Story 75: The Historical Story of Debaozhai
The Historical Story of Debaozhai
Author: Anonymous
During the Daoguang period, Li Chengfu brought several pieces of newly unearthed bronze wares from Shaanxi to Beijing for business. One day, he walked into Xuanwumen and came to Shihuma Street (today’s New Culture Street in Beijing). He happened to catch up with Prince Keqin returning to his mansion. Pedestrians on the road had to avoid it. Li Chengfu didn’t know about this set of rules. He found it fresh and lively. He just wanted to watch the fun.
Standing without a wall. The guards raised their whips and went to beat him. He screamed, “Unjust!” Prince Keqin heard this, ordered the sedan to stop, and asked: Who is crying for injustice? Bring him to me! When Li Chengfu saw this formation, he was stunned and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed. The prince asked: What are you wronged? He didn’t dare to say that the guard had whipped him just now.
He was afraid of being beaten again, so he said in a hurry: I have good bronzes that I can’t sell, so I came here to complain and offer treasure. The prince smiled and shouted: Get up the sedan and go back home! Bring this man back to me!
Li Chengfu was taken to the prince’s palace of Keqin County in north of Xitou Road, Shihuangma Street, and presented several pieces of bronze. The prince did not take any notice of him and instead asked him to take a look at his collection of gold and stones. Prince Keqin asked Li Chengfu the names of several bronze vessels. He answered fluently and expressed his own opinions. The prince admired him very much.
From then on, Li Chengfu got into the antique business of Prince Keqin. He earned money to buy books on epigraphy and archeology, and continued to educate himself. The prince appreciated his studiousness and showed him his collection.
Prince Keqin is one of the eight Iron Hat kings. The eight iron-hatted kings mentioned here refer to the six princes and two county princes who had outstanding military exploits in the early Qing Dynasty and were awarded the title of “hereditary”. Yuetuo, the first-generation king of Keqin County, was the eldest son of Daishan, the second son of Nurhaci, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The old antique dealer could not tell which generation Prince Keqin belonged to during the reign of Daoguang and Xianfeng.
He only knew that he was a collector of epigraphy and stone. He collected bronzes from the third generation, Qin and Han Dynasties, stone rubbings of Han and Tang steles, ancient paintings, calligraphy, and ancient jades. There are the most pottery pieces, and the interior furnishings are all antiques, calligraphy and paintings.
Prince Keqin’s calligraphy is famous among both the government and the public.
Prince Keqin also asked Li Chengfu to identify and appraise the precious cultural relics he collected and catalog them in a book. Li Chengfu’s eye for appreciating gold, stone tablets, stone carvings, and ancient jade and pottery pieces has since been honed, and he has become famous in the gold and stone circles of the capital.
In the last years of Daoguang, Li Chengfu returned to Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province. The gentry in his hometown raised funds and asked him to open an antique shop in Liulichang, Beijing. In the capital, he asked Prince Keqin to write a plaque: “Debaozhai Antique Shop” and hung it in this ancient cultural street.
Debaozhai was officially opened. After that, the prince came forward and asked Weng Tonghe, the new champion of Xianfeng, to write a door couplet: “Debi Guizhang is more valuable as a Confucian scholar, Baozi Yi Ding was his disciple in ancient times.”
The prince wrote a plaque, and the number one scholar wrote a door couplet. This was the only one in the capital. This antique shop has been open for 94 years. It went out of business in 1945. Unfortunately, both the plaque and the door lintel disappeared later, which is very sad!
