September 15-20, 2014
Show Room, 1/F, Zhejiang Library
Hosts: Xiling Yinshe Auction Co., Ltd., DUSHIKUAIBAO Newspaper, Zhejiang Library
Letters, the most previous way of exchange before the electronic age, is now going extinct. Be it the verses chanted like “High flying geese in the clouds, whom entrusted you to bring me the love letter” by Li Qingzhao, a famous female poet in Song Dynasty, or “Although the solemn pledge of love lingers, yet it is difficult to write a letter for you” by Lu You, an outstanding poet and scholar of Southern Song Dynasty, they unanimously convey deep sentiments across time and space in letters. Even though the handwriting is poor or just transcription of poems, the charm you experience when reading cannot be resisted, and the vividness and intimacy between the lines enable you to see the writer and feel his heartbeats in person.
Nowadays, the handwritten letters are stored as antiques in people’s mind and it’s been a fantastic experience for people reminiscent of the good old days over and over again. Unfortunately, the clicks on computers and mobile devices make up the tempo of our time, which limit handwritings to only signatures on credit card bills.
This year, we are celebrating our tenth anniversary and thus jointly launch a series of events with the culture center of Dushi Kuiabao newspaper and Zhejiang Library to go with the grand ceremony such as “Words from Your Beloved Ones: A Talk of Family Letters on Mid-Autumn Festival” and “ Recollection of letters: Exhibition of Manuscripts by International Celebrities”, etc.
From the sale of Manuscripts by International Celebrities, we select nearly 100 pieces of fined letters and hereby invite you to appreciate them closely.
Each of the letters and manuscripts on display is the only copy that irrevocably mirrors the mark of time and every single word of warmth and love is still shining despite the years gone by.
To name a few, there are diaries by Xu Zhimo with sweet nothings when he was about to be married to Lu Xiaoman; and letters written by Zheng Zhenduo who lived a life of toils in hissenior years, sighing for her daughter and son-in-law; and the last home letter by Zhang Xueliang to his first wife Yu Fengzhi who lived in America when he was immured in Taiwan.
The rare and valuable manuscripts by these outstanding celebrities such as Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, whose names still shine in the memories of Chinese people, are also on display. The first sale of manuscripts by western celebrities that has ever been launched by Xiling Auction this year include the celebrities we have known since childhood, like George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, George Gordon Byron, Gustave Flaubert, Albert Einstein, Florence Nightingale and Peter Lynch Tchaikovsky.
These manuscripts both from home and abroad add radiance and beauty to each other culturally and emotionally in complete harmony. And with them we retrospect the past golden years.
