In most family households the husband hands over his money to his wife to run the house and family. But in ancient China some guy decided to hide his money where his wife would never think to look.
600 years later his hidden money has been found, found in the crevice of an antique carved wooden head. The head was on view at an auction in China when an unsuspecting potential buyer notice something silver from a small crevice on the underside of the Ming dynasty head. After further investigation it was discovered that the shiny silver item was in fact a silver bank note worth the equivalent in its day of 28 kilograms of pure silver. The note had been folded into a 2.5cm square and pushed into an old crack on the underside of the head.
Chinese Antique News
Someone Just Got The Buy Of A Lifetime
Hard to judge without holding the piece but if its period then someone just got the buy of their life.
Described as a superb Chinese 18th Century blue and white Tianqiuping porcelain vase. It was sold by Ma San Asian art specialists based in Bath, UK for £20,000
The vase was decorated with the Imperial dragon chasing a pearl and carried the six-character mark of Qianlong, the emperor who ruled China between 1735 and 1796. It was just over 18 inches in height.
It is claimed the vase once belonged too Charles Coull of Dundee. Coull was a promising footballer with Lochee United and East Craigie. Wanting a change in career he found himself in Hong Kong, where he joined the Hong Kong Police.
The vase was presented to Coull by a local shopkeeper for his bravery in preventing a theft from a shop. Coull gave the vase to the chief of police as he felt he could not accept such a gift for doing his duty.
Hospitalised with TB in 1942, he survived the war and afterwards spent time recuperating in Australia. Prior to leaving Hong Kong, the police chief returned the vase. Apparently, Coull was so anxious about its safety he wrapped it in his clothes to protect it until he reached Australia.
He arrived back in the UK in 1946. Sadly, he died from TB the following year.
Jung Chang – Empress Dowager Cixi
One of the best books I have ever read. If your into Chinese history I fully recommend you buy this book it is a real eye opener.
Based on newly available, mostly Chinese, historical documents such as court records, official and private correspondence, diaries and eyewitness accounts, this biography will revolutionize historical thinking about a crucial period in China’s—and the world’s—history.
Born in 1835 into a family of Manchu government officials, she entered the Forbidden City as a concubine to the emperor Xianfeng. Although graded third rank, her standing in court improved in 1856 when she bore a son, a helpful move for a woman in China, even today.
Ru Ware Washer Expected To Smash $36 Million Record
A 900 year old Ru ware washer is coming up for sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong In October and is expected to fetch more than $35 million dollars and break the record for Chinese ceramics which was achieved in 2014 by a Ming Doucai chicken cup bought by renowned collector Liu Yiqian.
Read moreRu Ware Washer Expected To Smash $36 Million Record
Chinese General & Princess Tomb Filled With Figurines
The tomb of a general and his princess wife buried on March 18, in the year 564, has been discovered in China.
Found tomb containing skeletons of General Zhao Xin and Princess Neé Liu.
The princess was the daughter of the Cong Ming King from the Northern Qi Dynasty, which existed for just 27 years and was one of the shortest and mysterious dynasties in Chinese history.
The ancient tomb, which contained the couple’s skeletons, was also filled with figurines.
Apart from the remains of the couple, 80 exquisite coloured figurines have also been found inside their tomb chamber.
A sandstone inscription found in the tomb describes the life of the couple Zhao Xin and his wife, Princess Neé Liu. The inscription says (in translation), “On the 20th day of the second moon of the third year of the Heqing period [a date researchers said corresponds to March 18, 564], they were buried together.”
Zhao was the son of the leader of a local tribe and was born with a general title, according to the inscription, which was written in ancient Chinese.
The man was born with a general title and was promoted three times in his life. When he died at the age of 67, he was the general of a garrison of solders at Huangniu Town, leading some 5,000 soldiers.
The man’s presence could ‘command a hundred cities and scare off 10,000 men’, said the inscription.
As a reward to his loyal service, Zhao was given three more titles after he had passed away, including the Jiabiaoqi Great General and the local executive of Chanshan County.
Of Princess Neé Liu, the inscription says that “by nature, she was modest and humble, and sincerity and filial piety were her roots. Her accommodating nature was clear, her behavior respectful and chaste.”
Read moreChinese General & Princess Tomb Filled With Figurines
Qianlong vase in Derbyshire found & carries a £300,000-500,000 estimate!
The 2ft 2in (66cm) high vase in hexagonal mallet form was consigned by a West Midlands vendor after it had descended through the family.
Managing director Charles Hanson told ATG that it was acquired by the consignor’s great-aunt in Cornwall, who was a dealer and collector, probably in the 1920s or 1930s.
Read moreQianlong vase in Derbyshire found & carries a £300,000-500,000 estimate!
Why the jade can be worth more than gold!
During the Han dynasty, the wealthiest Chinese noblemen were sometimes buried in jade suits made from hundreds of small jade tiles linked together, sometimes with gold thread.
It was a lavish display of status. But it also suggested that jade offered protection from physical decay.