Chapter 4: Discussing calligraphy and painting with men, I am supporting them
On the morning of July 3, Chunlai and I continued to sit and discuss.
Chunlai asked, "Master, what is good feng shui?"
I took a sip of tea and said, "If this house faces north or south, with a large river flowing to the right of the gate and a main road to the left, then this is a good house."
“What if this room doesn’t face south?”
"Then remember, always distinguish left from right based on the direction of the gate."
Chun said, "I remember it."
I said, "The above mainly talks about plains. That is, there are almost no mountains. Now I will tell you about places with mountains.
Mountains are an important landmark in places with mountains. Living close to mountains is called "Kao Shan". There are two types of Kao Shan. One is a terrain with protruding sides and a concave middle, like a throne. This type of terrain is quite good.
The second type is the mountains behind the house, which are continuous, gradually descending from west to east, and then suddenly rising again. This type of mountain is very good."
Chunlai nodded and asked, "Is it good to have a pond in front?"
"What do you think?"
"I recently read a book by Zeng Guofan, and he said it was not good."
I laughed and said, "Zeng Guofan was a man who wavered between belief and disbelief. For a long time, he didn't believe in feng shui, but in the end, he believed in it again. He wrote a letter home saying that the feng shui of Baiyutang, his hometown, was bad and he wanted to move to another location to build his house because a person had drowned in the pond in front of Baiyutang.
In other words, he considered this matter alone, saying that having a pond is unsafe. However, from the perspective of feng shui, having a pond and a mountain as a backing is better feng shui.
Whether it's safe or not has nothing to do with feng shui. All we can say is that the person who was drowned was destined to live only so many years. If he didn't drown in this pond, he would drown in that pond."
"Master, have you ever been to Zeng Guofan's hometown to check the feng shui?"
"I haven't been there, but my master, Master Hongyi, once drew a picture for me. I'll show it to you."
I finished the drawing and gave it to Chunlai, saying, "The feng shui of Zeng Guofan's house is that it leans against Gaomei Mountain. It's not actually called Gaomei Mountain. Zeng Guofan gave it the name Gaomei Mountain when he was writing poetry for the sake of elegance."
Chun said, "You asked me to study, so I read this poem and I can recite it."
"Recite it to me."
"My home is at the foot of Gaomei Mountain, where nature flourishes year after year. The old cypress tree still remembers me with affection, and the young peach blossoms silently. I have often thought of the red beans in the south, and I remember the west wind washing the green yarn. The most unforgettable place is my hometown, where the road forks beside the ivy pavilion."
I laughed and said, "You've recited it well. Gaomei Mountain was originally called Gaomao Mountain, also known as Guanmao Mountain. Whether it's Gaomao or Guanmao, Zeng Guofan was embarrassed to write it that way. It's as if he was born to be an official."
Beyond this mountain, the slopes of the mountain circled his family's yard, from west to east, like a crouching tiger, which turned its head at the side of the gate. Fortunately, it wasn't facing the gate directly. If it had, it would have bitten. It was facing sideways, so a person drowned in the pond.
In addition, two miles away from his home, to the right of the gate, there was a small, isolated hill. It was very small, surrounded by fields, but there was a small hill that suddenly rose up. It was called Yinzi Mountain.
He has the official hat and the seal in his right hand, so he has no choice but to become an official."
Chunlai laughed out loud.
I said, "Feng shui is a comprehensive analytical process. You need to look at the entire site from front to back, left to right, and not just one site in isolation. Now, let me show you a typical site with good feng shui."
I took a sip of tea and continued:
"There are hills behind, a pond in front, and a long slope in front of the house heading northwest, rising higher and higher. Living in a house like this is a gift of wealth. That's all I'll teach you today. I'll take you on an internship later. Now go and organize your studies."
Chunlai went into the private room next door. I was drinking tea alone when a young man came in.
The visitor nodded and said, "Hello, Mr. Wan."
"Please sit down."
"I have something to ask you, sir. I'm a fine arts student and recently went to Hainan to interview with three art institutions. I don't know which one to choose, so I'd like to have a fortune telling done."
"Don't write yet, let's talk about which three companies they are."
He said: "Two art museums, one school."
I said, "Now that you're here, don't write. I want to talk to you about art. To put it simply, it's about painting. Before 2012, painting was a very popular career. I wouldn't call it a career; it's more appropriate to call it a business."
Why is it called business? Before 2012, it was the Earth Year, the real estate market was booming, the economy was quite active, and every business was being done. A large amount of hot money was looking for a way out. Some people had a lot of money and needed to find a place to invest it.
Thus, speculation arose. Let me tell you a truth: in an era of speculation, people have extra money. So, speculation arose in Pu'er tea, until everyone thought it was a rare treasure.
Then there was the speculation of calligraphy and painting. Consequently, some novice calligraphers and painters were packaged as masters, driving up prices for calligraphy and painting.
Think about it, isn't calligraphy and painting just a piece of paper? It's not gold. Only true masterpieces by masters have value; ordinary works are generally not worth much. However, thanks to speculation, calligraphy and painting have become a hot commodity. Many people collect them, creating a false prosperity.
Another reason is that calligraphy and paintings are used as intermediaries for corruption. Because calligraphy and paintings are valuable, some people use them as gifts to officials. The officials then resell them as money. As a result, calligraphy and paintings are very popular.
2012 marked a watershed year, with public funds prohibited from giving gifts, and the calligraphy and painting market began to cool. 2015 marked a second watershed year, as those who had previously collected paintings, not because they enjoyed them but because they were waiting for a good price, began to sell their works. The market cooled even further.
The year 2020 marked the third watershed. With the pandemic, people felt that food was more important. Stockpilers were left with nothing but pieces of paper. Unless they were from a famous artist, theirs was worthless.
Therefore, studying art is a difficult path. If you want to become an artist, you must be prepared. First, life will be hard, and second, you will have to wait until you find a wife."
"Why do you have to wait until later to find a wife?"
"Because girls nowadays like men with a lot of money. Whether you are a painter or a calligrapher, it takes time for you to become famous. Only after you become famous can you find a high-quality woman."
The man was amused by me.
Then he said, “Mr. Wan, these three art institutions, in addition to painting themselves, mainly teach children to paint.”
"Oh, this is currently a better choice for art students. It's the same as the scholar and juren in the past."
"Is it the same as a scholar or a juren?"
"Yes. In the past, only those who passed the imperial examination could become officials. Very few people with outstanding juren qualifications could become officials. So what did juren become? Their main job was to teach in private schools. If they didn't pass the imperial examination and become officials, they would train other people's sons to pass the imperial examination and become officials.
Just like you, after graduation, if I haven't become a great painter yet, I will teach students to paint and train other people's children to become great painters."
The man burst out laughing and said, "Mr. Wan is really interesting. I've passed the interviews at all three art institutions, but I don't know which one to choose."
I said, "This is not a fortune-telling word, but I will teach you a method. If you are a person who becomes stronger when facing stronger opponents, then you can go to any of them.
If you're kind and don't want to argue with others, then choose the weaker one. After all, when you're traveling from Shangzhou to Hainan, your first priority is to find a place to stay. If there are many experts, they won't be friendly to you, so it's better to practice in a weaker area.
It's just like when you take the college entrance exam in Henan. You work really hard but can't get into university. You might as well immigrate to a certain province, where you can get into a second-tier university with a score of just over 200.
The man said, "Mr. Wan, listening to your words, it suddenly becomes clear to me. Okay, I have an idea now."
He wanted to count the money, but I declined. I patted his shoulder and said, "When you have time, paint me a painting of [A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains]. There's no rush. Give it to me in three to five years, any time is fine."
After the man left, Chunlai, who had been listening for a while, asked, "Master, why did you ask him to paint a painting of [A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains]?"
"This picture is difficult to draw. To fulfill his promise, he drew it whenever he had time. If he wasn't satisfied with it after the first attempt, he would draw it again. This unconsciously improved his painting skills."
Chunlai stared at me and said, "Master, it turns out that every word you say has a meaning."
I said, "Chunlai, I am supporting him. I don't want his money, I only want his paintings. Maybe he will become a great painter."
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