The auction of Chinese cultural relics still needs support (and collection)

Starting from the 1992 Beijing International Auctions, Chinese cultural and art works have been auctioned for 20 years. As one of the management personnel of the former cultural relics business, as one of the makers of auction policies for Chinese cultural relics art and one of the witnesses of the rise and development of Chinese art auctions of cultural relics, I deeply feel that the manager has an idea. The creation of a change and a policy is crucial to the development of various undertakings that promote reform and opening up.

When the "92 Beijing International Auction" was held, the laws and regulations of China's Wenzhou Logistics and Logistics Administration still prohibited the purchase and sale of individual cultural relics. However, at the time, all regions had spontaneously formed the open and semi-open antiques market, and cultural relics have risen quietly. At the same time, various economic constructions and cultural relics protection have formed a practical contradiction, and the excavation and smuggling of cultural relics are very rampant. Cultural relics protection is facing enormous challenges. In response to this challenge, there are two concepts. First, we believe that strict enforcement should be implemented to eradicate the old-fashioned goods market and crack down on unauthorized purchases and sales of cultural relics. Another view is that we should face up to the existing private collections market while fighting against extortion and smuggling. The transformation of the underground market into an open and orderly market will not only satisfy the needs of the masses for exchanges of exchanges, but also be conducive to the supervision and management of the circulation of articles. This is the background of the auction of cultural relics held in Beijing at that time. Since it was the first time that the auction was held, there were always unsatisfactory places. Therefore, the opposition to the auction of cultural relics rebounded violently and it was necessary to suspend the examination and approval of cultural relic auctions.

The trend is irresistible. In 1993, Shanghai Duo Yunxuan held an auction of Chinese calligraphy and painting in Shanghai after cooperating with a Hong Kong company for auction. Mr. Xie Zhiliu started the auction. Shanghai people pay attention to benefits and they do not vigorously promote it. In the same year, the establishment of the joint-stock China Guardian International Auction Co., Ltd. not only established a new company model, but also importantly propagated the significance of the circulation of cultural relics. Almost all of the top cultural relic experts have become Guardian's appraisal consultants, and some cultural relics business units give them strong support. In the spring of 1994, the first auction held by Guardian affected a wide range of possibilities. Subsequently, auction organizations such as Beijing Hanhai, Rongbaozhai, Pacific, and China Shengjia have been established. Auctions have become an industry. The management methods for one thing and one office have not met the requirements of the situation. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage decided to explore the industrial management measures for auctions of cultural relics. In 1995, it determined six auction houses nationwide as pilot units for the direct auction of cultural relics auctions. This has accumulated experience for the formation of auction management methods for cultural relics in the future, the formulation of auction laws, and the revision of cultural relics protection laws, laying a good foundation.

In the process of the rise and development of heritage auctions, there was a problem that plagued auction companies. Due to historical reasons, Chinese artifacts have continued to flow overseas for over a hundred years. The cultural relics currently existing in the community cannot meet the needs of domestic collections, and auction companies must go overseas to collect the lots. And these auctions collected from overseas are limited by the current customs laws. In order to encourage the return of Chinese cultural relics that have lost overseas, in order to meet people’s growing needs for collections, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the General Administration of Customs, in a spirit of seeking truth from facts, have borrowed from the principle of benefiting career development and borrowed from the Customs The terms of articles for personal use were used to formulate and implement measures for the management of the repatriation of cultural relics. This method is called re-entry. It is actually within the existing legal framework to find ways to encourage the return of cultural relics to the territory, circulation and preservation in the territory. At this point, the General Administration of Customs has made great contributions.

In 2002, the "Cultural Relics Protection Act" was revised and the cultural relics market was written into the country for the first time. This is a huge breakthrough in the cultural heritage. Since then, within the scope of the law, Wen Logistics has become a part of cultural heritage protection and auctions have become an important form of cultural relics transactions.

Looking back on these years, the resolution of every issue in the development of art auctions for cultural objects has undergone heated debates and discussions. There is no need to break the old rules, no need to seek truth from facts, and no sense of morality is needed to develop a business. No need for wisdom and courage. Under the current social conditions in China, the progress of each undertaking cannot be separated from the managers' understanding, coordination and support.

China's auction of cultural relics has become the most compelling market in the world. This was unthinkable 20 years ago. However, like other industries, after experiencing rapid and explosive development, health, prosperity, and stability have become the goals and challenges of the art auction industry, and this challenge is more international and long-term than it was 20 years ago. . It is hoped that cultural relics auction companies will consciously see themselves as the protectors of cultural relics; hope that the competent authorities of the art auction of cultural relics, especially the cultural relics and customs departments, will promote the spirit of seeking truth from facts in support of cultural relics auctions and continue the new phase of the auction of art auctions for cultural relics. Development is devoted to enthusiasm and care to create conditions for enhancing its competitiveness in the international context. This is not only the needs of this industry, but also the needs of our country's cultural development and prosperity!