The 18th century piece - branded "one of the most important Chinese vases to be offered this century" - was found at a house in Ruislip, Northwest London, which was cleared by siblings after their parents died. And it was bought by a person for the equivalent of $85.6 million last week, the highest price ever at an auction。
While many speculated that the unidentified buyer is probably Chinese, as has been the case at recent auctions, a Financial Times reporter, Alexandra Stevenson, concluded that this trend is a new wave of "patriotism" from Chinese businessmen and government-backed cultural representatives keen on getting back national treasures。
This "patriotism" has pushed the price of these treasures to record levels. Emperor Qianlong's vase that sold in Britain had a price more than 40 times higher than the initial estimate。
Just a month ago, Chinese buyers in Hong Kong snapped up a similar vase for $18 million and another for a record $32 million。
In some experts' eyes, the bronze animal head stolen by British and French troops more than a century ago were not highly appraised. Yet they sold for hundreds of millions of yuan。
The drive to get back China's lost treasures at all costs is not really a wise move. It has actually given the former colonists a chance to loot China again, this time in the form of cash. The purchase has also in a sense, justified the looting as legal, which will make future efforts to retrieve the treasures even more difficult。
Some of these treasures were bought for investment instead of patriotism. But the insane bidding in overseas auction houses has brought the cost of Chinese relics to ridiculous levels. This will boost already rampant tomb-raiding and smuggling in China。
According to UNESCO's statistics, there are more than 1.67 million Chinese antiques in about 200 museums in 47 countries, and tens of millions of items lost in private hands all over the world. No matter how hard China tries, it is impossible to buy back every treasure。