Because of its special geographical and political location, Xiangjiang has not only made it a famous international metropolis in the world, but also has a place in the world of antiques, and now it has become a concentration of antiques in Southeast Asia and even Europe and the United States.

Because of this, a large number of cultural relics and antiques, both legal and illegal, have stayed or are now lying in the antique market here for customers to choose from.

The antique market in Hong Kong is relatively concentrated, mainly located in a few small blocks on the west side of Central, consisting of Lok Ko Road, Hollywood Road and Morro Street.

The antique market, located on Moro Street and Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, is the largest antique market in Hong Kong. There are thousands of shops here, each small but with a lot of items. In addition to a lot of porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties that we are familiar with, a wide variety of artworks from Southeast Asian countries is also one of its characteristics, and the price is also higher than that in China.

Hollywood Road is a combination of Chinese and Western cultures, and is a famous highlight of Hong Kong.

When a group of people come here, they are all elegant and simple antique shops, and the windows are full of ancient ceramics, jade, Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, antique calligraphy and paintings, coins and stamps, etc., but the prices are quite expensive. But even if you can't afford it, it's actually a pleasure to wander through this nostalgic atmosphere and take your time to admire these antiques.

Therefore, the people of Xiangjiang call it "window shopping" that does not cost money!

In the antique industry, picking up leaks is always a topic that cannot be escaped, and it is the same here, as long as you have enough connoisseurship, coupled with carefulness, maybe in some inconspicuous small shops, you can buy real antiques for a small amount of money.

Of course. Similar to the mixed situation of the domestic antique market, the antiques here in Xiangjiang are also intertwined with real and fake. It's just that the proportion may be slightly better than in China.

However, it is important to note that the proportion of fakes here in Xiangjiang is less than that in China. But the high imitation is much more than the domestic one, such as the imitation of Ming and Qing Dynasty calligraphy and painting, almost chaotic Han and Tang Dynasty ceramics, dyed Warring States ancient jade pendants, counterfeit bronzes, etc., if you are not an insider, it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity.

Unlike other tourists, Chu Chen still has plenty of time in Xiangjiang, and they don't need to be in a hurry like others. So everyone leisurely admired the various antiques in the shops, and listened to Chu Chen and Liu Sizhe's explanations from time to time, which was really very relaxed.

However, after visiting several shops, the group was still empty-handed, either they fell in love but found that it was a fake, or although it was genuine, the price was too expensive, and the owner refused to reduce the price.

I visited two more stores. Everyone came to an antique shop specializing in Buddhist supplies, all kinds of Buddha statues, ritual utensils, thangkas, etc., of course, is not really handed down from ancient times. It's up for debate.

Chu Chen admired it and nodded secretly, although most of the Buddha statues here are relatively ordinary. But it was indeed from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and Qiao Qian asked about two Buddha statues over there. The price is not expensive, if there are people in his family who believe in Buddhism. You can ask for one.

Of course, for Chu Chen, the price of the Buddha statue is okay, but for Qiao Qian, it is a little too expensive, and the boss, like the previous ones, refused to bargain, and she could only shake her head with some regret.

Chu Chen walked to a glass cabinet in the middle of the store, there were five Buddha statues in it, these Buddha statues were exquisitely made, and they looked like they had a strong Qing Dynasty court atmosphere.

"Boss, can you let me get my hands on these Buddha statues?" Chu Chen asked the boss sitting at the door.

"Yes!"

The boss stood up, walked to Chu Chen's side, opened the glass door, and then was about to take out his gloves and hand them to Chu Chen, but found that Chu Chen had already put on his imposing gloves, so he smiled:

"Sir, it seems that you are also a person in the industry!"

Chu Chen nodded with a smile and said, "I have some hobbies in this area!" ”

"It's good to have a hobby, now young people play this, they only know how to make money, and they smell of copper, which is simply a blasphemy against the Buddha!" The boss sighed with emotion.

Chu Chen smiled and said: "Everyone's ideas are different, and if you think about it in another way, even if it is for money, but he always needs to understand some information, doesn't this also make the culture spread?" ”

"That's too!" The boss thought about it, and said with a smile: "It seems that you still see it thoroughly, I'm a little bit of a bull!" Okay, I won't bother you anymore, you can enjoy it slowly. ”

Chu Chen nodded, and then picked up one of the bronze gilt Manjushri Bodhisattvas and looked at it.

The five Buddha statues in the glass cabinet, two of which are Shakyamuni Buddha, one is Manjushri Bodhisattva, and two are Medicine Buddha, all of which are made of copper gilt, and the production level is also different, but Chu Chen still likes one of the Medicine Buddha placed in the Buddha shrine the most.

This Medicine Buddha statue is 19 centimeters high, sitting on its knees, with a plump and upright face, white and prominent, curved eyebrows and long eyes, and slightly drooping eyelids, which is compatible and warm. Dressed in a right-hand robe, only the edge of the garment is engraved with a lotus pattern, so that the graceful curves of the statue can be displayed under the thin clothes.

The left hand of the Buddha statue is placed in front of the umbilicus to perform the meditation seal and the dervishes, and the right hand is the seal of the Buddha and the original holder of the Hezi. The upper and lower edges of the pedestal are decorated with two beads, and the lotus petals are slender and full of tension, which is one of the main features of the court statues of the Qianlong Dynasty.

Combined with the above artistic characteristics and other characteristics, this statue is likely to be a court work of the Qianlong period, which is quite rare.

What's even more rare is that this Medicine Buddha statue also has the original Buddha shrine.

The Buddha shrine is a small pavilion used to worship Buddha statues and gods. The original niche refers to the place where the rock cliff is dug and drilled into the void and used to place the Buddha statue, and the volume is quite huge.

I don't know when the road began, there was a small cabinet made of stone, wood or other materials to worship Buddha statues, so that it is convenient to worship at home, and easy to carry, so as to facilitate the spread of Buddhism, and then gradually began to prevail.

Especially in the Qing Dynasty, Tibetan Buddhism was particularly respected, and the Qianlong Emperor thought that he was the reincarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva, and he believed in Tibetan Buddhism. At that time, a beautifully crafted niche usually required the collaboration of multiple departments of the manufacturing office.

In terms of craftsmanship, this Buddhist shrine is a typical court style of the Qianlong period.

The whole body of the Buddha shrine is made of red sandalwood, which is the pattern of animal face Fushou, 39 cm high, hexagonal pavilion shape, Sumeru seat. Hexagonal column, surrounded by a sealing plate, this sealing plate form is called "Pilu hat". The cap is hexagonal, with a round center in the square, and the relief hooks the moire. The upper part is a treasure top made of square Hetian sheep fat jade.

In addition, the inside of the corridor column is a six-way board wall, and the front plate on both sides is carved with a group of oblique "swastika" brocade patterns, and the middle is an open portal. In addition, there are inscriptions engraved in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan characters behind the shrine.

This niche is very similar to the jade carving process at that time, which embodies the typical characteristics of the Qianlong Dynasty, which not only reflects the sincerity of the Qing Dynasty royal family to worship Buddha, but also reflects the hope and yearning of the emperor and concubine for a long life.

Such a Buddhist shrine is undoubtedly very rare, coupled with the exquisitely made original bronze gilt Medicine Buddha, it is even more valuable, has a very high collection value, and is a treasure that can be encountered but not sought by those who believe in Buddhism.

After carefully observing the various characteristics of the Buddha statue and the Buddha shrine, Chu Chen can already be sure that this is indeed a genuine product from the Qianlong period. Of course, after reading it, whether it's to test your judgment or to accumulate the progress of your ability leveling up, it's still indispensable to use an ability once.

It's just that when Chu Chen used the ability, there was an accident, it was originally two things, the Buddha statue and the Buddha shrine, but after he used the ability, there were actually three spiritual powers, and the thickness of one of the spiritual energy was not much weaker than the treasures worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, which really shocked him.

In this case, no matter how stupid Chu Chen was, he knew that there should still be a treasure hidden in the Dao, so he immediately used the Spirit Treasure Eye, and immediately, he found a hollow thing that seemed to be made of white jade in the hollow position at the top of the Buddhist shrine, and it looked like a finger bone.

Seeing this, Chu Chen frowned, because the appearance of this thing is really a little strange, not to mention the high value, and it is solemnly placed in the Buddhist shrine, what kind of thing is this?

However, he quickly reacted that in addition to being able to worship Buddha statues and shrines in the Buddhist shrine, there are other things that can be enshrined, and it is obviously a relic that is difficult for ordinary people to see!

This discovery made Chu Chen very shocked and excited, you must know that this is a relic, a very sacred thing in the belief of Buddhism, and it is a treasure that Buddhists dream of.

To put it simply, relics are crystals produced by high monks after cremation. In terms of composition, this kind of crystalline body is of course nothing in the eyes of modern people, but there is no conclusive conclusion in experimental research at present.

Most theories suggest that the formation of relics is related to the chemical reaction that occurs when bones and other objects are cremated together. There is also a folk legend that if a person has been away from lust for a long time and is full of essence, he will have a solid relic.

According to the Buddhist scriptures, the relics are naturally felt by the monks during their lifetime because of the merits of the precepts and wisdom, and it is precisely because of this that Buddhists respect the relics of the Buddha and the relics of the Buddha's disciples, mainly because of the merits and compassion and wisdom of the great monks during their lifetimes.

Generally speaking, there are three kinds of relics, the bone relics are white, the hair relics are black, and the meat relics are red, and needless to say, the bone relics in the Buddhist shrine are the bone relics, and they are also finger bone relics, which are very rare and precious. (To be continued......)