Rare Chinese calligraphy scroll resurfaces after 81 years, sells for US$22.6 million
Por Eve Qiao — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Chinese culture China Rare Chinese calligraphy scroll resurfaces after 81 years, sells for US$22.6 million
‘Priceless classic’ by early Tang dynasty calligrapher Yu Shinan is snapped up at auction in Hong Kong
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Eve Qiao Published: 10:00am, 9 Oct 2026 A rare work of Chinese calligraphy long presumed destroyed in the chaos of 1945 only to resurface 81 years later, fetched HK$177.45 million (US$22.6 million) in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The work called Jishi Tie, or Accumulated Time Letter, by early Tang dynasty (618-907) calligrapher Yu Shinan, went under the hammer at China Guardian Hong Kong’s autumn auction at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
It fetched HK$155 million at the hammer, with the final price including the buyer’s premium reaching HK$177.45 million.
“Today, it is a valuable auction lot, while one day it will be a priceless classic,” Jin Yunchang, a member of the Palace Museum ’s cultural relics acquisition and appraisal committee, said at a symposium on the work in September, according to China Guardian. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
