China auction house marks 20 years of trading

One of China's oldest auction houses, China Guardian, has marked its 20th anniversary with a large-scale exhibition in Beijing. From items with record-high sales, to the recently re-conjoined piece of calligraphy "Chu Shi Song", the exhibition traces the past and present of China's art auction.

From antiques to contemporary art, the China Guardian auction house has been putting lots under the hammer for the past 20 years. Now, collectors have returned some of these treasured pieces for a retrospective exhibition.

Behind every one of these artworks is a piece of history. Some with record-high sales that have seen the market thrive and some who have landed in foreign countries or private collectors that have been rediscovered at auctions. Each one has a story to tell.

One of the center pieces here is "Chu Shi Song", a cursive piece of calligraphy from the Sui Dynasty, about 1,400 years ago.

According to Chen Dongsheng, co-founder of China Guardian, the story of the script also reflects what has happened in the bigger picture.

"In the 1900s, the script was split in two sections: one stayed in the Imperial court while the other half, the preface, was lost. Then ten years ago the preface reappeared and was sold here. This year on September 29th, the preface's owner donated it to the National Palace Museum. And we are now able to see the work in its complete state for the first time. In the past we didn't have the resources to protect these relics, but now we do," said Chen Dongshen, co-founder of China Guardian Auction Co.

The exhibition has also gathered items which sold for record prices.

For example, this Famille-Rose vase was sold for over 50 million yuan during the 2006 spring sale, the highest price of any porcelain piece sold at auction in China to date.

The exhibition is a rare insight into the high-end art world for visitors as well as collectors.