Chapter 109
They knew Gu Jinshui had some skills, but to truly amaze the audience and give Professor Bai such confidence was still quite difficult.
But when Gu Jinshui first mentioned his research topic, which was about counterfeiting techniques in the current antique market, he was taken aback.
Professor Xu immediately perked up his ears, took out his notebook, and began jotting down notes.
At first, the professors and students present didn't think much of him because he was young and well-dressed, assuming he was just a student there to gain experience. But Gu Jinshui spoke, their expressions gradually changed from relaxed to serious and then to interested.
The meeting room gradually quieted down.
Gu Jinshui kept talking, even taking out counterfeit goods he had recently bought nearby as samples for comparison.
Sun Zhiping's face gradually darkened.
He clenched his fists, furious. That bastard resorted to such underhanded tactics! He actually used this closely guarded secret! No wonder he was so confident earlier; he'd been prepared all along!
That concludes my presentation for today.
As soon as Gu Jinshui finished speaking, many people raised their hands to ask questions.
Some people ask what techniques are used to forge paintings and calligraphy, and how to identify them; others ask if these things are true.
Although professors may have some interest in buying antiques, their knowledge of antiques may not be as good as that of the people selling antiques at Panjiayuan.
Gu Jinshui, "This is all I know so far, but as far as I know, with the increasing interest of foreigners and overseas Overseas Chinese from Hong Kong and Taiwan in domestic antiques, counterfeiting techniques are constantly emerging. For example,"
He paused, picked up a piece of pottery, and said, "To confirm whether a piece of pottery like this is genuine, you can use Carbon-14 Dating Method because this element has a very stable half-life. However, some people have learned to use airport X-rays to fake it. The same piece of pottery can be transformed from last week's piece to the Western Zhou Shang-Zhou, or even the Stone Age, simply by going through the X-ray a few times."
These scholars, who had no idea about these forgery techniques, were astonished and had their eyes opened.
"Will this really work?"
One teacher couldn't help but say, "If even high technology can't determine the authenticity of antiques, how will we judge their genuineness in the future?"
"Yes, the antique market has been booming these past few years, and many people have made money off it through unethical means." Another teacher frowned and said seriously, "Actually, the authorities should completely ban the private sale of antiques. If antiques aren't profitable, naturally no one will make fakes!"
Gu Jinshui broke out in a cold sweat when he heard those words.
He knew the weight of these people's words; they were all either museum directors or bureau chiefs and leaders from the Ministry of Cultural Relics.
If they genuinely believe that a complete ban on the private sale of cultural relics would be better, these people are capable of implementing a blanket ban.
Gu Jinshui knew about those things from years ago, like the "iron rice bowl" and the Great Leap Forward steel production campaign. He knew that these leaders sometimes made decisions on a whim.
Gu Jinshui hurriedly said, "Forgery has existed since ancient times, but we have to trust the eyesight of us teachers. In fact, no matter how good a forger is, he can't beat our skills. He can make fake ceramics, but can he understand what era and style of ceramics?"
Flattery will get you everywhere.
Gu Jinshui's words amused many people present.
Gu Jinshui continued, "Actually, the antique trade shouldn't be prohibited. Although I love buying antiques, I have to say something from the bottom of my heart: if there were no antique trade, how would more and more people in China study our history and learn our traditional culture? Most people in this world are just ordinary people, driven by profit, unlike us professors and students who are here to pass on our knowledge and find our roots. But the majority are just ordinary people, and the only way to deal with them is through incentives. For example, I am just an ordinary person."
His words were both self-deprecating and quite candid.
The teachers burst into laughter.
Hearing the people around him praising Gu Jinshui, Sun Zhiping felt as if countless ants were crawling under his skin.
His jealousy was uncontrollable.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and deliberately asked loudly, "Gu Jinshui, since you're so capable, can I ask you a question?"
Many people in the room looked at him.
No one thought much of it, assuming he was just curious.
Professor Xu and the others felt a chill run down their spines, their scalps tingling, and they secretly groaned in despair.
Sun Zhiping really lacks magnanimity. He lost, so what? It's just a meal. Do these professors really have the nerve to let their students treat them to a meal?
Why are they causing trouble for their own people?
"Please speak."
Gu Jinshui stood with his hands behind his back, a polite smile on his face.
Judging from his appearance and demeanor, Professor Xu sighed inwardly, "He completely outshines Sun Zhiping."
It's a shame that Sun Zhiping is a college student; he's not even as good as ordinary citizens like Gu Jinshui.
"Here's the thing, I'm recently thinking about collecting antique bronze mirrors, but I don't know much about them. I'd like to ask what techniques are used to fake antique bronze mirrors?"
Sun Zhiping stared intently at Gu Jinshui.
He had clearly put a little thought into it, knowing that Gu Jinshui was knowledgeable about pottery, porcelain, bronzes, and ancient coins, so he specifically chose this particular subcategory.
Collecting ancient bronze mirrors is truly rare.
This kind of niche product is hard to sell unless you find someone who really appreciates it. Otherwise, it's difficult to resell, unlike ceramics and calligraphy, which have many fans and researchers.
He had no idea that Xi Han was known as the "Know-it-all" in Liuli Factory back in the day, and that Gu Jinshui, as his apprentice, actually accepted everything and knew a little about everything.
Fortunately, he knew a little about bronze mirrors.
Gu Jinshui pondered for a moment.
Just as Sun Zhiping was about to feel smug about the difficult question he had set for him, Gu Jinshui spoke up, "That's a good question. Actually, it's not that hard to spot a fake bronze mirror."
Everyone pricked up their ears and listened attentively.
Gu Jinshui said frankly, "First of all, look at the dynasty. Tang Dynasty bronze mirrors are ornate, but Song Dynasty bronze mirrors are mostly plain. Why? Because Song Dynasty pursued simplicity and elegance. At that time, plain bronze mirrors without decorations were popular. However, these plain bronze mirrors did not sell for a good price. On the contrary, Tang Dynasty mirrors were ornate, and foreigners liked them. Therefore, many people used resin glue mixed with copper shavings to re-beautify bronze mirrors and pretend they were from the Tang Dynasty. But this kind of thing is soft, and you can tell the difference by pinching it."[1]
"The second is copper rust..."
"The third thing is to look at the patterns on the back. The customs of each dynasty are different. From the Warring States period to the Han Dynasty, Taoism was popular and people pursued immortality. Therefore, bronze mirrors often had Star-Cloud Mirror. These mirrors are also called nebula mirrors. From the late Western Han to the Eastern Han Dynasty, people liked to gamble. The back of the mirrors was often decorated with a 'Liubo' chessboard. These mirrors are called 'Liubo Board Mirror'..."[2]
Almost without thinking, Gu Jinshui casually rattled off five or six ways to authenticate ancient bronze mirrors.
The audience listened with rapt attention, the rustling sound of notes filling the air.
The archaeological industry did not develop much in recent years, and even regressed. Not only were there few related articles, but many of them were also incorrect. If you want to learn about these antiques, you either have to search through the vast number of ancient books and articles at home and abroad, or you can only ask experts.
However, experts are traditionally unwilling to share their knowledge fully; they only teach these closely guarded secrets to their students or children.
Gu Jinshui's explanation today has truly broadened the knowledge of many people.
After Gu Jinshui finished answering, thunderous applause erupted in the room.
The applause was so loud it almost lifted the roof off the conference room.
Many professors and students couldn't help but stand up and ask questions. Originally, each person only had about thirty minutes, but Gu Jinshui was questioned for more than two hours. Finally, when it was almost lunchtime, the dean of the School of Archaeology came out and told everyone to disperse, Gu Jinshui was finally let go.
"Xiao Gu, you really are something else!"
Professor Xu and the others saw Gu Jinshui walking back, their faces were filled with pride.
Gu Jinshui said modestly, "It's all thanks to everyone's kind words. Actually, the professors are far more knowledgeable than I am, but I'm from a more informal, less academic background, and I've learned things quickly."
"You're being too modest."
Professor Xu shook his head and said, "You know far more than we do, Xiao Gu. Your article today is truly worth studying."
Sun Zhiping, standing to the side, turned pale and then flushed, feeling embarrassed and annoyed.
Chapter 102 The 102nd Day of Being Eavesdropped On
Professor Xu and the others ultimately didn't let Sun Zhiping treat them, because the university had already paid for lunch. But from beginning to end, Sun Zhiping couldn't taste anything at all.
Professor Bai was very pleased. Back at the Guesthouse, he patted Gu Jinshui on the shoulder, "Xiao Gu, you did a great job today! That's how it should be."
Gu Jinshui picked up the thermos and poured water, he smiled and said, "Please don't laugh at me. It's just a coincidence today. I know the answers to everyone's questions, but if they asked me anything else, I'm not sure I could answer them."
"Don't be modest, you really are capable."
Professor Bai shook his head and said, "We still have to go to the conference room this afternoon. You should rest well first so you'll have the energy for the afternoon."
Gu Jinshui thought so too. He had seen a lot in the past few days. These professors were truly skilled. They probably had the opportunity to participate in the exchange between the two schools and didn't hold back. They explained things very clearly and logically. The knowledge he gained in just these few days was better than what Gu Jinshui had gained by studying hard behind closed doors for a month.
The second day of the conference was spent visiting a local museum.
The museum was a bit far from the school, so the group took the bus there. The Shandong Museum has quite a few collections, but unfortunately, there are still only a few people who like antiques these days, so the museum can be said to be deserted.
As soon as Gu Jinshui and his group arrived at the museum entrance, they saw the director and several other people getting out of a taxi.
"Hey, who's that guy in the middle?" someone whispered. "Could he be some kind of leader?"
The elderly man in the middle was wearing a sharp suit and his hair was neatly combed. He looked quite imposing, especially with several people surrounding him, one carrying a briefcase and another standing behind him.
"Teachers, have you been waiting long?"
Dean Zhang came over to greet him, feeling a little embarrassed.
"No, we just arrived," Professor Bai said politely. He looked at the old man and asked, "And who is this?"
"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Professor Yamamoto from the Tokyo University. Professor Yamamoto, and this is Professor Bai."
Dean Zhang quickly introduced them to each other.
Gu Jinshui noticed the young man standing behind Yamamoto whispering to the translator, and then realized that he was Japan. No wonder he looked different from the China.
Professor Yamamoto extended his hand and greeted him in Japanese.
Although Professor Bai didn't understand, everyone understood the body language. After exchanging greetings, Dean Zhang invited everyone into the museum.
Professor Xu and the others looked at Yamamoto and couldn't help but mutter, "This is really strange. We came to visit a museum, why did Old Zhang bring this Japan along? We don't even know him."
A professor from the university, fearing a misunderstanding, quickly explained in a low voice, "Gentlemen, our dean had no choice. Originally, our department planned to arrange for you to come to the museum separately, but Yamamoto, upon hearing that so many people were coming, insisted on coming together, saying that it would be more fun with more people."
"Hey, no wonder Old Zhang is so late."
Professor Bai nodded knowingly, "We can't blame Lao Zhang for this; we always have to be polite to our foreign friends."
Even so, many people still harbor some resistance towards the Japan.
Dean Zhang probably understood, so he used the excuse of a large number of people to let everyone tour the site on their own.
Since everyone here works in the archaeology field, no introduction is needed.
Shandong has seen numerous archaeological excavations in recent years, resulting in a rich variety of artifacts in its museums.
Even a cursory glance is enough to leave one feeling overwhelmed by the sheer variety.
Gu Jinshui also saw many first-class cultural relics that he had only heard of but never seen before. He couldn't help but look at them again and again and even took pictures with his camera.
Professor Bai stood to the side, hands behind his back, watching with a smile.
When Gu Jinshui walked to a display stand, there was an octagonal candlestick with blue and white floral design from the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. He had collected many porcelain pieces, but such an exquisite one was rare. However, after taking one look, Gu Jinshui felt that something was wrong.