The Hangzhou Cultural & Creative Expo Successfully Held the Autumn Auction of Ornamental Stones 2014
In October, during the golden autumn season of 2014, the China Hangzhou Cultural and Creative Industries Expo was grandly held at the International Convention and Exhibition Center in Baima Lake Eco-Creative City, Binjiang District, Hangzhou. The expo was organized by the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, Zhejiang University, and the China Academy of Art, with joint sponsorship from more than ten organizations including the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Industries Promotion Association, the Zhejiang Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, and the Xiling Seal Society.
On October 19, the Hangzhou Cultural Property Exchange, the Zhejiang Ornamental Stone Association, and other organizations jointly hosted a unique cultural extravaganza: a special auction featuring ornamental stones, seals, stamps, and jade carvings. The 500-square-meter auditorium at the Baima Lake Convention & Exhibition Center displayed 360 auction items—carefully curated pieces rich in cultural significance, diverse in stone types, fascinating in content, refined in style, and of superior quality. The collection encompassed items ranging from excellent to rare and even exceptional pieces, with values spanning from several thousand yuan to over one million yuan. At 10 a.m., more than a hundred buyers, spectators, and journalists took their seats. After Mr. Zhang Jiafa, a national-level auctioneer from Zhejiang Liutong Auction Co., Ltd., read out the auction rules and procedures, the ornamental stone session officially began. The first lot, “Bloom,” kicked off the auction with a resounding success, fetching 178,000 yuan after two rounds of bidding. Subsequently, amid a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere fostered by the professional auctioneer, bidders enthusiastically competed, with several lots changing hands after over ten rounds of bidding. Stone enthusiast Zhang Yaping, who had previously owned two exquisite scholar’s stones, was delighted to complete his set this time, acquiring a full four-piece natural scholar’s stone set. A remarkably lifelike hamstone sold for 380,000 yuan, becoming a cultural hallmark for a meat-processing enterprise. Under the expertly paced rhythm of auctioneer Zhang Chi, the 95 lots sequentially reached wave after wave of excitement, ultimately resulting in 60 successful sales—a 63% sell-through rate—and a total transaction value of 2.22 million yuan.