Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

4 PM, Xingcheng International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Liu Yifei sat in front of the mirror, letting the makeup artist from Company 39 apply makeup to her face.

She was now wearing the golden Eagle Goddess gown, the hem of which trailed behind her, carpeting the floor. A golden crown, still unworn, sat on a jewelry box on the dressing table, its surface studded with tiny diamonds, gleaming brilliantly under the spotlights overhead.

Shu Chang, dressed in a pink dress and with a face full of collagen, was almost stunned and couldn't help but say, "Xixi, you're so beautiful."

"Hehe, Changchang, you look beautiful today too." Liu Yifei tried her best to keep a straight face and not cause trouble for the makeup artist.

Zhuang Huai'an entered from outside the door, his eyes were momentarily drawn to the light reflected from the crown. He walked forward, picked it up and examined it for a while, then immediately curled his lip in disapproval.

The crown was said to be gilded, but it felt incredibly light in my hand, like a plastic shell.

The gold plating on the surface is so thin that you can see the gray-black base of the alloy underneath. There are already some minor paint chips and peeling at the edges. It feels rough and not smooth to the touch, and the edges even have a rough, burr-like feel.

The so-called small diamonds set on it are all cloudy and dull, with indistinct facets. They gleam with a dead white light under the light, without any sense of transparency. They are arranged crookedly, and some are even stuck together crookedly. They loosen and wobble when touched.

The welding points on the crown are clearly visible, and the welds are black and yellow, like rust stains that haven't been wiped clean. Overall, it has a cheap feel, like something you'd find at a wholesale market for 9.9 yuan with free shipping.

"The organizers are really being sloppy."

Zhuang Huai'an put the crown back in the box, then picked up the necklace and made a sharp comment: "Look at this chain, it's uneven in thickness, some links are flat and deformed, the clasp is loose and can be easily pulled open after being fastened, and this pendant, it's said to be in the shape of a golden eagle, look at these wings, one side is higher than the other, the feather patterns are blurred together, you can't tell which one is which at all!"

He put down the necklace, then picked up the earrings and looked at them. He was even more speechless. "These earrings are even more outrageous. The needles are bent. If you wear them, your ears will bleed. The backing is made of the cheapest plastic material. It's hard as a rock. If you wear them for a long time, your ears will be red, swollen and inflamed, which is the least of your worries."

His long comment, coupled with his disgusted expression, made everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Liu Yifei gave her husband a reproachful look, "It's not as exaggerated as you say!"

"It's even worse than that." Zhuang Huai'an pushed the jewelry set aside. "If you wear this out, forget about being the Golden Eagle Goddess, people who don't know better will think you're on the road where a photo studio in some small town is taking pictures."

If you accidentally break something, all you need to do is apologize.

Zhuang Huai'an stood up. "Alright, don't use theirs. Luckily, I was prepared. Zhang Lu went to get it."

"You're ready?" Liu Yifei was taken aback. "When did you start preparing? How come I didn't know?"

"About four months ago."

He sat down next to Liu Yifei and continued, "When the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists was announced in May, I saw that Miao silver ornaments were included, so I thought I'd make you a really substantial set as a birthday gift."

However, the Miao silver ornament style is too ethnic. Later, I thought of filigree inlay and kingfisher feather inlay, standard techniques used in the phoenix crowns of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which are elegant, luxurious, and culturally rich.

Hearing these two new terms, Liu Yifei was even more confused. "Filigree inlay? Kingfisher feather inlay?"

Zhuang Huai'an chuckled and began to show off his knowledge.

"This is a top-notch craft developed by our ancestors, the Nine Clans' Selected Craft, do you understand?"

The filigree parts are made of pure gold, not gold-plated, but solid gold. It is drawn into fine wires and then processed using eight major techniques: pinching, filling, gathering, soldering, piling, stacking, weaving, and braiding. As for the kingfisher feather inlay…”

He paused, then lowered his voice: "It uses kingfisher feathers, but kingfishers are now protected animals."

So I found a master craftsman in Suzhou who makes opera headdresses. He used old kingfisher feathers, which are old feathers removed from old kingfisher feather jewelry from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. After cleaning, tidying and re-attaching, the color is the same as new. Moreover, it does not involve hunting protected animals, so it can be considered a reuse of cultural relics.

The experienced craftsman said that the quality of these old kingfisher feathers is even better than that of the new feathers available today, because the kingfisher species and their habitats were different in the past, resulting in thicker feathers and a richer luster.

The complex process drew the attention of everyone in the room, and Shu Chang couldn't help but ask, "Boss, this must cost a lot of money, right?"

Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand and said patiently, "The most important thing is the craftsmanship. This set of jewelry I ordered took four whole months to make. I originally planned to give it to Qianqian as a birthday gift, but because handmade products require fine work, it has been delayed until now to deliver the order."

The filigree alone used over 200 grams of pure gold, the kingfisher feather inlay used nearly 200 pieces of old kingfisher feathers, and it was also inlaid with 36 natural rubies, 54 sapphires, and over 200 freshwater pearls. The golden eagle on top of the crown was made entirely of filigree, with each feather on its wings being a distinct gold thread.

"Golden Eagle?" Liu Yifei keenly noticed the blind spot. Could it be that her man had already foreseen this day?

Still a coincidence?

Just as she was about to ask, Zhang Lu pushed the door open and came in, carrying a small, dark red leather suitcase that looked quite heavy.

"Brother Zhuang, here it is." Zhang Lu placed the brocade box on the dressing table, let out a long sigh of relief, and looked like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I took it from the safe in the car, and I didn't dare let go of it the whole way."

As her assistant, Zhang Lu was well aware of the value of this set of jewelry.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Zhang."

Zhuang Huai'an stepped forward and opened the leather suitcase. Inside the box was a set of jewelry, lined with dark blue velvet.

A crown, earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet—four items.

Everyone in the room crowded around, and when they saw what was in the box, they all gasped in shock.

The crown was made entirely of gold thread, each thread as fine as a hair, yet each one stood upright with distinct veins, weaving intricate lotus and cloud patterns. The openwork was exquisite and translucent, yet the structure was tight and not loose at all.

On the front of the crown, a golden eagle stands proudly with its wings spread. Each feather on its wings is an independent golden thread, layered and arranged in a pleasingly sparse manner. Its eyes are pigeon blood rubies, gleaming with a deep red light under the lamp.

On the base and sides of the crown, a large expanse of kingfisher feathers spread out. The blue of the kingfisher feathers is deep and serene, changing lusters of lake blue, dark blue, and purple-blue under the light, as if a small patch of lake water has been frozen on gold thread.

Amidst the emerald feathers, rubies, sapphires, and pearls are inlaid. The gems are rich in color and neatly cut, while the pearls are lustrous, full, and radiant with a soft glow. Each one is perfectly set in the groove of the gold wire without the slightest misalignment.

Holding the crown in my hand, it felt heavy, a real piece of gold, with a warm and solid feel, a world apart from the light and flimsy gold-plated plastic case I had just seen.

"Oh My God…"

The makeup artist, a top talent hired by Company 39, was a well-traveled and experienced person. She couldn't resist reaching out and gently touching the kingfisher feather inlay on the crown. "This is real kingfisher feathers! I saw it at the home of a Kunqu opera master when I was an apprentice!"

"This is so beautiful!" Shu Chang exclaimed, her eyes wide with amazement. "It's even more beautiful than the phoenix crown in the Forbidden City!"

Zhuang Huai'an smiled and picked up the necklace again.

The necklace chain is a twisted chain woven with gold wire, each link is even and round, and it gleams with a soft golden light under the light, which is not dazzling or ostentatious, but rather exudes a noble and restrained air.

The pendant is a small golden eagle, echoing the golden eagle on the crown. Its wings and tail feathers are adorned with delicate kingfisher feathers, a sapphire is set in its chest, and a round pearl is held in its claws.

The earrings are also in the shape of a golden eagle spreading its wings, one on each side. The body is made of filigree, the wings are made of kingfisher feathers, the eyes are tiny rubies, and a pearl pendant hangs down. It sways gently when you walk, and the soft light of the pearl and the deep blue of the kingfisher feathers complement each other.

The bracelet is a wide filigree bracelet, woven with lotus scroll patterns all over, with an oval sapphire set in the center and a ruby ​​on each side. The gemstones are surrounded by kingfisher feather cloud patterns. The craftsmanship is intricate but not messy, and it looks calm and elegant when worn on the wrist.

Liu Yifei stared at the jewelry in the box, speechless for a long time.

This man…