new book. Thank you for your support, the story has just begun and will become more and more exciting. Please stay tuned! ! !
　　
　
(End of this chapter)