Chapter 83 Auction (Part 3)
Twelve million!
Almost 77 million RMB!
Finally, no one bid anymore... Andrea breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair. She had never participated in an auction where she didn't know the result until the very end. No other auction had ever gathered so many wealthy people from around the world! The assets of the British royal family were not considered top-notch here, and they were not even in the top ten.
"five four three two one!"
The hammer fell, symbolizing that the twelve scales officially belonged to the British royal family. A feeling of ecstasy rose in Andrea's heart. However, in the blink of an eye, she smiled bitterly and shook her head with a mixture of pain and joy.
No matter how wealthy a person is, there is a limit to how much money they can take out. For example, the Queen can only take out about 300 million US dollars. If she wants more, she will have to sell her real estate. Unless it is time to fight to the death, no one wants to touch these things that are at the bottom of the box.
If it were any other auction, 300 million dollars would be enough to buy anything she wanted. But here... she wasn't sure.
However, no one considered Andrea's idea now. After the first two rounds of bombardment, the atmosphere had become completely heated. The auction continued, and no items were unsold. At the 19th lot, the bid price had exceeded 80 million!
That is a tripod.
A tripod engraved with the seven major powers of the Warring States Period and a map of China.
Mountains, rivers, flowers, plants and trees are all exquisite. After more than 2,000 years of time, it has become bright yellow. The tripod is one meter high, square and half a meter wide. The workmanship is so fine that it is comparable to modern mechanical processing.
This was discovered after a comprehensive survey in the square outside the hall where the dragon throne was excavated - the place where Jiang Xian saw the little monkey crane. There were originally 108 of them, in the order of the heavenly and earthly evil spirits. Bright yellow represents the sky, and silvery white represents the earth. However, there were not only 108 of them. In the storage room inside, the exploration team found more abandoned tripods.
This waste is not just incomplete. It just has some flaws compared to the 1808 tripod. For example, the location of the land in the Yan State on this auction tripod is not completely engraved. That is why it appears in the auction , but this does not affect its value at all!
With a bid of 80 million, Mr. Ma from China stood out from the crowd. After five countdowns, the hammer fell, and this "Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period" finally had its own surname.
The assistant has already handled the transaction of 80 million US dollars. However, even Mr. Ma himself did not pay much attention to it... No, perhaps he was delighted. Even though there were 108 other tripods in the Warring States Period, this was the only treasure that was not included in the Chinese Museum. It had different meanings to every Chinese son and daughter, but no one had the time to care about it now.
The whole place fell strangely silent, with eyes blazingly looking towards the main stage. Even the auctioneer fell silent. He nodded slightly towards the sidelines, and the next second, the lights in the place slowly dimmed.
"It's finally here..." Saito Akito breathed a sigh of relief. Just before the lights went out, he took a deep look at the twentieth lot, which was also the climax of the auction - two Changxin Palace lanterns.
Countless eyes turned to the main stage. Just after two seconds of darkness, a dazzling golden light lit up. Then, the magnificent music was like the Yangtze River, bursting its banks, impacting everyone's heart!
That is the famous "Forbidden City of Divine Thought", known as the top piece of music praising Chinese culture.
The sound of the bells and chimes is like the sound of nature, like a river rushing down from the sky, and the pure and holy notes knock open thousands of years of culture. It is as if on the way to pilgrimage, the heaven and earth have opened the silver curtain of snow on the top of the mountain, revealing a new country with red walls and golden tiles, and elegant civil and military styles behind.
At the same time, a 3D projection screen lit up behind the main stage. It was a scene of the Qin and Han Dynasty palaces captured from a documentary. From large to small, from surface to point, the scene kept moving forward, the perspective passed over the dark city wall, entered the solemn square, and then stepped into the magnificent palace. Finally, it landed on the Changxin Palace lanterns that were everywhere in the palace.
At this moment, the music has become soft and mellow, like a flowing spring. At this moment, all the palace lanterns light up at the same time, and flames rise slowly, as if bringing everyone into the Afang Palace of the Qin Dynasty, which was at its peak thousands of years ago.
"The exact age of the Changxin Palace Lantern is no longer reliable. It was first discovered in the Han Dynasty. From the Records of the Grand Historian, Han Dynasty murals, and palace records, we know that it was used in the Qin Dynasty. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and the Changxin Palace Lantern can be said to have witnessed the rise and fall of the two dynasties. It is a rare treasure among Chinese antiques."
"Among the Changxin Palace lanterns of all dynasties in China, only these two are up for auction. From now on, there will be no more Changxin Palace lanterns up for auction. The 1,000 Changxin Palace lanterns unearthed this time will all go to the National Museum."
Jiang Xian paused. "Its history is very long, and can be verified from various Chinese documents. Even during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, some traces of it can be seen. What's even more valuable about the two Changxin Palace lanterns being auctioned is that... their lamp oil can still burn!"
"It is recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian that mermaid fat can be used as candles and will not burn out for a long time. This is the lamp oil recorded here. Its composition has not yet been fully analyzed, but after inhaling a large amount of air, it will... automatically ignite. This lamp oil is currently in the Changxin Palace lantern. According to calculations, it can still burn for a whole month."
He nodded to the auctioneer, who also became excited: "Now, we will auction the Changxin Palace Lantern, which is unique in the world, including the candle. It has remained intact since it was unearthed! Only the wick has been taken out! Starting price: five million! One hundred thousand plus! Now... the auction begins!"
The moment the voice fell, the whole place was silent, and no one held up a sign.
Everyone is observing that this thing is second only to the Terracotta Warriors! Its name is also well-known internationally! Even across the sea. In games in Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, as long as there are Chinese elements, as long as there are Qin and Han elements, Changxin Palace Lantern is indispensable.
It is a microcosm of Chinese culture and a witness to hundreds of years of history.
It represents the cultural symbols of China and is a unique medal.
The auctioneer was not in a hurry, as he knew very well that such an item would never fail to sell. In fact, the auction of the two Changxin Palace lanterns was also very controversial.
Ten seconds... twenty seconds... twenty seconds later, Saito Akito smiled and said, "Since everyone is so reserved, why not let me take the lead."
He raised his chin to his assistant without hesitation, and the other party slowly raised the sign. At this moment, all the lights were on. When the auctioneer saw the number on the sign, his pupils shrank sharply, and the other rich people couldn't help but take a deep breath.
One hundred million.
One hundred million US dollars!
What does this mean? The top of the foreign art auction is a painting worth 170 million. But... that was added up little by little. The starting price was only 20 or 30 million. However... the Changxin Palace Lantern bid was 100 million!
This is the charm of culture and the added value brought by the long history! As one of the only four ancient civilizations that has not broken its inheritance, and a witness of two dynasties, it has this face!
Want to choke you?
Mrs. Li glanced at Saito Akito, and Shenzhou was right. Japan and South Korea were indeed the top buyers of Chinese antiques. Even though South Korea always said this was South Korea's and that was South Korea's, once it came to the auction of antiques, their bodies were far more honest than their mouths. They knew too well what was a truly good thing.
Choking won’t work... Mrs. Li nodded to the assistant next to her, who immediately raised a sign: One hundred and ten million!
Who would add one hundred thousand to your money?
If you want to play, play big!
Samsung Lee must get this thing!
It was like two bombs going off, causing ripples in an instant. Before the Li family woman put down her sign, and before the auctioneer could speak, a Middle Eastern man in a white robe raised his sign: 150 million!
Compare money?
Hehehe... We may not have many skyscrapers in the Middle East, but we have no shortage of money.
Yes... I have only heard of the Changxin Palace Lantern, so I may not know how precious it is as well as you do, but... a 2,400-year-old antique that is still intact must be worth at least 200 or 300 million! 150 million... is just the beginning.
The price increase was too fast and too exaggerated . At the same time, several signs were raised.
Representative of the Yechulov family, a Russian resource tycoon: One hundred and seventy million!
Andrea personally raised the sign: One hundred and eighty million!
Twenty seconds into the show, it surpassed the highest peak in the history of art auctions! It also surpassed the prices of most antiques! It jumped directly to the top!
The auctioneer's body was shaking a little, and he felt like he lost his voice for a moment. Although this was expected, when it actually happened, it was so adrenaline-pumping!
But this is not enough!
The most expensive item in the world is in China.
In 2015, a work by French painter Paul Gauguin, "When Will You Get Married", was sold for a whopping 2 billion RMB! It is known as the most expensive auction item in history! He doesn't believe that the Changxin Palace Lantern can't break this record! And this is the most prominent scene in his auction resume!
"One hundred and eighty million! One hundred million...two hundred million! Two hundred million US dollars! Mr. Zhong from China offered two hundred million! And...two hundred and ten million! Two hundred and twenty million...two hundred and thirty million!!"
Almost no consideration.
After their prices were surpassed, the wealthy people immediately asked people to write down new prices! On the LED screens on both sides of the auction house, the numbers were jumping wildly. In a blink of an eye, it had reached 270 million!
Two hundred and seventy million... getting closer and closer to surpassing When Will You Get Married! The auctioneer's voice was a little hoarse, and he shouted excitedly: "Two hundred and seventy million! Is there any more? Ladies and gentlemen! This is a treasure from 2,400 years ago! It is unique in the world! Just think about it, more than 2,400 years ago, there was no such exquisite and complete work in the world! This is a rare work of art in human history!"
Before he finished speaking, a sign was raised.
Three hundred million!
Ms. Wang from Huaguo Tianrun Group.
This is the real throat-locking!
