As soon as he went in and sat down, Wang Guan also took in his surroundings. It was a bookstore, naturally arranged with cleanliness and tidiness as the main focus, saturated with the rich aroma of books. Wang Guan observed closely and noticed that the shop held a considerable number of volumes, encompassing foreign English books as well as Chinese ones. Furthermore, among the Chinese books, there was a clear division between ancient and modern texts. At first glance, Wang Guan hadn't expected to see some rare ancient volumes in a place thousands of miles away overseas.

While Wang Guan was marveling inwardly, he heard Elder Zhou laugh and say, "Brother Xu, you are always like this. You don't sell these things, yet you place them in the most conspicuous positions. This is clearly tempting people to commit sins." "You harbor greedy thoughts yourself; are you going to blame others?" Elder Xu chuckled, his movements quick and deft as he prepared tea in a few moves and poured a cup for everyone. "If you keep gold in a busy thoroughfare to flaunt it, how can you stop people from coveting it?" Elder Zhou argued righteously, taking a sip of the clear tea and praising it, "Pre-Qing Biluochun. It’s rare that you’ve kept this until now." "What busy thoroughfare?" At that moment, Elder Xu sighed lightly, "Most of the books my shop deals in are related to traditional culture. The clientele is already sparse, and coupled with the remote location, it can truly be described as having 'a gate where the birds dare not land' (secluded). The items are displayed here merely for my own amusement."

Everyone understood Elder Xu's sentiment. After all, with the advancement of technology, various forms of entertainment were constantly emerging, causing the number of people who read books to decrease. It wasn't that people disliked reading; in fact, quite a few were willing to read, but they no longer visited traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores to browse. Instead, they accessed content via computers, mobile phones, and other devices. Times were progressing, and so were reading habits. This naturally gave the impression to modern young people that they were increasingly averse to reading. Regardless of the reason, the struggle for physical bookstores to survive was a reality, and it was a global challenge. It was no wonder that when online literature began to rise, it faced suppression from figures devoted to traditional culture—they had clearly recognized the threat posed by the emerging industry. Even though, in the eyes of many traditional cultural proponents, books could be considered the most vital vessels for passing down Chinese traditional culture over the centuries. In the era before computers, tape recorders, or video cameras, everyone managed this way, so there was no need to discard them, nor could they be abandoned. But in the fast-paced era of instant gratification online. People had grown accustomed to a rapid rhythm of life, and many lacked the interest even to go to a physical bookstore to buy a new book, let alone settle down quietly to slowly peruse one. Although they acknowledged that browsing physical books offered a better sensory experience, reading on a computer or phone was far more convenient and swift. Even modern books. Young people were reluctant to touch them, let alone delve into an obscure and difficult ancient text.

This was a digression. At this point, after hearing Elder Xu's veiled complaints, Elder Zhou naturally offered solace: "It’s good enough if you can amuse yourself. After all, the joy of studying ancient texts is like a person drinking water—only they know if it's hot or cold." "Exactly." Elder Xu deeply agreed, casually picking up an ancient volume. As he touched the yellowed cover, he mused with deep emotion, "The yellowed pages, the square characters perfectly balanced in their strokes—they transmit the essence of culture and the roots of history. I remember several decades ago, the first time I encountered ancient texts, it seemed to be an album of paintings."

"Whether it was the Xuanhe Painting Manual or the Mustard Seed Garden Manual, my memory is a bit fuzzy now. But the feeling at that time, I have never forgotten. Once I got the manual, I couldn't put it down. I read it late at night by the kerosene lamp, and when I slept, my mind was filled with those lifelike, delicate, and fluid lines..." As he spoke, Elder Xu smiled, "Perhaps that single encounter left a profound impression, leading to my fixation on ancient books. Wherever I went, I had to browse the local antique bookstores, looking for ancient painting manuals. After looking through the manuals, I found other books also quite interesting, and so I formally began the path of collecting ancient texts." "Back then, although ancient books weren't abundant, there were still quite a few. Every old bookstore had some, especially in rural homes, where they were stacked in great piles inside large wooden chests. Almost every trip to the countryside resulted in a harvest; only when my backpack was full would I return laden." "But in just over a decade, the situation has completely changed." At this moment, Elder Xu looked helpless: "Forget about old bookstores having no trace of ancient books; even the occasional old books from the Republic of China era are more expensive than the last."

"Brother Xu, stop hoping for lucky finds," Elder Zhou said with a smile at the opportune moment. "From ancient times till now, many surviving collectibles were unearthed from the ground, but books are an exception. It is precisely because the ancients preserved them out of love, cherished them out of kindness, and read them out of desire, that these vessels and material evidence of their era have survived to this day, becoming cultural treasures. In the past, due to special circumstances, people didn't value books; that is forgivable." "However, once the problem of basic sustenance is solved, people naturally return to embracing traditional culture. Moreover, because they are hard to preserve, the number of ancient books passed down through centuries is limited, and truly fine ones are even harder to find. With a hundred years seeing no waste paper, their prices naturally keep climbing."

Hearing this, everyone strongly agreed. In the world of collecting ancient books, it is truly 'a hundred years, no waste paper.' Any book that has survived for over a hundred years holds a certain value for research and collection. Don't dismiss a book just because its author is obscure; under the historical conditions of that time, anything successfully printed into a book was a product of quality. Even if the author wasn't a master, the book still possesses historical and cultural value sufficient to be passed down. After all, although history runs vertically through time, when scholars study history, they need to make horizontal comparisons. They must draw widely from diverse sources, utilizing many documents and materials, to restore the historical truth as accurately as possible. In this context, every book transmitted from ancient times naturally possesses research value. Besides, unlike modern mechanical printing, which churns out hundreds of thousands of copies in a single run. In ancient times, publishing a book required an extremely high cost. An author wanting to print a book not only received no royalties but often had to pay out of their own pocket. Even so, their demands for the quality of carving and printing were exacting, striving for perfection, making these works comparatively precious. Especially unique copies, rare editions, and fine editions—each one is worth a thousand pieces of gold.

In the collecting of ancient books, there is a saying: a fine edition predates the Qianlong period. In the market for ancient texts, books before the Yuan Dynasty are often sold by the fragment, books from the Ming Dynasty by the page, and books from the Qing Dynasty by the volume. For modern collectors, any book preceding the Qianlong era is considered exceptionally precious and scarce. Furthermore, among ancient texts from the same period, carved editions are superior to printed editions, first printings surpass later reprints, color printing is valued over monochrome, and illustrations over mere text. This stratification of quality has established a complete set of market rules. The chances of finding a lucky bargain have naturally dwindled. In fact, success is easiest to achieve during periods of disorder. For example, when the internet economy emerged, some people actively jumped in and easily achieved mythical wealth. But as the internet landscape solidified, newcomers aiming for success now require enormous investment. The collecting market is the same; the golden age of lucky finds has passed; now, it is the age of capital. Ordinary people with limited funds can only fuss over small trinkets like Wenwan walnuts. The collectibles at auctions, valued in the tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, are only playable for the ultra-wealthy. It is precisely because they understand this principle that Elder Zhou and the others expressed their lamentations.

"Oh, right," Elder Zhou said with a smile at that moment, "that Bogu Tu that Mr. Ying forcibly took from me back then, you haven't lost it, have you?" "What do you mean 'forcibly took'..." Elder Xu was displeased. "You were the one trying to snatch mine! Luckily, I was quick enough, or you would have succeeded." While speaking, Elder Xu stood up, rummaged through a nearby bookshelf, and carefully returned holding a book volume. At this instant, Wang Guan and the others also grew interested and quickly paid close attention. "This is the Bogu Tu from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty..." After placing the volume down, Elder Xu seemed happy, yet somewhat regretful. "Pity it isn't the Xuanhe Bogu Tu from the Song Dynasty."

Xuanhe was the reign title of Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji. It is common knowledge that Zhao Ji was an exceedingly elegant emperor, comparable in the eyes of later generations to Li Yu of the Southern Tang—both were artists of the highest caliber, yet they lacked the aptitude for governing, leading to the downfall of their dynasties. Putting aside the various follies of Zhao Ji's reign, he did make significant contributions to the arts. For instance, he commanded his ministers to compile and illustrate the ancient vessels housed in the Xuanhe Palace, resulting in the thirty-volume Xuanhe Bogu Tu. The Bogu Tu cataloged over eight hundred bronze vessels from the Shang to the Tang dynasties housed in the Xuanhe Palace, concentrating the pinnacle of Song dynasty bronze collections. Each object was meticulously rendered with images, its inscriptions traced, and its dimensions, capacity, and weight recorded, sometimes accompanied by scholarly annotations—providing later generations with relatively detailed material for the study of bronzes. After the Bogu Tu was compiled, many versions circulated subsequently, with reprints made in the Southern Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

"Among the reprinted versions of the Bogu Tu, the finest is undoubtedly the one reprinted by Jiang Yang during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. The most commonly circulated is the one revised by Huang Sheng in the Qianlong period of the Qing, known as the Yizhengtang Chongxiu Baogutang Ben." At this point, Elder Zhou commented critically, "Compared to those, the Wanli edition is indeed slightly inferior, but it’s still decent." "As for the original Xuanhe version," Elder Zhou spoke with a touch of longing, "that is a peerless treasure, one that can only be encountered by chance." "Not only is it only found by chance, but it’s also ridiculously expensive," a large expert nearby quipped with a smile. "One page of a Song printing is worth an ounce of gold. Even if you find one, you can't afford it!" "That's true," everyone nodded in agreement. Song dynasty ancient books hold the highest market price, a universally acknowledged fact in the industry. After all, printing technology in the Song Dynasty, whether it involved paper, ink, or the techniques of typesetting and printing, had already approached maturity. Under these conditions, books printed then that have survived a thousand years must naturally cost more than gold. "Fortunately, we don't have to buy one..." As he spoke, someone patted Wang Guan's shoulder and smiled, "We agreed, after you get the item, you have to lend it to us for a period of research." "I haven't forgotten..." Wang Guan sighed, "Nor do I dare to forget!" (To be continued)〖Book Site∷Fast Update∷No Pop-ups∷Pure Text∷www.〗RT