Notes on Antiquities

Name: Notes on Antiquities
ISBN: 9787552015560

齐州三爷Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press2016

3.4

Word count: 232 words
Chapters: 3
Series: Notes on Antiquities is a collection of short stories by the writer Qizhou Sanye (real name Li Yang) built around antiques; this is the first volume of the series, published by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press in 2016. The book contains three independent stories—"The Conch," "The Thumb Ring," and "The Buddha's Head"—set mostly in late Qing and early Republican Beijing and Linqing, Shandong. In the tone of a storyteller, the author recounts the rules, jargon, and taboos of the old Beijing antique trade in places such as Liulichang, Haiwangcun, and the ghost market: how a conch opens the door to the ways of a 1921 Beijing antique shop; how a thumb ring sweeps the fate of Liu Ansheng, son of a Qing-era Linqing garrison officer, into the currents of the times; and whose greed and integrity a Buddha's head reflects. The book offers both the threshold of appraising treasures and detecting fakes and the calculation and trust in human dealings; antiques are merely the thread here, and what is truly written is the joys, sorrows, and choices of all kinds of people in an old era. The whole work is rich in Beijing flavor; the storyteller's tone and street-level detail make the stories warm and familiar, and within the strange and curious tales lies the sense that "small objects reveal great history." It is a window onto the traditional antique trade and Republican-era street life.
ISBN: 9787552015560

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Summary

Antique Notes is a collection of short stories by Qi Zhou San Ye (real name Li Yang) that uses antiques as narrative threads. This volume, the first in the series, was published by Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press in 2016. It contains three independent stories—"The Conch Shell," "The Thumb Ring," and "The Buddha's Head"—set largely in Beijing and Linqing, Shandong, during the late Qing and early Republican eras. Adopting the voice of a traditional storyteller, the author guides readers through the customs, jargon, and taboos of the old capital's antique trade at places like Liulichang, Haiwangcun, and the ghost markets: how a single conch shell opens a window onto the workings of a Beijing antique shop in 1921; how a thumb ring sweeps Liu Ansheng, son of a garrison commander in Linqing during the Guangxu reign, into the tides of fortune; and whose greed and whose integrity a Buddha's head lays bare. The book offers both the connoisseur's tests for authenticating and spotting forgeries and the calculations and loyalties that govern human dealings. The antiques serve merely as narrative threads; what is truly written here are the joys and sorrows, the choices and dilemmas, of people from every walk of life in a bygone era. Rich in Beijing flavor, the storyteller's cadence and vivid street-level detail make the stories intimate and engaging, while the curious anecdotes convey a sense of "great history in small objects," opening a window onto the traditional antique trade and the urban life of Republican-era China.

Editor's review

这本书最大的好处是“懂行又好看”。作者齐州三爷长年混迹古玩与旧闻掌故，写起琉璃厂的铺面分类、鬼市的出手规矩、行里人对物件的称呼，细节扎实，不像外行隔着玻璃看热闹。故事采用说书人口吻，一句“老年间”就把人拉进前清民国的胡同与店铺里，节奏快、包袱密，读起来不累。三个故事各有一件古玩作引：《法螺记》自1921年的北平写起，《扳指记》从光绪年间临清州的刘安生说起，《佛头记》落到人心与佛心的对照上，篇幅不长，都有回甘。更难得的是它不只讲猎奇，也讲规矩和底线——哪些东西不能碰、哪些话不能问、拿了不该拿的东西要付什么代价，读故事的同时等于补了一课旧时行业常识。如果你喜欢《三言二拍》式的市井传奇，或者对民国北京、古玩收藏的话题有兴趣，这本可作入门。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢京味、评书式市井传奇故事的读者
对古玩收藏、鉴宝辨伪与行业禁忌好奇的入门读者
爱看民国北平风物、胡同市井细节的人
想找篇幅短、可随时放下再拿起的故事集的读者

Not a good fit for

期待系统古玩鉴定知识或收藏实操指南的读者
偏好严谨历史考据、反感“说书体”虚构渲染的读者
不适应灵异、报应等旧式传奇元素的读者

Reading tips

按《法螺记》《扳指记》《佛头记》的顺序读，先熟悉作者的说书腔，再体会各篇差异。
把它当评书听：每篇可一口气读完，读完再回头想那件古玩“记”下了什么。
遇到行话、铺子分类的段落可稍作停留，这些是理解旧京古玩行的关键细节。
读完本册若喜欢，可接着读同系列的《悬疑篇》《传奇篇》《禁忌篇》《爱国篇》。

About the publisher

Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press China · Founded in 1982

Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press is a comprehensive publisher with humanities and social science publishing as its mainstay, covering politics, economics, law, philosophy, history, literature, education, psychology and related fields. Judging from the books in our catalog, its publishing direction emphasizes social science thought, applied psychology, history and cultural life: it includes works of social theory such as Zygmunt Bauman's Work, Consumerism and the New Poor, general-interest titles such as How to Read Western Classics and A Guide to the Good Life, and practical psychology books such as Emotional First Aid. In history and food culture, it offers Shanghai History (2 volumes) and The Medieval Kitchen. Biographies such as The Suffragette and nature and culture titles such as Dragon: An Unidentified Animal together reflect a publishing character that balances academic depth with reading for the general public. Because public information is limited, further details about series and author resources are not listed here.

The Conch
The Thumb Ring
The Buddha's Head

FAQ

《古玩笔记》是长篇小说还是短篇集？

是短篇故事集。首册收入《法螺记》《扳指记》《佛头记》三个彼此独立的故事，各以一件古玩为线索，人物与情节不相连，可以单篇阅读。

这本书在系列里是第几部？

2016年出版的这一册是“古玩笔记”系列的第一部。其后陆续出版《悬疑篇》（2017）、《传奇篇》（2018）、《禁忌篇》（2019）、《爱国篇》（2020）。

书里的古玩故事是真的吗？

属于小说创作。作者借用旧京古玩行的真实规矩、行话与市井风貌作背景，人物与情节为虚构，可用于了解行业氛围，不宜当作鉴定或史实依据。

作者齐州三爷是谁？

齐州三爷本名李扬，生于山东济南，曾在天涯论坛发表作品。除《古玩笔记》系列外，还著有《太阳帝国——日本近代很嚣张》等，擅长以幽默笔法写旧时行业与民间传奇。

没读过古玩相关书籍能看懂吗？

可以。故事以人物和情节为主，行话与规矩多在叙述中顺带解释，不要求读者具备收藏知识；反而适合作为了解古玩行当的通俗入口。

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About the author

齐州三爷 Author

Qizhou Sanye is an author active in Chinese online writing whose identity has not been made public; available information is limited, and no clear record of his real name, native place, or life history can be found. Three of his works are currently included in the collection: The Legendary Volume of Antique Notes, Antique Notes: The Taboo Volume, and Strange Tales of Antiques: The Bloody Case of the Divine Wood. All of them revolve around the antique trade and combine mystery and detective elements with a legendary flavor. His works are commonly categorized under time-travel and alternate history, general biography, and mystery and detective fiction, suggesting that his writing moves between historical imagination and realistic subjects and that he is skilled at using objects and their lore to build suspense and atmosphere. Overall, Qizhou Sanye's writing centers on antique-themed stories, with plots that emphasize mystery and legendary appeal, and is suited to readers who enjoy such material.