The specialists guide to Chinese antiques.

I am always a fan of people who dig into a subject, taking the time to take photos, make illustrations and simply dig in to the nitty-gritty details. People often forget that it takes time to take the time to share their own thoughts and insights on topics they are passionate about. So I was [...]

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During a recent buying excursion, I stumbled across these beautiful lacquered / painted armoires, from Shanxi province in Northern China.  While not nearly as prized by Chinese buyers, who often prefer hardwoods like Hua li or Hong mu, the status of Shanxi painted furniture has nevertheless risen significantly over the years for its beauty and [...]

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When a Chinese traditional homes is demolished  to make way for the new, elements like antique window screens, carved panels & screens and other architectural elements are typically salvaged to be reborn as decorative items in modern homes. Thinking about adding such a piece of history to your collection?  Here’s a quick [...]

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No wonder customs is so difficult when it comes to exporting antique stone these days…..

The return of a smuggled Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – 907) sarcophagus from the United States to China may serve as a good example for international collaboration to curb the rampant pillaging and smuggling of treasures, researchers have [...]

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Somehow I missed this one (which dates all the way back to 2007).  While I have to admit its a bit cynical to say it, I find this absolutely hilarious (on so many levels, I can’t even begin to touch on all of them).  From rampant piracy in China, to its historical context concerning fakes [...]

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18th-Century Qianlong Jade Collection from Qing Dynasty
Appraised Value:
$710,000 – $1,070,000
Watch the appraisal video here on the Antiques Roadshow website. Or even better, watch this interview with the owner in North Carolina.

GUEST: My father was in China two different times– I think in the late ’30s and sometime during the ’40s, with the Army, and he [...]

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“I have a lot of people approach me with inquires about selling porcelain collections they have either inherited or amassed over the years. I am guessing this might be one of the reasons why:”

THE OWNERS of a Chinese imperial vase which sold for €110,000 at a Co Laois auction on Tuesday – a record-breaking price [...]

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Item: A pair of late 18th to early 19th century Qing period Chinese compound cabinets
Region: Shanxi Province in Northern China
Materials: Nanmu (楠木 – Phoebe) and Chicken Wing wood  (鸡翅木) *
Price: 60,000 to 80,000 Chinese RMB (SOLD) **

Condition: Purchased un-restored. Minimal restoration. New hardware. Carvings likely replaced after being defaced during the cultural revolution.

Related Books:
Chinese Furniture: [...]

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I like to poke around on the discussion boards located here and here on the Asian Art Forum website  where there are very lively discussions on a range of topics from jade, to porcelain to even furniture. Great place to learn! Which is why I thought this recent thread on Ming cloisonne was worth [...]

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Note: All images are clickable.
During our treks and travels, we come across all sorts of rare, unusual and interesting things. Like this 300 year old temple table we stumbled across this past summer. Or this Chinese ancestor painting which eventually wound up permanently wall-mounted in a friends living room. But this cache of Han Dynasty earthenware, [...]

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People frequently ask me for recommendation on good books to learn about Chinese and Tibetan Antiques. Here are a few from my own collection along with some additional suggestions.

Tibetan Furniture by Chris Buckley
Despite the author being a good friend of mine, and despite the fact that there really doesn’t seem to be too many good [...]

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This enormous solid wood console (over two meters) which probably dates back to the Ming Dynasty, originally made its home in a temple in Shanxi province before being stumbled upon by us in the far off, dusty dirty corners of the antiques trade. Known in Chinese as a “Gong An,” or roughly a”temple table” the [...]

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Li Songtang at his museum in Beijing, where he displays relics saved from demolition sites in the rapidly modernizing city.

Doug Kanter for The New York Times
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Below is very short but useful post reprinted from Wikipedia time-lining the various Chinese Dynasties (Click on H for the history of the dynasty, and E for a table of its emperors (or other rulers).

Related Books:
A Brief History of Chinese Civilization
The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture (Buddhisms: A Princeton University Press Series)
- You [...]

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Over the years, having spent a fair amount of time in and out of Hong Kong, it suddenly dawned on me that (up until now), this famous Hong Kong antiques street in Central, has yet to be mentioned here. Adding insult to injury, is that fact that for many years, upon my arrival in Hong [...]

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