The Odyssey of China's Imperial Art Treasures traces the 3,000 history of the emperor's imperial collection, from the Bronze Age to the present. The tortuous history of these treasures involves a succession of dynasties, invasion and conquest, and civil war, resulting in valiant attempts to rescue and preserve the collection. Throughout history, different Chinese regimes used the imperial collection to bolster their own political legitimacy, domestically and internationally.
The narrative follows the gradual formation of the Peking Palace Museum in 1925, its hasty fragmentation as large parts of the collection were moved perilously over long distances to escape wartime destruction, and finally its formal division into what are today two Palace Museums - one in Beijing, the other in Taipei. Enlivened by the personalities of those who cared for the collection, this textured account of the imperial treasures highlights magnificent artworks and their arduous transit through politics, war, and diplomatic reconciliations.
Over the years, control of the collections has been fiercely contested, from early dynasties through Mongol and Japanese invaders to Nationalist and Communist rivals - a saga that continues today. This first book-length investigation of the imperial collections will be of great interest to China scholars, historians, and Chinese art specialists. Its tales of palace intrigue will fascinate a wide variety of readers.
A large stamp auction is to be held in Hongkong from Jan 30 to 31 , 2010 at the Parklane Hotel in which some 1800 stamps,postcard and covers from mainland China , Hongkong and other Asian countries in the region will go under the hammer , adding a total value to over HK 45 Million
It includes the largest sale of China in years, with not only the great rarities of the Qing Dynasty, but also a special catalogue of the "Treasures of the Cultural Revolution" that includes all Four of the Treasures, the rarest stamps of the People's Republic. This is the first time that all Four Treasures have been offered in the same auction
Further information is available at interasia-auctions Limited ’s website . The following will be some of the exclusive stamps with photo provided by xinhuanet.
