Spotting a Fake

"It's over! Back to square one, all five years of hard work down the drain!"

Chu Chen's face was ashen, a wave of regret instantly washing over him.

Five years ago, at sixteen, Chu Chen graduated junior high and came to the capital with two thousand yuan to make his fortune. Relying on his knowledge, a sharp and studious mind, and a cautious personality, he gradually learned from antique dealers and seniors, transforming from a green country boy into a small but discerning antique vendor in Panjiayuan.

The effort and sweat he poured into this were beyond words.

The antique business was too deep, with too many "landmines." During this time, Chu Chen didn't know how many times he'd been ripped off or made a bad judgment, but that was normal. How could one grow in this line of work without making mistakes?

Fortunately, Chu Chen was cautious and not greedy, so his losses were only minor. Moreover, his discernment grew over the years, and he had good luck, finding several great deals. After five years, after deducting living expenses, he had saved four hundred thousand yuan in the bank.

But this four hundred thousand yuan, earned through sweat and tears, had vanished in an instant due to this latest bad judgment!

It was now 2001, and housing prices in the capital's Chaoyang district were just over four thousand yuan per square meter. Chu Chen had originally planned to use this money to buy a two-bedroom apartment not far from Panjiayuan, as it was somewhat inconvenient to run his antique business from his rented place.

Furthermore, after five years in the capital, he had developed a certain affection for the city. Besides, he was alone, and settling down in the capital to have a wife, children, and a warm home was his most urgent desire. Now, with this setback, he didn't know when he'd be able to achieve that dream by just selling at a street stall.

This particular misjudgment wasn't complicated. In April of last year, 2000, a pair of rare Tang Sancai ceramic horses, once owned by a Hong Kong tycoon, were purchased by a Jewish merchant for over 1.5 million US dollars at a Sotheby's auction in New York.

It was this news that caught Chu Chen's attention, leading him to become fascinated with Tang Sancai.

Tang Sancai is a type of pottery that flourished in the Tang Dynasty. It is a general term for Tang Dynasty low-fired glazed pottery. On the same object, yellow, green, white, or yellow, green, blue, ochre, and black glazes are used simultaneously and alternately, creating a dazzling artistic effect. Usually, three colors are most common, and later people habitually called this type of pottery "Tang Sancai."

Tang Sancai figures are vivid and lifelike, with bright colors and a sense of vitality. Together with silk as bright as clouds, exquisite gold and silver wares, and an open society, they painted a magnificent picture of Tang Dynasty culture.

Tang Sancai not only achieved great artistic heights but also made significant contributions to ceramic craftsmanship for later generations. Its brilliant decorative techniques broke the dominance of monochrome glazes, developing from monochrome to three-color glazes, laying the foundation for the birth of later colored porcelain.

After the Song Dynasty, various low-fired colored glazes and overglaze painted porcelains were largely developed from the foundation of Tang Sancai.

Because of Tang Sancai's high artistic level, unique status, and its export overseas from the beginning, it was deeply loved by foreign peoples. Since its rediscovery in the early 20th century, it has attracted much attention. Especially in the last twenty years, with the opening of domestic and international markets, more and more people have become fond of collecting Tang Sancai.

Tang Sancai was used as burial objects, as grave goods. Because its clay body is brittle and its waterproof performance is poor, it is very difficult to preserve it to this day. Moreover, foreigners are very fond of the style of Tang Sancai, which often leads to high prices at auctions.

For example, on December 12, 1989, a Tang Sancai black horse auctioned by Sotheby's in London sold for 3.74 million pounds. Prices ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of US dollars are also common, greatly igniting the collecting passion of enthusiasts.

Since learning about Tang Sancai, Chu Chen had become obsessed, constantly imagining himself obtaining a exquisite piece of Tang Sancai, not only for its aesthetic appeal but also for its immense economic value.

As Marx once said: "If a profit of 20% is made, it will be put to use; if a profit of 50%, it will be engaged in commerce; if a profit of 100%, it will dare to trample on all human laws; if a profit of 300%, it will dare to commit any crime, even to the point of risking the noose."

Since the reform and opening up in the 1990s, many achievements have been made, and people's living standards have been steadily improving, leading to the prosperity of related entertainment and cultural industries. As the saying goes, "Gold in troubled times, antiques in prosperous times," the number of people entering the collecting business has increased exponentially.

Correspondingly, some criminals have set their sights on this treasure trove. Truly, all sorts of characters, with many masters of aging and faking, are rampant. Since Tang Sancai is so precious, it is naturally no escape from their greedy hands.

Because Tang Sancai is low-fired ceramic, its production process is not complicated, its raw materials are readily available, and its glaze formula has long been public. Masters of imitation have emerged in large numbers, some even being experts in Tang Sancai research.

It can be said that some high-imitation works are 99% identical to the genuine article, completely passing off as real. Only 1% of more special characteristics, formed over thousands of years, cannot be replicated.

Even with this 1%, if it weren't for a highly experienced senior expert, it might not be possible to detect the fakes produced by some masters.

Fortunately, Chu Chen has always been cautious, and the experience gained from five years as a vendor was exceptionally rich. Although there were many high-imitation "landmines" during this period, he managed to navigate them carefully. Even so, his dream of owning a fine piece of Tang Sancai was not extinguished; on the contrary, it became even stronger.

Three days ago, an opportunity for Chu Chen to acquire a fine Tang Sancai camel at a bargain price presented itself.

Old Xiang, a professor in the history department at Capital University, had dealt with historical relics for many years and therefore had a particular fondness for antiques. After retiring, he frequently visited the antique street to search for various items, being a regular there. Basically, as long as it wasn't windy or rainy, he would inspect the antique street every day. In his words, antiques were his second spring.

Because he had dealt with historical relics for many years and possessed solid knowledge, Old Xiang, although he had made mistakes, also had many fine pieces among his collection, including a beautiful Tang Sancai camel.

Operating honestly and never engaging in fraud was a business principle Chu Chen had maintained for five years, which was the fundamental reason he could establish himself in the Panjiayuan antique street at such a young age. Old Xiang was a regular at his stall and had even found a few bargains there. Over time, they became familiar with each other, forming a friendship across generations.

Therefore, Chu Chen had the good fortune to see that Tang Sancai camel. It was a Bactrian camel, primarily glazed in brown, with interspersed green, white, and yellow colors, varying in depth.

The camel's head was slightly raised, its front legs were kneeling, and its hind legs were standing. Its mouth was wide open, as if calling out to something, its expression particularly rich. A saddlebag was hung between its two humps, with silk, a water flask, and other items hanging on either side.

This Tang Sancai camel had natural glaze patina, fine and even crackling, and also showed signs of lead efflorescence. Like some genuine Tang Sancai, there were also some brown, black, and other impurities penetrating the glaze. Although its hind legs had minor damage, judging by its overall appearance, it could be considered a masterpiece of Tang Sancai.

The moment Chu Chen saw it, he fell in love with it. When he saw it, his eyes were only on this camel; it could be described as loving it so much he couldn't put it down. He immediately asked Old Xiang if he could part with it, but Old Xiang repeatedly shook his head, refusing to agree for any reason, and then explained the situation.

This camel was something Old Xiang had seen in an antique shop while traveling in Xi'an last year. When he saw it, he loved it as much as Chu Chen did, and after much persuasion, he managed to acquire it from the shopkeeper for 420,000 yuan.

However, after taking it home and admiring it, he always felt something was missing, a certain "charm." This alarmed him, and he immediately invited several authoritative figures in the circle to examine it. Among them, only two were unsure about this Tang Sancai. Coincidentally, these two were the most influential seniors in the antique world: Old Liu and Old Qian.

Old Liu, whose real name is Liu Zhihe, is 82 years old and comes from a family of antique collectors. He is deeply knowledgeable and began authenticating cultural relics for the country in the early days of the People's Republic of China. He held a high position in the Ministry of Culture and has extensive experience in antique appraisal, making him a towering figure in the antique collecting world.

Old Qian, whose real name is Qian Zhiyan, is 71 years old and the president of the Beijing Collectors Association. He worked for a long time at the National Museum and is an expert consultant for the Palace Museum. He is also quite influential in the field of antique collecting.

These two senior figures in the antique world, while not definitively declaring the Tang Sancai a fake, also did not confirm it as genuine. Their reason was the same: this Tang Sancai camel lacked a certain "charm," yet they couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

Old Xiang usually collected to support his collecting, but he had a temper: if his collection was not right, he would rather smash it than exchange it with others. Now that he had doubts about this Tang Sancai, he would certainly not sell it, so he stubbornly refused Chu Chen's request.

Hearing this, Chu Chen was deeply moved. China has always upheld honesty and trustworthiness as standards of personal virtue. In recent years, with the reform and opening up, although people's economic standards have improved, their moral standards have not kept pace with economic development; instead, they have declined somewhat.

For a piece like this Tang Sancai, many collectors today, especially new ones, would not be as scrupulous as Old Xiang. As long as the profit was satisfactory, they would accept it regardless of its quality. This situation has, to some extent, emboldened counterfeiters.

Just like Chu Chen now, he still believed this Tang Sancai was genuine. Hadn't Old Liu and Old Qian not pointed out any specific flaws? How could mere feelings be so definitive?

This was not to say Chu Chen disrespected his elders. It was a normal psychological state for a young man around twenty years old. Moreover, he believed his discernment was not bad after years as a vendor, and he hadn't suffered any major losses during this time, so he had become somewhat arrogant.

People are sometimes like this: once they like something, they become extremely fond of it, often seeing only its merits. This is the case with Chu Chen now; he couldn't stop thinking about that Tang Sancai camel, dreaming of owning it.

Now, the opportunity had arrived. Old Xiang's only son had studied in the UK many years ago and settled there, marrying and having children. Later, his son wanted him to move to the UK to live, but Old Xiang had always refused. A few days ago, his son issued an ultimatum: if he didn't come now, they would sever their father-son relationship. This left Old Xiang with no choice but to agree.

However, people of the older generation generally care about their country. Therefore, he decided to sell off his lifelong collection within the country, with one condition: his collection was not to be sold to foreigners.

When Chu Chen heard this news, he was overjoyed, thinking, "Now I can get that Tang Sancai!" So, he persistently pestered Old Xiang. After repeated persuasion, Old Xiang could not dissuade him from his intentions and finally parted with the Tang Sancai at its purchase price of 420,000 yuan.

Since acquiring the Tang Sancai camel, Chu Chen lost all interest in selling at his street stall. In the more than fifty hours since he got the camel, Chu Chen had spent all his time, except for eating and sleeping, admiring and playing with the Tang Sancai. He even used a magnifying glass to examine every part of the camel inch by inch. It was only then that a major problem surfaced.

And that led to the scene just now. (New book release, seeking collections and recommendations! Please, fellow readers!)