天價中國聖盃 雞缸杯2.8億創紀錄

The auction room -- standing room only -- broke into applause when the hammer finally went down. On sale was a tiny, white cup decorated with chickens, and the buyer was a prolific Art collector from Shanghai, Liu Yiqian.
當拍賣槌最終落下時，站滿人的拍賣室裏爆發出了熱烈的掌聲。來自中國上海的收藏家劉益謙家中已有不少收藏，他拍下了這隻繪有小雞圖案的白色小杯。

At a price of HK$281.24 million ($36.05 million), it was a record sale for auction house Sotheby's -- the highest price reached for a Chinese porcelain artifact. The previous record, HK$252.6 million ($32.4 million), was reached in 2010 for a Qianlong period vase, also at a Sotheby's sale.
這隻杯子最終以2.8124億港幣（約合3605萬美元）在蘇富比拍賣行成交，打破了中國瓷器的拍賣紀錄。此前的拍賣紀錄也誕生於蘇富比拍賣行——2010年，乾隆時期的一個花瓶拍出了2.526億港幣（約合3240萬美元）的高價。

The 500-plus-year old Meiyintang Chenghua "Chicken Cup," is one of a reported 17 existing worldwide, most of which reside in museums, with a small number -- like Liu's new acquisition -- in private hands. It is so-called because of the decoration painted on its surface, showing two roosters, and a chicken tending her chicks.
這隻玫茵堂成化年間的“雞缸杯”有500多年的歷史，據報道世界上現存的雞缸杯僅剩17只，其中大多數存放在博物館，小部分爲私人所有，如劉益謙新得來的這隻。得名“雞缸杯”是因它杯壁上繪有公雞偕母雞和雛雞的圖案。

"About a hundred years after they were made, in the late Ming dynasty, they were already highly sought after by emperors," Nicolas Chow, deputy chairman of Sotheby's Asia and international head of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, tells CNN.
蘇富比拍賣行亞洲副主席及中國瓷器及工藝品部國際主管仇國仕告訴CNN，“在晚明時期，也就是它們被燒製出來約100年後，皇帝就以高價求購它們。”

"By the late 17th century they were considered the most expensive objects money could buy."
“到了17世紀後期，它們已經成爲人們能買到最貴的收藏品了。”

Liu will house the incredibly rare item, known in collectors' circles as the "holy grail" of Chinese ceramics, in his private Long Museum in Shanghai.
這隻杯子在收藏者中有中國陶瓷“聖盃”的美譽，劉益謙將會把這件稀世珍品收藏在自己位於上海的龍美術館中。

Liu is one of China's ultra-wealthy with an estimated net worth of $900 million, a former taxi driver who made his fortune in finance. He has said he "doesn't care" about the price of the cup.
劉益謙是中國的鉅富之一，淨資產約有9億美元。他曾經是一名出租車司機，但後來投身金融業致富。他曾表示自己“不在乎”這隻杯子的價錢是多少。

Growing economic power from China, especially from super-rich Chinese collectors like Liu has contributed to Hong Kong's transformation into one of the world's auction hubs, and inflated prices around the globe.
中國不斷成長的經濟實力，特別是像劉益謙這樣的中國鉅富收藏家幫助香港成爲了世界拍賣中心之一，同時也推動世界拍賣價格一路水漲船高。