Shanghai Liu Ji

Author: Wang Qisen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Shanghai folk saying goes, "When chrysanthemums turn yellow, it's time to fight insects." In the old Shanghai book Songnan Yuefu, it was written, "Songnan is good, autumn joy extends to winter and spring." Autumn joy refers to the elegant term for fighting crickets. The Shanghai Zhuzhi Ci also sings, "Lightly fight crickets, heavily fight silver; gathering together for autumn joy, a new beginning." This year's insect season seems to be a gathering of talents, with fierce competition. —— Insect Fighting Chronicle
Bronze ware has two taboos in tradition. One is to avoid the taboo of the heavens, as bronze ware is a heavy object, so it is not played with in, as it may shorten one's life if one's fate is not strong enough to suppress it. Qin Gui, as a regional official, is also a high-ranking court official, so his fate can suppress it, but bronze ware has a strong yin energy, which may affect the yin energy of the Qin family's descendants, making it difficult to have offspring. The second is to avoid the taboo of the emperor. Bronze ware is the property of the Son of Heaven, who dares to casually "ask about the" (a metaphor for challenging the throne)? —— Bronze Ware Chronicle
According to the unwritten rules of the Shanghai Zisha pottery community in the 1930s, whenever one obtained a famous teapot, they had to gather regularly for appreciation during the tea art gatherings. As the head of the Shanghai Zisha teapot art community, Gu Jingyu spent a fortune buying a famous teapot, and the story had been sensationalized in newspapers across Shanghai. In early April, a Sunday, the tea appreciation gathering was held at Gu Jingyu's "Ziwang Pavilion." —— Zisha Teapot Chronicle
Before leaving, the father of the original Minato Hideo, Minato Hariki, rushed to the pier. He looked at his son in yellow military uniform and said anxiously, "I hear that Li Hanshi has collected this Han gold seal. Hanshi is both my friend and your teacher, and now the task of recovery has fallen on you—what should we do?" Looking at his father's aging and worried face, Hideo thought for a moment and comforted him, "Recovering the Han gold seal is part of the 'Emperor's Plan,' and the military will certainly send someone to Shanghai. Now that they've sent me, I believe I can handle this as best as possible." Hariki nodded after hearing this and reminded him specifically, "Did you bring the carving knife your teacher gave you back then?" "I did." —— Seal Collector Chronicle
At that time, the value of a South China merchant was graded as follows: those worth over ten million taels of silver were considered "Elephants," those over five million taels were "Camels," those over three million taels were "Dogs," and those over one million taels were "Cats." This formed the wealthy ranking of "Four Elephants," "Four Camels," "Four Dogs," and "Four Cats." —— Seal and Stone Inscription Chronicle
Collecting is a hobby and a form of wealth in normal times. However, in abnormal times, it becomes a hidden danger and a curse. Any collector with integrity and backbone must be prepared for "blood sacrifice" and "death struggle." —— Famous Painting Chronicle
III. Insect Rearing Secrets
Old Zhao and Lu Xiaokai presented the newly bought insects to Lord Lu for inspection, and Lord Lu's eyes lit up instantly: "Truly a descendant of imperial insect rearers, with sharp eyes and excellent insect quality, picking them out with precision." However, Old Zhao frankly said, "Seven parts of the insect's breed, three parts depend on rearing. Moreover, every fine insect also has flaws, which must be adjusted through post-natal rearing."
Lu Xiaokai asked Old Zhao, "When selecting insects, pointing out the flaws of each fine insect—is that to lower the price?" "Not entirely. These insect vendors, relying on having a few great generals among their insects, see that buyers are eager to buy and demand exorbitant prices. Pointing out the flaws of the insects can prevent vendors from arbitrarily setting prices, giving us a reasonable basis to lower the price. But pointing out the flaws of each general insect is for post-natal conditioning."
Old Zhao then told Lu Xiaokai that selecting insects involves not only looking at the first three sections—head shape, neck, and chest—but also the color, body, tooth plates, and six claws. More importantly, one must address the flaws of each general insect with targeted care and feeding. For example, the yellow-headed insect selected yesterday is indeed fine, but its fighting line is not long, affecting its. This requires dietary conditioning. The eggshell-purple and yellow insect has a red glow in its wings, indicating internal heat, which needs medicine to dispel heat and calm the flames to train it into a capable general. The black-toothed yellow insect must be attached to the bell to reveal its potential, hence it is called the "color insect." When attached to the bell perfectly, its power is limitless, but if attached too fiercely, it becomes sluggish.
After listening to Old Zhao's insect wisdom, Lord Lu asked, "Insects have northern and southern varieties—do they have superior and inferior differences?" After taking a sip of tea, Old Zhao replied, "Northern insects are more resilient, with strong and fierce fighting but lack agility and flexibility. They are mainly found in Shandong's Dezhou, Ningjin, Leyang, Hebei's Cangzhou, and Baoding. Southern insects are proud, with flexibility and skillful fighting but weaker impact compared to northern insects. They are mainly found in Shanghai's Qibao, Zhejiang's Hangzhou and Yuhang, Jiangsu's Wuxi and Yangzhou."
Lu Xiaokai's hiring of an insect rearing master spread quickly in Shanghai's insect-playing circle. At that time, few households in Shanghai hired insect rearers, so insect enthusiasts often came to Lord Lu's mansion for tea and insect discussions. Old Zhao, having seen the world, remained dignified and modest. When answering questions about insect rearing and fighting, he spoke only to the point. Meanwhile, many invitations to fight insects also came. His old rival, Master Jin, came specially to Lord Lu's mansion to observe the insects and propose a fight. Lu Xiaokai, having found fine insects, was eager to compete, but Old Zhao politely refused.
"I hear Master Jin always wins in fights and must have a skilled teacher guiding him. Although we have found a few better insects, we need to nurture them quietly. Master Jin, why not find another opponent?"
"Old foxes are cunning—I know you're hiding your talents. If you want to fight, I'll be ready anytime." Master Jin seemed quite arrogant.