TV show destroys antiques

The producer of a television game show in which contestants present their family heirlooms or what they think are valuable antiques only to have them smashed by the host if they are proven to be counterfeit has defended the program after some experts claimed that 30 percent of the articles that were destroyed might indeed be treasures. 

Beijing Television's "World Collections" is a high tension game show that gives four or five contestants the opportunity to hear the judgment of a panel of experts regarding the authenticity of an artifact they've collected, which is usually porcelain.

After a panel of celebrities guess whether the article is real, the contestants are given a last chance to back out of the agreement they have made with the show; if the experts say the article is fake, the host destroys the article with a heavy mallet. If the article is deemed genuine, the contestant is provided with an estimate of its value.  

The producers say the purpose of the program is to eliminate counterfeits but admit that destroying the counterfeits helps ratings. 

Yao Zheng, director of Jadeware Collection Committee at the China Association of Antique Collectors, told the Guangming Daily that some experts thought a large number of the articles that were destroyed are in fact genuine antiques.

"I cannot deny that smashing the counterfeits has something to do with ratings, but our program aims to provide professional knowledge to collectors through their discussion and evaluation," said Han Yong, the producer of "World Collections."

"The collections presented in the broadcast are all evaluated prior to programs by at least three experts from national research institutes and auction companies," Han told the Global Times.

The program, which has been on the air for five years, has seen the host destroy 300 counterfeits, or about 40 percent of all the articles brought by contestant. "World Collections" goes to great lengths to evaluate the articles and if the experts don't all agree on their authenticity, it is not accepted, Han added.

"I firmly suggest that audience not take serious this kind of evaluation program," said Wu Shu, a culture expert, who has published numerous papers on Chinese cultural relics.

Wu said that the articles presented on the program are mostly counterfeits. He thinks the program emphasizes the monetary value of the articles and neglects their cultural and historic value.

Han said the program is not a scientific research platform, but is an opportunity to provide knowledge and information to the audience.

"The only way to identify and evaluate antiques is to learn from masters, and compare counterfeit articles with genuine antiques," said Wu.