Du Jinkang: Entrepreneur-turned Collector

Yu Shunke

For experts and scholars of culture， Shangyu in the east of Zhejiang is worth knowing about. For scholars specialized in history of tea， a visit to Shangyu is a must， for it was the birthplace of Wu Juenong （1897-1989）， an agronomist and economist specializing in agriculture. Wu was the founding figure in the revival and development of the modern Chinese tea industry， and is therefore widely considered as the Sage of Tea in modern China. Shangyu continues to produce scholars， collectors， and artists， entrepreneurs， among all kinds of people.

Born in 1955， Du Jinkang is a Shangyu native. He is now a businessman and prominent art collector and serves as vice director of Zhejiang Collectors Association.

He operates a teahouse called Guyuexuan， which is part of Guyuexuan Culture Company he founded and operates. To many， Du is a distinguished collector of artworks， but his is a life of many stories. He served in the air force. And after the military service， he worked as a director of a forestry farm， and a Party chief of a state farm， and a deputy director of a bank in Shangyu. He started his own business toward the end of the 20th century. His business includes both real estate development in urban areas and landscaping. In December 2006， his landscaping business was recognized by the provincial government as a leading business of the provinces forestry industry. Now it operates with a first-class national certificate for landscaping， design， landscaping projects， seedling cultivation， etc.

Du found himself a new life mission in August 1999 when he took part as an entrepreneur in a cultural event in Beijing in celebration of the 50th National Day of the Peoples Republic of China. Among the participating personages he met at the event were retired military generals and cultural celebrities. He was impressed with other peoples collections of artworks and was inspired. When he voiced his intent of becoming an art collector， he was encouraged. In December 1999， he set up Guyuexuan Art and Calligraphy Society in Shangyu and embarked upon his new mission. He knew what he was doing： he was to carry on and safeguard some artworks for future generations.

He set a principle for his endeavor： he would concentrate on the paintings and calligraphy works of the best Chinese artists of the 20th century. In order to learn about art and artists， he did his homework and made friends with artists. He read extensively and asked artist friends for guidance. He invited artists over to Shangyu and set up connections with galleries and collectors in Beijing and Hangzhou. He also absorbed information on art as much as possible by attending art events such as auctions and competitions.

Works of art in the Guyuexuan collection of Du Jinkang

Thus he has acquired a working knowledge of art history， artists， artworks， and art authentication and appreciation. And fortunately， where he is makes his art collection ambition a little bit easier. Zhejiang is one of the most important chapters of a history of Chinese art. It has produced a lot of prominent artists through centuries up to now. That is， he doesnt need to travel far to get to know artists， attend auctions， and visit museums and galleries， and get advices and information from art historians and authenticators.

Over the past 20 years， his collection has grown remarkably. The artworks in his possession are by artists who have passed away such as Pu Hua， Xu Beihong， Huang Binhong， Liu Haishu， Sha Menghai， Qin Zhongwen， Tang Yun and Lu Yanshao as well as those who are still alive. Nearly all the artworks in his collection are by artists whose ancestral roots and/or adult lives were closely associated with Zhejiang， Jiangsu and Shanghai.

Du Jinkang defines his passion for art like this： he collects artworks which tell life stories of artists and give rise to friendship. As a collector， he focuses upon the life stories of artists and their personalities. Lu Yanshao （1909-1993） is his favorite artist. Du began to collecting Lus works about 15 years ago. In his eyes， although Lu did not have a reputation as brilliant as those of Qi Baishi， Zhang Daqian and Fu Baoshi， his artworks appeal to both highbrow and lowbrow tastes. Nowadays Du has dozens of artworks by Lu Yanshao. According to an art critic specialized in Lu Yanshao， Du is now a de facto scholar of Lu Yanshao.

Wus private collection of porcelain pieces started after his father Du Laiyun， a deputy of National Peoples Congress for two terms， visited him at the teahouse. In a chat over tea， the father advised that， as a Shangyu native， the son should have some local things in his collection. That visit occurred more than 10 years ago. Today， the collection has over 1，000 celadon pieces produced in Yue Kiln， an ancient kiln which originated in Shangyu. These celadon pieces date to the ancient dynasties; some go back as far as to the Han Dynasty about 2，000 years ago.