World's most expensive guqin auctioned for 58 million yuan

09:14, November 18, 2010      
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The Confucius Family Mansion bottomless banana leaf "Yu Shu Tang" guqin. (photo: Xinhua)

The Confucius Family Mansion bottomless banana leaf "Yu Shu Tang" guqin. (photo: Xinhua)
A Confucius Family Mansion bottomless banana leaf "Yu Shu Tang" guqin was auctioned off for as high as 58 million yuan at the Suzhou Wumen Auction Company's 10th Anniversary Antique Night Auction at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15.
The guqin was made at the end of the Ming Dynasty and once belonged to Emperor Qianlong. The 58 million yuan price tag was much higher than the previous record set by the "Moon-Dew Bosom Friend" guqin which was sold for more than 21.8 million yuan in November 2009. It is currently the most expensive guqin in China.
Experts said this "Yu Shu Tang" banana leaf guqin once belonged to the Emperor Qianlong and then was preserved for a long time in the Confucius Family Mansion of Shangdong Province's Qufu City. Its total length is 128 centimeters, its surface is made of fir wood and its bottom is hollow. The guqin is printed with black and red paint.
On its inner belly, two red dragons are inscribed, and between the two dragons the three Chinese characters "Yu Shu Tang" are inscribed. The guqin has reached the highest level in material selection and in workmanship. The Chinese characters "Yu Shu Tang" refers to the ancient architectural complex built in the Ming Dynasty in Shandong Province's Confucius Family Mansion. It was the place where local officials received emperors and imperial envoys.
Professionals believe that the current price of China's ancient guqins is still at a low level. The prices of some modern guqins made by skilled craftsmen have reached hundreds of thousands of yuan, and currently, there are only around 2,500 ancient guqins made before 1949 in the world. Therefore, ancient guqins still have much potential to increase in value.
By People's Daily Online
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