Dafeng new construction has left us after the tenth anniversary. In our acquaintance and knowledge of more than ten years, one after another happened a lot of interesting stories, but there are so three or two things, so I remember, recalled for a long time can not forget.

Author Xiaoyang, right, and Zhu Xinjian.

1. Honoring the "precepts" of Master Zhu

One day in the spring and summer of 2002, I went to Nanjing Stone City to visit Master Zhu (Zhu Xinjian, commonly known in the industry as Master Zhu). "Small fortune" greeted into the house, Master Zhu saw me carrying a Republic of China Jun porcelain water pot in one hand, holding two large albums in the other hand, suddenly face suddenly changed, pointing to the large water pot reprimanded: "You are no money to eat it, with this thing in exchange for paintings, poor to this point? " At that time, I froze, not knowing what to do. Seeing that I was a bit embarrassed, Master Zhu explained, "It's not that I don't want to paint you, I just hate this kind of rather troublesome transaction." Master Zhu then added, "I like to be honest with my friends, how can I be embarrassed by your practice? If you are long-term this, others will also have resentment, you have to communicate with me with their own kindness and sincerity, I give you painting is no problem. But there is one thing you have to keep in mind, the key is to improve their own ability and quality." After listening to Master Zhu's inexplicable rebuke and sincere admonition before and after, I pondered for a long time on the way back to Yixing. Since then, I pay more attention to their own cultural qualities of gradual cultivation and awareness, and gradually get the appreciation of the master Zhu, after a series of interviews with the master Zhu up to six years, which also gave birth to the art world caused a stir at the time of the book "Dafeng talk about art", as well as the Dafeng new national tour of painting exhibitions, thematic forums and other series of cultural exchanges. I remember once, Zhu sincerely said to me: "Xiaoyang ah, you pour all your money to collect my paintings, this is with all the family assets with me in the game ah!" At that time, I just smiled stupidly. Today, many people think that I have made a fortune collecting Master Zhu's paintings. In fact, from the master's illness to the peak of his paintings, I have never sold the master's words and paintings, there is no way to talk about "profit". Some people say I'm "stupid", said Master Zhu's works when the high level to throw away some, to improve the life of the good. In fact, many of my peers do not understand my mind, money can improve the basic life of people, but it is difficult to improve the spiritual quality of people. When Tang Taizong will be Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Preface" accompanied by a lifetime, although I was not able to get to this point, but the admiration of the master of the painting of the knot, it is deeper and deeper, can be described as "love" until "obsessed".

2. Giving my son a "big picture"

Master Zhu is a straightforward and always sincere artist, since my first visit alone, to the family kowtow, Master Zhu will always greet us with a smile. I remember that in 2005, during the summer vacation, I took my lover and son Shi Yue to Nanjing to visit Master Zhu, who was very excited. Just as we entered the living room and sat down, Master Zhu went upstairs to the drawing room and took out a six-foot folio painting of birds and flowers and said to my son, "Xiaoyue, this is a gift for your first visit to my home." My lover couldn't help but be grateful, "This gift is too expensive." Master Zhu said in authentic Nanjing dialect, "You won't get it the next time you come." Back in Yixing, Shi Yue's aunt saw this large painting of Master Zhu and wanted to offer tens of thousands of dollars to buy it, but our family politely refused. After all, money has a price, and this emotion is priceless. Master Zhu is such a free man, happy, never stingy painting.

3. Save it for a "good price".

Since I have a certain emotional foundation with the new Dafeng, I also often bring the pottery capital Yixing potters to Nanjing Zhu Xinjian apartment to talk about pots and talk about art. I remember in early July 2005, I and well-known potter Wu Ming, Wuxi monk painter Yikong mountain man went to pay a visit to Master Zhu. We talked about zisha pots, I remember Zhu Xinjian said casually, the highest level of pot making to make "the aroma of the soil".

Later, to confirm what he said, Master Zhu often came to Yixing. Each time he came, I prepared some Zisha clay blanks, and he wrote, drew and carved on them. When the collaborative zisha works were fired, according to the routine, half of them were to be shared with Master Zhu. I picked some of the works out of the kiln and personally delivered them to Master Zhu's apartment in Nanjing. He was very happy to see them and mouthed, "Not bad, not bad." I then brought all the works of zisha to him, he looked left, right, casually said: "or leave a pot of their usual use, can also be. You keep these things and sell them for a good price later." I'm very surprised at the practice of Master Zhu, others are more than one good happy, Master Zhu is the work as much as possible to let you leave a good life. From then on, I respect and admire Master Zhu more profoundly, can be described as five bodies, love Master Zhu's art is obsessed with, as intoxicated.

4. I'm in great shape?

At the beginning of 2006, Master Zhu called me and said that he had recently purchased a single-family house, plus the renovation is now short of money. I scrape together, and even loans a total of 500,000 yuan, plus my brother-in-law Huang Yiming's 300,000 yuan, a total of 800,000 yuan sent to Master Zhu's house, in the form of support, order his paintings. Since then, Mr. Zhu has been busy organizing personal exhibitions of his paintings in Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong and Nanjing, and his reputation has risen to the point where he has been ordering paintings from people all over the world. The first time I saw him, I was too embarrassed to mention the ordering of paintings, but he took my hand and said, "I'm still in good health, and I'll be able to produce more paintings in the future, so let's earn money from other people's pockets, and then we'll give you the paintings later on, and then we'll be able to paint you three or five more paintings, isn't that a good idea? Master Zhu see I do not say anything, then aggravated tone, said: "more send you ten, twenty, always good, right!" In fact, at the same time that my brother-in-law Huang Yiming and I ordered Master Zhu's paintings, I also introduced the Yixing potter Ge Mingxiang and other buyers of Master Zhu's paintings. After that, because quite a period of time did not receive Master Zhu's paintings, Ge Mingxiang worried about any failure, said to get together a share, let me guard in Nanjing. Half jokingly, he said, "The eggs that Master Zhu lays at night can be taken early the next morning." To be honest, I do believe that Master Zhu's health is still great? But the fact is, in the beginning of 2008, Master Zhu had a stroke and was hospitalized, and my heart was hanging by a thread. I was worried about his health and the paintings he owed me, and I was the matchmaker, so the pressure was on my shoulders!

5. "A part" of Xiaoyang

The winter of early 2008 was very cold. The first day of the year was the first day of the year that I was able to attend the press conference of the new book "Clanging Roses" by the female writer Lu Chien, and on that day, a group of writers such as Chen Chen, who is a small vegetable grower in Shanghai, came to the press conference. The first time I saw him, he was in a hurry to get to his hotel in Yixing from Nanjing, and it was already past 12:30 p.m. He was in a hurry to get to his hotel in Yixing. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Zhu called me and invited me to go to the sculptor Zhou Gang's studio to see the sculpture of the "Plum in the Golden Vase" series of figures that the two of them had collaborated on. That morning also clear skies, but in the afternoon there were snowflakes, to Zhou Gang's studio, Mr. Zhu could not wait to paint the sculpture on the alabaster, I was taking pictures of them, but also at this time, followed by Mr. Zhu along with the painter of the screen name "Mouse", an accident, the coat corner of one of the "Ximen Qing". "Simon Qing" sculpture down, breaking a leg and "penis". At that time, they did not care too much, think broken, broken, and only afterward slowly feel that this is the precursor to the collapse of Master Zhu sick. I remembered that at 4:00 p.m., Mr. Zhu said to me that he was hungry, I asked how to be hungry so quickly, he said to the Yixing just focus on talking to friends, did not eat anything. It was not five o'clock when we returned to the eight-faced hall I presided over, and I asked my lover to give Master Zhu a big bowl of pork chop noodles, and he ate it and immediately came back to the spirit. In the evening, the owner of a decoration company from Nanjing accompanied Mr. Zhu to invite Mr. Zhu and the "rats" to go to the sauna, I always dislike these places, so I did not go along. The next day before 6:00 am, the decoration company boss called, told Mr. Zhu's body is not comfortable, let me immediately rushed to the Yixing People's Hospital. After we accompanied Master Zhu to take the film, the attending doctor said: "His situation is very dangerous, the common artery blood vessels have been blocked, must be immediately emergency, need to be signed by the family." I immediately called Master Zhu's wife at the time, told her about the situation, she commissioned to let the three of us (me, the owner of the decorating company, the "mouse") to sign on behalf of the first aid started in Yixing. Subsequently, the attending physician said: "must be immediately sent to a major hospital to do aortic surgery. After that, we discussed with Master Zhu's family and decided to send him to the former Nanjing Military Region General Hospital for treatment. After a week in a coma, Master Zhu finally woke up. Three months later, Master Zhu was gradually recovering at home, and when I was instructed to visit him, I rushed to Nanjing with the potter Zhou Gang, my brother-in-law Huang Yiming, and my lover Wang Guofen to visit him. As soon as we entered, Mr. Zhu was struggling to talk to us, and I could hear him asking, "How are you doing, Xiaoyang? How is the Eight Faces of Wind Hall doing now?" I couldn't help but weep as my nose turned sour upon hearing this. At this time Zhou just took out a sculpture he made to show Master Zhu, Master Zhu asked him how much he can sell, Zhou just back to say 30,000 a good! Master Zhu faced Zhou Gang then said: after the sale, this must have a part of the laughing Yang, a part of the eight-face Wind Hall. My lover and I listened to the hot tears, but also can not stop. Master Zhu is such a person who always thinks of others even when he is seriously ill, a true artist's sincere feelings. These simple words of Master Zhu were deeply rooted in the hearts of our family and were enough to touch and influence our family for the rest of our lives.

6. Don't talk about "feelings".

After Mr. Zhu fell ill, all the things are handed over to the family "small fortune fans" to take care of. The 500,000 dollars I sent to order the paintings could not be honored because of Master Zhu's illness. At that time, I was very anxious, Master Zhu owed me paintings can be temporarily put aside, but I was worried about the potter Ge Mingxiang (at that time, he suffered from intestinal cancer is dying) and other relatives and friends of the paintings did not have a place, because I was the "introducer", most of the paintings I alone personally sent to the hands of the Master Zhu, if you do not get the order of the paintings, some of the things can not be said, and the I feel very sorry for this group of good friends. The good thing is that Mr. Zhu's body gradually recovered, "small fortune fans" also actively deal with this matter. During the period, the "small fortune" accompanied Master Zhu to Yixing convalescence, in front of everyone to come up with a set of treatment program: first pay Ge Mingxiang set the painting, she took out Master Zhu's right hand paintings, a square foot or even more than a piece of artwork handed over to the seriously ill Ge Mingxiang. Ge Mingxiang before passing away, this is very pleased, I am also relieved. But not long after, the hospital diagnosed the master Zhu's illness is difficult to recover, "small fortune" in the handling of "old accounts" program has changed, she put the "owed paintings" pushed to the master Zhu. One day, Master Zhu's caretaker Lao Zhang called me and said: "Master Zhu has prepared his left hand painting for you, when to come to Nanjing to get it?" I brought some lilies, dried bamboo shoots and other Yixing souvenirs, then immediately rushed to Nanjing. Into the master Zhu stone city set of old apartment, I saw that he has prepared all the "paintings" to give me. The master was very happy that day, he will be made of the left pen paintings unfolded one by one to show me, I looked at the end couldn't help but praise: "good painting ah, you have been our heart of the calligraphy and painting masters." Master Zhu listened to the silly smile, like a child. When I was leaving, I asked Master Zhu offhandedly, "In this world, who has the best feelings with you?" Unexpectedly, Master Zhu's face changed greatly after hearing this, clenched his fist and pounded my chest several times, shouting, "Go! Go! Out!" I had no choice but to leave Master Zhu's apartment. On the way back to the road, I have been wondering why Master Zhu's mood will suddenly a hundred and eighty degree reversal, is not "feelings" two words out of the question. After that, whenever I went to visit Mr. Zhu, I was very careful with what I said, because his happiness is my happiness. The only thing I regret is that after Master Zhu remarried his second wife, Chen Yan, and moved to Beijing, we never saw each other until he left this world. This is one of the regrets of my life.

Profile of Xiaoliang Shi:

Pen name Xiaoyang, art name a pot Taoist, No. folk Taoist, born in 1963 in Yixing, the pottery capital, in October 1981 from the army, in December 2001, the military transfer to choose their own jobs. He created the Eight Winds Hall, opened the "Two Kilns" literati pottery, and appointed himself "Hall Master" and "Chief Kiln Master". Initial start pottery, writing in two words, the situation from the heart of the pen, purely for fun to hide the ancient. The "professor" is just a guest, and the "president" is from the people. Always dream of culture, keep the original temperament ...... is now Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Suzhou Vocational University, Jiangsu Polytechnic Institute, Jiaxing College, Nanjing Tourism Vocational College and other institutions, visiting professors, members of the expert committee. Main books and edited works: "Zhong Changsheng landscape painting appreciation" laughs Yang with poetry (Hebei Fine Arts Publishing House), "ask the rain fan painting selection" laughs Yang with poetry (Hebei Fine Arts Publishing House), "eight sides of the Hall - Chinese painters the first nomination exhibition of the collection of paintings" (Henan Fine Arts Publishing House), Zhu Xinjian painting - eight sides of the Hall of the collection of Chinese paintings, "Yixing ceramics and the literati paintings" series (Hong Kong Arts and Culture Publishing House), "Dafeng talk about the art" (Sichuan) (Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House), and more than twenty books. He has held group exhibitions of individual pot paintings in Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan and other places.

(Organized by Shi Yue, a full-time teacher at Wuxi Institute of Technology)