China's major auctioneers, such as Guardian and Huachen will launch their autumn auctions early next month with a total of nearly 10,000 antiques.

Huachen auctioned Emperor Kangxi's seal from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) for 3.9 million yuan (US$469,880) this spring, a record price at a Chinese auction. This time, the company will promote a specific exhibition of Qing Dynasty imperial art, which includes Emperor Qianlong's jade seal and a pillow inscribed with his poem.

Huachen president Gan Xuejun said most antiques for auction were the only copy in the world. Oil paintings or Chinese wash paintings by such top Chinese artists as Xu Beihong, Lu Yanshao, and Qi Baishi retained their good market prospects.

According to him, most antiques now on the local market had been returned from overseas or came from personal collections in China. Chen Zhichao, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said more and better antiques at auctions not only showed the richness of the country's 5,000-year-old culture, but also the sound and healthy development of China's auction business.

China Guardian Auctions Co. Ltd. will auction a piece of the imperial family's furniture in the Qing Dynasty, which is the second largest example of its kind after the one kept in Beijing's Palace Museum.

Experts say personal art collections have become fashionable in China, with the rapid development of the country's economy.

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2002)