A total of 169 art treasures of Chinese Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties worth more than HK$150 million (US$19.2 million) were on a three-day public display beginning Tuesday for Friday's auction in Hong Kong.
Kwong Lum, founder of the newly-founded Hong Kong Auctions International (HKAI) Company Limited which will auction the 169 art works for the first time, noted that the most outstanding exhibit is an Imperial Famille-Rose Enamel Vase of the Qing Dynasty with a bid value of HK$10 million (US$1.28 million).
Lum pointed out that "because of its uniqueness, the antique auction market has been performing very well as compared to the stock, securities and property markets which had been badly hit by the Asian Financial Crisis. Antique collection has become a new investment alternative for investors bringing attractive returns."
Lum is a celebrated Chinese-American artist, specialist and connoisseur of traditional Chinese art.
According to Lum, the Committee of Expertise Consultants of HKAI is comprised of world-famous Chinese, European, American specialists and connoisseurs of traditional Chinese art who have been putting great efforts in selecting the exhibit
(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2003)
