Smoke and Clouds Fade from Sight

The third book in the Museum Treasures Trilogy: Fostering friendship between nations and bringing national treasures home. Traditional culture, art investment, sister auctioneers, calligraphy and painting appraisal, porcelain craftsmanship, ancient book restoration, Shanghai-style qipao, jade and assorted antiques. (1) What does it mean to collect? Su Dongpo once said, “It is like watching clouds drift past, or birds fly by. Should we not welcome them with joy, then let them go without another thought?” Today, collecting has become a new tradition in the inheritance of culture. An outstanding auctioneer is a guardian and inheritor of cultural tradition. But the art market is a turbulent place, where fortunes rise and fall unpredictably. Some fail to tell genuine works from fakes and lose their money; some trust the wrong people and are left with regrets; some go with the flow and waste their lives; some abandon their principles and deceive the public; some languish in obscurity until they are fortunate enough to meet a patron; some value trust above gold and jade; some have a keen eye and gain both fame and fortune; and some remain calm and carefree, letting their gaze roam far and wide... A pair of white jade pendants depicting a dragon and phoenix, and a counterfeiting network, offer a glimpse into desire and reason, deceit and sincerity... The map of human nature is full of cracks, like fractures in light. Everyone has cracks in their nature. That is where the light gets in. (2) In recent years, China's art market has bucked the trend to become the world's second-largest, with its vitality and growth potential attracting global attention. Yet, due to professional prejudice, women auctioneers have only been on the historical stage for some twenty years. See how the sister auctioneers of Yanyun Tower cherish one another and work hand in hand to promote the healthy development of the art market!