Everyone thought that the two did have some similarities. Wu Zhixiang sighed and said, "If we talk about the various exotic goods of Australians, except for glass, which one is not something that China originally has?" Once everything comes into their hands and is manipulated, it seems to be completely transformed. "
After he said this, everyone couldn't help but nod in agreement; whether it was Australian paper, wine, books, sanitary ware and various utensils, except for glass and the "soft glass" used in "unbreakable bottles", nothing has been used since ancient times. Got something?
"Glass is just glass. How come we in China don't have it?" Zhang Dai is well-read and has a wealth of "miscellaneous knowledge". "Glass is just glassware. It existed in the Han Dynasty. It's a pity that it has only been reduced to tiles for building houses."
Wen Huai asked curiously, "Are colored glaze and glass the same thing? I don't think they are similar at all. It is somewhat similar to porcelain."
Several people were walking around while talking. The walls were lined with bookshelves as high as the roof, filled with books. The arrangement of these books is also different from that in China. They are not placed in letters and lying on the bookshelf, but are arranged upright one by one. They had seen Australian books yesterday and knew that Australian books must have spines. The titles and authors of the books are on the spines, and they can be clearly arranged when they are placed on a tree.
There are several ladders placed next to the bookshelf - some have iron wheels like ladders, which can be easily pushed around and climbed up to browse.
There are either bookshelves or windows on the walls, but on the dome, there are long paintings hanging. Zhang Dai knew that this was a Western oil painting. He had seen it in the Catholic Church in Hangzhou and didn't take it seriously.
Outside the bookshelves are huge tables—larger than the painting tables used for painting in their home—with all kinds of books displayed on them. There are small tables and chairs next to the big book desk for people to read and drink tea. This kind of arrangement is not surprising. Almost all the larger bookstores they went to had similar decorations. But the style of the seats is unique. The table is a very small round table, and the chair is a back chair with a slightly tilted back, and it is also covered with a layer of soft cushion-like objects. Sun Chun was the first to sit down. When he leaned back, he felt that the chair was close to his back and waist, and even his head was supported. It was so comfortable to lean on this chair.
The small round table is decorated with exquisite tea sets of various colors, including Yixing purple clay tea sets, famous products from various porcelain kilns, and all-glass tea sets made in Australia - Zhang Dai likes it because he can watch the "beautiful color" when making tea. I bought several sets at high prices.
But this is not surprising. The most surprising thing is that there are several groups of heavy objects like g-couches in the hall. Each group is arranged with one long and two short. It seems to be a chair and a g-couch, and the outside is made of fine Western cloth. Or the brocade is made of face, and there are many cushion-like objects placed on it. Zhang Dai was the first to sit down this time, not wanting to be outdone by others.
"This thing is wonderful!" He sat on it, but his body jolted, and he couldn't help but smile, "Brothers, sit down quickly, this thing is really interesting!"
As soon as Wen Huai and Sun Chun sat down, the feeling of rejection and welcome on their buttocks immediately brought them an unprecedented experience, but it was not uncommon for Wu Zhixiang - it was also available in Ziminglou, and he also bought it A pair of single people can go back and enjoy themselves, so-called sofa chairs.
Hearing a few people arguing about why this sofa has such elasticity, he immediately laughed and said, "Brothers, don't look at this thing as soft and soft, but it is actually made of iron objects inside."
How can anyone believe it? Everyone has seen iron tools. They are extremely strong and strong things. How can they achieve such an effect? Wu Zhixiang said that when he bribed the yamen to enter Ziming Building, he saw several yamen dismantling the sofa. The stuffing was nothing more than kapok, but the bottom of the sofa was densely packed with wires. The circles are stacked one on top of the other.
Everyone was fascinated by what they heard, and Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh, "I used to only think of the wonders of creation in this world, but I never thought that human power could be so amazing!"
Several people were chatting on the sofa. The waiter who was waiting on the side did not dare to come up and disturb him, but quietly reported to Cai Shi. Cai Shi's local people are familiar with each other. As long as Zhao Yingong doesn't go out or sends him out on errands, he will always take care of him at the bookstore. Because everyone knew that this was a scholar who had publicly acquired the bookstore, and Zhao Yingong had recruited local Confucian scholars and gained their support, so ordinary people on the street did not dare to go to the bookstore to pay their respects.
Cai Shi's main job is to take care of and build relationships when he sees local gentry coming in person or by sending someone. If necessary, report it directly to Zhao Yingong.
He recognized Zhang Dai as soon as he came face to face, but he didn't come out to greet him right away - from the guy's failure just now, he knew that these Confucian scholars wanted to see for themselves first, and there was little use in going out to greet Zhang Dai by himself.
At this moment, I saw them all sitting on the sofa, talking loudly one by one, and immediately called a waiter;
"Go and tell the master quickly that Mr. Zhang Dai and Mr. Zhang are in the store."
Zhang Dai is a famous figure in Hangzhou, and even Cai Shi knows that the master should make efforts to entertain him. He now delivers it personally. I must have greeted him properly.
Immediately, I asked the waiter to take out the ice-cold soda drinks from the "refrigerator" and pour them into the plants one by one.
The so-called "refrigerator" is not a gas refrigerator produced by Linko, but a wooden cabinet that uses natural ice to cool down in this time and space. The harsh winters of the Little Ice Age made it possible for places like Hangzhou to harvest and store ice in winter.
This soda is even more rare. It was transported thousands of miles from Guangdong by ship. Cai Shi was so surprised when he saw that the wooden box contained glass bottles that his jaw almost dropped. He fully understood the value of such crystal clear glass. In his mind, this soda is simply like a "good nectar".
Zhang Dai didn't take Cai Shi's attentiveness seriously, which was normal, but he became interested in the plate of drinks he brought.
The drink was served in a cylindrical straight glass. At first glance, the glass seemed to be filled with water, but strings of thin bubbles continued to emerge from the bottom of the glass, and the body of the glass was filled with water. beads. It looks crystal clear, refreshing and pleasant.
Several of the people here are enjoying some at home, and you can tell at a glance that they are served chilled. The sun was already very hot after the Dragon Boat Festival, and I was sweating even though I was sitting in a sedan chair. Such a glass of "ice water" comes at just the right time. After drinking it, everyone said it was wonderful. This glass of "clear water" is not only ice-cold, but also tastes sweet and slightly sour from fruits. The taste is extremely refreshing.
Wu Zhixiang wondered: "This is not Kvass!"
Cai Shi was stunned. He didn't know that Wu Zhixiang was a frequent visitor to Ziminglou, but he knew that a drink called kvass had indeed been delivered and was prepared in the back cabinet. Not help but wonder;
"Has this gentleman ever drank kvass?"
"My husband has drank countless bottles of kvass." Wu Zhixiang said with a smile, "It's more sour than this, and it also has a fragrant aroma. The water in your glass probably came from Lingao in a glass bottle, right?"
"My master is from Guangli!" Cai Shi heard his strange accent and knew that he was probably from Guangli, so he said, "I don't dare to deceive you, masters. This soda is also an Australian product, specially shipped from Guangli. The shop specializes in serving distinguished customers. Useful."
Wen Huai smiled and said, "Your master is really extravagant! This cup of fine wine is probably worth a lot of money. I'm afraid I have to take off my robe and pledge it before I can get out."
Zhang Dai frowned slightly, feeling that Wen Huai was too disgraceful - simply rude. Given the scene in this bookstore, the owner must be a wealthy and powerful person. How could he care about this cup of "soda" and ask for value? It's like judging a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart.
These words made Cai Shi unable to stand still, and said quickly: "How dare you do this? The shop is a bookstore, and it sells books."
Seeing that the atmosphere was not good, Zhang Dai quickly said, "Since we are selling books, I wonder if there are any rare books here?"
Cai Shi smiled and said, "I don't know what kind of concubine I want..."
Zhang Dai folded his fan and said, "It needs to be novel and interesting. Don't get rid of things like "Mencius' Justice" that speaks for sages."
Wen Huai said, "I read it yesterday. Not to mention this dynasty, even since the Tang and Song Dynasties, among all the scholars who have commented on Mencius, no one can compare with this Mr. Jiao. Especially the exegesis, it can be called Synthesizer."
No one else was very interested in this exegesis. They all laughed but said nothing. Cai Shinu was born in divination. He already knew from his facial expressions that Mr. Zhang was the key figure. He immediately said with a smile, "The shop is ready with all kinds of books. Please wait a moment. I will pick them up right now."
Some of the books in Wanbi Bookstore are shipped directly from Lingao, and some are imported from Nanjing and Suzhou. Most of the books are made in Lingao and shipped to Hangzhou for local printing.
In order to ensure the reputation of Australian books, not only the paper models were shipped, but also the ink and paper produced by Lingao were shipped. The Planning Institute's instruction to Zhao Yiggong was to try to produce ink and paper in Hangzhou in the future. There was no rush at the moment - the engine operation that was about to start would bring a large amount of unloaded tonnage northward, and it would be easy to transport anything.
The first book printed by Zhou Dongtian's printing company was "Records of Four Continents". This is a book called "Encyclopedia of World Geography" written by a British person compiled by Lin Zexu. This work is a relatively comprehensive introduction to world geography, humanities, and society in China. However, Lingao's Chronicle of the Four Continents has been comprehensively revised by the History Room of the Great Library. Contents that were not in line with the state of the records have been removed, and some fallacies and misinformation have been revised. Of course, a lot of new content has also been added.
The paper types of the books shipped to Hangzhou are all carefully considered. Books such as the Classics and History Collection are not uncommon in a place like Jiangnan where engraving is prosperous - Hangzhou Printing Office is not currently winning by scale and hitting the market with low costs. In terms of marketing, if cultural bookstores want to attract people, they must have books that are innovative and surprising in content and have a certain academic level. Academic works by people from the Qing Dynasty have become the first choice. ! .
