Tengchong, Yunnan, a county-level city managed by Baoshan, is much more famous than Baoshan City.
Tengchong, which has the title of "the first city on the extreme side", is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, a country of literature and a distribution center for emeralds. It is also a provincial-level historical and cultural city.
That day, I stood in Heshun Ancient Town, looking at the busy women in the laundry kiosk, with the continuous rapeseed flowers and green hills in the background. This is the sixth time I have come to Tengchong, and I am getting familiar with it.
A poet said: There are ninety-nine volcanoes here, and there are ninety-nine times the passion. There are eighty-eight hot springs here, eighty-eight times more gentle.
As an important pass on the Southwest Silk Road, Tengchong has always been a battleground for military strategists. And Heshun Ancient Town is a must-see place when you come to Tengchong.
Wandering around Heshun Ancient Town in those few days, I came across an old house by chance, and heard a long-standing story, which I want to share with you.
Tengchong, Yunnan, which is located on the border, has been a rich place where merchants gather since ancient times, and you can still see the luxury of many wealthy merchants in those days.
There is a Fushenglong Jadeite in Heshun Ancient Town, and the mottled walls testify to the passage of time.
"One million is not considered rich, tens of millions is enough to start. Heirloom emerald, the era is prosperous and prosperous." There are four sentences written on the wall as soon as you enter the door.
Fushenglong's headquarters was in Mandalay, Myanmar at that time, which was a semicolon at that time, and it was a courtyard of Huizhou architecture. To my surprise, the old house was built in 1885 and has a history of 136 years, but it is very well preserved.
The wood used for the entire building is called catalpa, the best building wood in western Yunnan. It is quite delicate and can resist the wind and sun for a hundred years. Mortise and tenon structure houses are extremely earthquake-resistant, and only wealthy families will use such top-quality wood to build such houses.
In the courtyard of the entrance, there are some unremarkable stones, and it is only after a closer look that they are worth a lot.
Each stone is marked with price and weight, and one is marked with 6.8W and 2.13KG. Thinking about leaving such an expensive stone like this without anyone guarding it, aren't you afraid of being taken away?
"Three families who are rich in good jade", "rich with one knife, poor with one knife", "buy by a lunatic, sell by a lunatic"...Tengchong has a history of betting on stones since ancient times. From these long-standing proverbs, we know crazy.
Tengchong Jade has created many wealthy businessmen, how many people have become rich overnight, and how many people have lost their fortunes overnight.
There are also many stones priced at 500 yuan. The receptionist of Fushenglong said that it has been tested to ensure that there is jade, but as for what it is, no sophisticated instrument can detect it, and it can only be known by buying it and cutting it open.
To bet on stones is to bet on luck.
The one facing the courtyard is a family hall. Inscriptions such as "Wufutang", "Zoushantang" and "Liufangtang" were written.
On the walls on both sides, there are several calligraphy works. It reads: "Not accumulating goodness is not enough to become famous, and not accumulating evil is not enough to destroy one's body." The master's understanding of good and evil is very positive.
I met the person in charge of Fu Shenglong by chance and told us the story of the 56 cast iron window grilles in this house.
These cast iron windows were purchased by the owner of the house from England more than 100 years ago, and shipped from England to Hong Kong. Hong Kong continued to ship to Yangon, Myanmar, and then to Myitkyina, and was finally dragged back to Heshun by caravans. With these windows that we see now.
More than 100 years ago, a window was purchased with 50 taels of silver. The freight price of these window grilles far exceeds its own value.
We made a rough calculation, 50 taels of silver for a window, 5.4 grams of silver, 2500 grams is 13,500 yuan a window, these windows alone cost over 750,000 yuan. Combined with 136 years of history, these windows are worth millions today.
In addition to the 56 cast iron window grilles worth millions, there is an old British sewing machine in the family hall, which is also an out-of-print antique.
This British sewing machine has a cover on it, and a piece of paper with a sense of age is pasted on it, with the words: "Made by British Singer Company, purchased by ancestors". The brand is English: SINGER.
"If someone wanted to buy this sewing machine, how much would it cost?"
"Someone offered several million, but they wouldn't sell it!" Fu Shenglong's person in charge said affirmatively.
We noticed that the catalpa windows still had a shimmering gold. The person in charge of Fu Shenglong said that the yellow in the middle is gilt gold powder, which is Myanmar gold, which contains a certain amount of gold, but it is not pure gold.
Back then, the wages for building this house were calculated according to "one tael of wood shavings and one tael of silver".
Today, this 136-year-old house is where Fu Shenglong sells jadeite in Heshun Ancient Town.
Known as the "Hometown of Emeralds" and "Jade City", Tengchong has a history of more than 500 years in jade carving and is the largest distribution center for jadeites in Southwest China.
Due to the unique geographical location of Tengchong, which is only 358 kilometers away from the jade producing area, Tengchong has almost become the only channel for Burmese jadeite to enter China in a long historical period, and the jade trading volume accounts for almost 90% of the world's total.
As the saying goes, "Gold has a price and jade is priceless." There used to be a story that "one kilogram of gold is exchanged for one or two emeralds".
Fushenglong's jadeite products are all clearly priced without bargaining. From the first floor to the second floor, the price ranges from tens of yuan to hundreds of thousands.
Fushenglong is a centuries-old brand of Yunnan Jadeite.
"To measure the quality of jadeite, in addition to its color, the "species" of jadeite is also an important criterion." Listening to the salesperson's patient explanation, even if you don't buy jadeite, you can learn some relevant knowledge about jadeite here. long knowledge.
I also went to a VIP room on the third floor of Fushenglong. It is said that ordinary customers cannot enter this room. They are players and real collectors who come here to appreciate or buy high-quality jadeite.
Go back to the yard and look at the old house. Every surviving old house has its legendary story, just like every centenarian who survived must have his secret of longevity.
The person in charge of Fushenglong said that there is also a Fushenglong flagship store in the urban area of Tengchong. The more than 30 million treasures of the town hall inside aroused our interest, so we drove there.
This flagship store has five floors in total, which is very grand. Just like Fushenglong in Heshun Ancient Town, the price is clearly marked without counter-offering. Customers can choose their favorite jade handicrafts according to their psychological price.
I saw the price of 3,344,000 yuan, the treasure of the town store, a set of Mo Cui called "Tianyuandidi", which is very impressive.
It also showed a glass green bracelet, priced at 7.5 million, subverting my values.
A pair of decorations called "Royal Demeanor" cost 2.08 million pieces.
The Fushenglong flagship store is like a jade museum, which is really an eye-opener. People who wear emeralds are introverted, intellectual, reserved...as low-key and luxurious as emeralds.
The glitz is nothing but clouds, and there are too many stories waiting for you to discover in the land of Tengchong. If you owned that antique sewing machine and someone offered a high price, would you be willing to sell it?