Having the collection safely back in his possession changed his
life. Weng devoted himself to learning all he could about Chinese art. He
studied the New York Public Library’s extensive collection of books on the
subject. He wrote art history books, one of which received the China Book Prize,
the country’s top publishing award, and edited eight volumes of his ancestor
Weng Tonghe’s papers.Only on very rare occasions has Weng sold pieces. He bought 22
acres in rural New Hampshire in 1978 and built a home with proceeds from the
sale of a Ming-period painting. In 2000, he sold his ancestors’ books to the
Shanghai Library for $4.5 million. He felt that the book collection should
return to China so that scholars could make use of it. He also reclaimed
ownership of his ancestral home and donated it to the Changshu municipal
government. The home, where the courtyards date back to the Ming period, was
named a provincial cultural monument, and its main hall, Caiyitang, a national
cultural property. All of this follows Weng’s desire to keep his family history
alive. He is adamant about not selling his art piece by piece to private
collectors, especially the best works. "The major items, which we consider as part of the heritage,
should go into the right places," Weng says. "That is very important to me,
because we are only temporary keepers. You have no right to let it be spoiled or
lost and so forth . . . it is hard to give it up, but then you have to be very
realistic." Elizabeth Harris is a staff writer for Worth.
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