Introduction:
The king of the casino, the richest man in Macau, and the "uncrowned governor of Macau" Stanley Ho, his personal wealth and status are above all else, comparable to the power of the hereditary aristocracy. Spending a lot of money to collect art treasures is Stanley Ho's greatest hobby and hobby in his life. He once spent a lot of money to buy back the bronze statues of the Old Summer Palace that were lost overseas, and even went to the auction to buy back the auctioned national treasures for the country. In addition to his gambling career, this gambling king also has an unknown identity - a patriotic collector. How extravagant is he and what treasures does he have? How did he use his wealth to make outstanding contributions to the cause of cultural relics of the motherland?
1. In addition to the gambling industry, the gambling king has an unknown hobby - collecting art
Stanley Ho grew up in a poor family, with no clothes and no food, and he was able to make a fortune in the casino by overcoming obstacles all the way. After his success, he wanted to remember what happened to him as a young man and the history of casino entrepreneurship, so he developed a seemingly extravagant but extremely unique hobby - collecting art.
When he first got involved in collecting, Stanley Ho didn't have much experience, but with his yearning and dedication to beautiful things, he exchanged some of his favorite traditional handicrafts such as calligraphy and painting, jade carving and so on around the world. He loved the majesty of calligraphy and painting, the agility and elegance of jade carving, and was deeply fascinated by the breadth and profundity of Chinese culture. The longer he collected, the more enthusiastic he became about collecting and researching traditional culture, especially after the acquisition of several national treasures at auction, his love for Chinese cultural relics reached an unparalleled level.
With the huge wealth accumulated in the gambling industry for many years, Stanley Ho has squandered money and traveled all over the world to find the country's important weapon. He bought back a number of precious cultural relics that had been lost overseas at exorbitant prices, so that these national treasures could be reunited with the people of the motherland. At the same time, Ho is good at purchasing masterpieces directly from artists, accumulating the collection one by one, enriching and growing day by day. In this way, countless coveted treasures have been gathered under his name.
With flawless jade, exquisite calligraphy and painting, and brilliant bronze, Stanley Ho's collection touches the essence of Chinese civilization for thousands of years. Among them, there are many very precious and rare top-level cultural relics, which can be called the treasures of the country, and all this is because of Stanley Ho's enthusiasm and persistence, so that behind the identity of the king of the casino is a low-key and high-profile protector collector.
2. The treasures on display in the Grand Lisboa are only a small part of the collection of the gambling king
The Grand Lisboa Hotel & Casino is one of Stanley Ho's most sought-after landmarks, and its splendor and grandeur reflect the hereditary aristocracy of the owner's family. The dancing diamond podium and the giant bronze statue surrounding the central lotus booth all demonstrate the owner's unique taste for aesthetics and love for art.
In front of the Lotus booth, facing the bronze statue of the horse's head in the Old Summer Palace that Stanley Ho personally bought back from an overseas auction. This national treasure was looted out of the palace in 1860 and lived overseas for more than 140 years, until 2007, when Stanley Ho spent 69.1 million Hong Kong dollars to buy it back and donate it to the country free of charge, and the regret of the Old Summer Palace "being in a foreign land" was made up. The bronze statue is majestic and majestic, and the bronze is brilliant, as if telling its vicissitudes of life and rebirth.
On the right side of the booth was another top national treasure that Stanley Ho had bought from overseas – a cushion-shaped diamond known as a "pigeon's egg". Weighing 218.08 carats, this D color flawless diamond is certified as the world's largest cushion-shaped diamond and is invaluable. The diamond sparkles in the light, like a pearl of the day condensed by ice and snow, and the brilliance is dazzling.
On the left are two equally large sapphires, the size of several fists, pure and transparent, so blue that they seem to drip water. Competing with the giant diamonds, the two sapphires are also worth a lot of money, and they are both treasures that Stanley Ho has acquired at overseas auctions.
Indeed, in addition to these priceless treasures, the Grand Lisboa Palace is also home to a myriad of rare works such as calligraphy and paintings, jade carvings, and handicrafts, all of which are the culmination of decades of painstaking collection by Stanley Ho. The jade carving of the peacock next to the pillar of the hall is lifelike, as if it is about to fly high; The cabbage jade carving in the corner of the booth is clear and exquisite, implying that there is more than every year; The sculpture of the golden dragon boat on one side of the hall means prosperity and good luck.
In order to satisfy his unique hobby of collecting, he only selectively placed some of his favorite things in the window of the Grand Lisboa Palace, but the real highlight is far from being exposed. All of this on display at the Grand Lisboa is just the tip of the iceberg of Stanley Ho's private collection.
3. The gambling king donated a number of precious works of art to the country
Despite the luxury of the Grand Lisboa's treasures, Stanley Ho's status as a collector doesn't stop there. As a top billionaire, he not only has the ability to purchase the world's treasures, but also has the mind and vision to selflessly dedicate his beloved treasures to the motherland and the people.
In 1997, as the handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty approached, artists from around the world created masterpieces to commemorate this momentous moment. Stanley Ho was aware of the unique value and commemorative significance of artworks, and made a desperate bet at auction after auction, eventually selling a number of historical masterpieces at high prices.
These include the oil painting "Treaty of Nanjing" created by the famous painter Pang Maokun, the large-scale oil painting "Century Ceremony" by Lu Zhang and other four, and the vivid "Mao Zedong Meets Heath" by Wang Jisong. These magnificent, grandiose, and delicate works vividly reproduce the major historical process of the Chinese nation turning over and becoming the master.
Mr. Stanley Ho's original intention in purchasing these masterpieces is to forever remember the years of Hong Kong's return to the motherland through the form of art, and to permeate the spirit of patriotism and love for Hong Kong in the hearts of every Chinese. Years later, in 2007, Mr. Ho donated all the artworks to the National Museum, making them one of the most precious artifacts in the collection.
In addition to the artworks commemorating Hong Kong's return to the motherland, Mr. Ho also bought back a number of national treasures that had been lost overseas at high prices at overseas auctions. Among them, the most well-known is the bronze statue of the horse's head in the Old Summer Palace, which has been looted for more than 140 years and is much embarrassed.
For Mr. Ho, this lost and regained national artifact symbolizes the humiliating history of Chinese civilization that has been ravaged several times and frantically plundered by colonizers. He generously donated money to buy this cultural relic back to China at a sky-high price of 69.1 million Hong Kong dollars, and donated it to the motherland and the people without reservation, realizing the long-cherished wish of countless people with lofty ideals for a hundred years.
It can be said that a generation of gambling king Stanley Ho is not only the most powerful doer in the history of Macau gaming, but also a collector who loves the country and the people and abides by his duty. He used his private wealth and practical actions to make outstanding contributions to the cause of cultural relics of the motherland, and can be called the patron saint of the country's important weapons. And all this is also an important reason why Stanley Ho can work hard in the casino.
4. The reason behind the collection of gambling kings
Why is Stanley Ho, who is worth hundreds of millions, so keen on collecting art? What are the reasons and motivations behind this?
First of all, the extravagant behavior of the gambling king's collection is undoubtedly a manifestation of his own financial resources. As the protagonist of the story of the transformation from a poor boy to a billionaire, Stanley Ho greedily flaunts his power and wealth all the time. By acquiring the finest art treasures around the world, he showed the world that he was "rich and capricious".
Spending a lot of money to buy national treasure-level cultural relics and display them in the landmark buildings of the casino, this is Stanley Ho's style of showing his worth and establishing his personal influence. Just like in front of the golden lotus booth displayed in the Grand Lisboa, he personally cast a bust that has stood out to the vicissitudes of time. Obviously, the gambling king's elegant taste and arrogant and lascivious side have been vividly reflected through the collection activities.
Secondly, Stanley Ho's collection of art is also a continuation of a family tradition. Tracing his family history, his ancestors were once a famous family in Chaozhou, with a long family history, and he has a unique understanding and hobby of traditional culture and art. After several generations of man-made disasters, the He family's collection was once lost and lost.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that Stanley Ho made up his mind to buy back those lost cultural relics one by one, and regain the attachment and pursuit of his ancestors to culture and art. It is not difficult to explain why he is so paranoid about Chinese cultural relics that have been lost or lost abroad, and even buys them back at a high price. This obsession with "regaining the tradition of family learning" is the intrinsic motivation of Stanley Ho's collection.
Finally, the deeper reason behind the collection is Stanley Ho's unique love for the culture of his motherland. As a generation of gambling kings, he has witnessed the twists and turns of China's semi-colonial and semi-colonial re-emergence in the last century. And it is in the context of such a great era that he has an unparalleled admiration for the ancient and long-standing culture of Chinese civilization.
On the one hand, Stanley Ho purchased countless cultural relics and artworks in order to let the people realize the breadth and profundity of Chinese civilization; On the other hand, he donated his beloved treasures to the motherland and the people free of charge, which also reflected his sincere heart of patriotism and love for the people. Collecting has long been not only a hobby, but has become an important way for Stanley Ho to carry forward Chinese culture and cultivate feelings for his family and country.
5. The epitome of the great achievements of the gambling king
Throughout Stanley Ho's life, he has undoubtedly achieved great success, both in the casino business and in collecting art. He condensed his life ideals and gambling miracles into those precious cultural relics and artworks, and also integrated his love for the culture of the motherland into every carefully purchased treasure.
It can be seen that Stanley Ho's hobby of collecting is actually a vivid epitome and portrayal of his great achievements. Just like the top national treasures he spent a lot of money on - the lost bronze horse head of the Old Summer Palace, the 218-carat giant diamond known as the "pigeon egg", and the two giant sapphires that were so blue that they seemed to drip water.
Behind each collection, Stanley Ho's unique views on culture and art are condensed, reflecting his sincere love for Chinese civilization, and reflecting his self-willedness, arrogance, glory and wealth in life. As a generation of gambling kings, these priceless treasures are not only the best testimony of his power and wealth, but also the ideals he pursued all his life.
Looking back at Stanley Ho's tortuous life journey, the hard work along the way has been perfectly interpreted and sublimated in those collections. From a poor boy with no clothes and no food, to a career in Las Vegas, and now to collecting treasures and spending money, Stanley Ho writes his legendary life bit by bit with his own hands.
It is precisely because of such a bumpy and extraordinary growth experience that Stanley Ho cherishes those artistic treasures that can represent the essence of traditional culture. Whenever he saw the cultural relics that had wandered thousands of miles overseas and withstood the vicissitudes of time, he would always think of the years of poverty and hardship when he was young. And now to be able to buy these treasures back to the garden and place them on the land of the motherland, He sincerely feels extremely relieved and proud.
Therefore, whether it is the priceless treasures on display inside and outside the Grand Lisboa, or the masterpieces that he selflessly donated to the country after spending a lot of money, they are in the final analysis an honest portrayal of Stanley Ho's great achievements. His life can be described as going from darkness to light, and finally realizing the brilliant life of his dreams. And those cultural relics and artworks that he collected with all his might, aren't they witnessing his ups and downs along the way, and recording his legendary journey from humility to glory?