Hei Guoqiang: Hardwood in the antique industry

Hei Guoqiang is a young collector who has more than 20 years of experience in antique collections. He is an expert in identifying and repairing antique furniture. He is a pioneer in the Hong Kong antiques expo industry. Hei Guoqiang, a pioneer who broke through the traditions and conservation of the antique industry, and used the open and active form to dialogue with the market. He believes that the antique industry is difficult to become a forest, a large-scale model has long been unable to adapt to the overall development of the antique industry, and only the open pattern and the integration of various resources can bring vitality to the development of the antique industry.

The apprentice inherits his father for three years

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, there was a large outflow of antique art in China. However, whether they were transported by water or by train, they would pass through this important transit station in Hong Kong. During that period, Hong Kong’s major ports naturally became a variety of trade. In the concentrated area, Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui area became the main distribution center for antique trade at that time. It should be said that Tsim Sha Tsui is the birthplace of Hong Kong antique trade, not the Hollywood Road now known to everyone. Hei Guoqiang's father also moved from Beijing to Hong Kong in this era. From the original craft shop, the young workers gradually became Hong Kong's famous Ming and Qing antique furniture collectors and antique dealers. He has been engaged in the collection and management of classical furniture for more than 60 years.

Hei Guoqiang was the youngest son in his family. His older brother and sister both studied abroad and engaged in careers different from furniture collections. Hei Guoqiang was a son of his father and followed the family's antique furniture business. In the interview, the black country said with a strong interest: "Although I was very young, I didn't like these cold, hard woods when I was young. I sat up and used it uncomfortably because of my perception of these old antiques at home. I didn't own it myself. The older brother and sister will study. In addition to history and Chinese, the examination scores of other subjects are not good. It is precisely because of this that after graduating from high school, I will stay to help my father manage the antique furniture business at home."

Although it is its own business, it also needs to start with apprentices. It is not everyone's imagination that the nephew inherits the image of the young master in his father's business. Washing the pen holder, washing the box, polishing, waxing, and repairing the furniture are all three years. Everyday life is such a boring and tedious process. At the beginning, I look forward to hurrying home every day to finish my day's work. But people all say that I’m feeling like I’m living. I’m not fake at all. I’m facing these wooden furniture every day. At a glance they can see their types and attributes, and they can gradually distinguish their ages through their production process and wood pulp. I have a strong feeling and interest in these old antiques. Hei Guoqiang said, “I would like to thank you very much for the three years of apprenticeship. I really learned about antique furniture. Because of this experience in the first line of work, it also laid the foundation for my future collections and operations.” ”

Break the tradition of self-employment

From the disgust of antique furniture before entering the line to the gradual love of antique furniture after entering the market, and to more than ten years of experience in running goods, these experiences made Hei Guoqiang have a deeper understanding of the antique industry. Hei Guoqiang said: "The experience of running goods has made me see the outside world. Every day I can see good things like bronze wares, jade articles, porcelains, and calligraphy and paintings. In those years I traveled through Europe and America in New York, London and other places. The trading center may be because he sees more of the outside world, or because he is young and angry, he has more and more disagreements with his father on the concept of antique business. The father’s antique business has always stuck to the tradition and made a few For ten years, there is no shop, no publicity, no company name, and guests who want to buy things need to introduce layers of things in order to see things, and the use of 'mystery' to describe this traditional business model is not an exaggeration. However, I believe that his conservative antique business model has long been unable to adapt to the development of the current market. I do not agree with this way of hiding."

Regardless of the industry in which it is employed, it is very difficult to inherit traditions, but it is even more difficult to make breakthroughs and changes while inheriting traditions. This requires courage, perseverance, courage, and irrelevance. There is no sign of success or failure. Hei Guoqiang said: "Now antiques are not traditional antiques. They are no longer synonymous with tradition. The antique industry should be a product of the fusion of ancient and modern. Besides the need for publicity through modern media, it also needs A professional trading platform with credibility, the antique industry is difficult to achieve, and only communication and integration are the best channels for its development. This is why I would choose to do the fair later.”

Boldly Try Hong Kong Exhibition

With a solid foundation of knowledge and accumulation of business, Hei Guoqiang, in order to enhance his knowledge, does not stick to conventions in the antiques industry and strengthens his international perspective. Since 1988, he has been alone in foreign shipments. At that time, there have been many well-known and mature foreign countries. At the Art Fair, he was lucky enough to participate in international art and antique exhibitions held in New York, USA and London, UK. In 1992, he went to New York to become an assistant to the famous local collector and antique dealer Robert Ansiyuan, assisting Ansiyuan to establish and manage the restoration of Chinese cultural relics and the related affairs in Hong Kong. His experience in three years abroad not only allowed him to pass the language barrier, but also made him more aware of the development trend of the entire world art market. At this time, he knew that the antique business could not only stay in furniture and buy furniture. He said: “At that time, the business model of the antiques and art fairs in Hong Kong was not so popular. Many exhibitions of that period had failed due to various reasons. In fact, this type of art exposition in Europe and America has become popular. In the past year, the positioning of the Hong Kong Freeport is actually very suitable for holding such exhibitions. In particular, there are not many restrictions on the entry and exit of artworks, and they have extremely favorable conditions. Therefore, they decided to let go.”

In 2006, he was another breakthrough in Hei Guoqiang's business. With his own efforts, he successfully held an expo in Hong Kong. Although only a dozen exhibitors participated in the first session, for Hei Guoqiang, this was his first step in the art fair industry and it was also the beginning of a bold attempt. Hei Guoqiang said: "In the first exposition, the planning, design, operation and talent management aspects all benefited from the experience of watching and participating in overseas exhibitions. And the experience of doing apprenticeships and running goods in the early years was also the basis for the exhibition."

It is not easy for the contractor, and it is even more difficult for those who break it. Hei Guoqiang could have inherited his father's fatherhood, but because of his heart on the promotion of art and culture, he had taken a unique path to the Hong Kong Antiques Art Exposition.

In the interview, Hei Guoqiang said: "The antiques must not be dominoed. This will kill the entire industry. Only the healthy development of the entire industry will make every antique business go well."

In addition, he also followed the principle of being incapable of being dominant in the selection of works of art. He became more international in the selection of collections. When the Beijing Business Daily reporter asked whether most of the visitors to the expo today are domestic purchases. Home, many contemporary artworks and European antiques appeared at the art fair you held. In fact, these do not meet the buying habits of domestic buyers. This kind of choice will not buy domestic buyers. In response to this problem, he told the Beijing Business Daily: "Don't put eggs in a basket. In fact, the collection can be enriched. In the face of an increasingly international art market, the participation of European antique dealers is also hopefully to have this fair. It can be more internationalized. At the same time, the collectors also need to nurture. If they haven't seen or don't know how to like it, as long as they have seen it, they will have their own judgment in mind."

“In fact, there are also many art and antique fairs in the country, and the scale and scale of the exhibits are not low.” Hei Guoqiang said, “The scale of these exhibitions in China is very large, and it’s also very good. If it’s not enough, it’s mainly because There is still much room for improvement in the degree of internationalization, including the selection of art galleries and the selection of art objects. There should be a very large collection community in China with great potential.

The output value of the art collection industry is actually very high. With the progress of the times, art collections also need to improve. This is especially the era of grabbing resources. Of course, the resources here are not just money. Hei Guoqiang believed that: "The art collection industry can no longer continue to be independent and establish an open platform to allow each other to have a platform for exchanges, transactions, and brand building. The Expo can also nurture artists and sellers while also being able to work on this platform. Cultivating buyers through these fairs also allows buyers to grow rapidly.”