The above two objects are rare specimens of Gandhara art presented by China Guardian at their last auctions in May, bringing Buddha sculptures from 1st and 2nd century to Hong Kong. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Sustained relationships

Mainland auction houses do not seem unduly anxious about whether or not they are noticed by the media as they follow a business model that's different from the Western auction houses. Much of their sales are achieved largely on the basis of building a relationship of confidence and trust with the client, sustained over years.

Apart from having good guanxi, or relationship with patrons it helps to cater to an audience that is not necessarily looking to buy big-ticket pieces. "Whereas Christie's and Sotheby's are more focused on just selling the top end of the market, we encourage all kinds of objects to be sold through us," says Wilson.

Although the leading mainland auction houses like China Guardian and Poly now have bases in different parts of the world, they deal primarily in Chinese art, catering mostly to a Chinese audience.

"Typically, our clients are mainland Chinese with domiciles in other places. They buy with the money they earned abroad and keep the pieces outside of the mainland. And Hong Kong of course is a great place to store art. There's no tax to pay and it's easy to transport the pieces from here," says Wilson, referring to the city's obvious advantage in being the world's biggest container port.

Alex Chang, managing director of Poly Auction Hong Kong, too attributes the stellar rise of his company's profile in Hong Kong to the city's strategic location and general openness. Doing business in the city helps him stay connected with his network of buyers in "Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea as well as a growing number of collectors from Europe and the United States". The city's "inclusive culture", Chang points out, is conducive to "healthy interactions between art galleries, art fairs and auction houses which will further expand the market".

The exposure to this confluence of art and ideas from around the world has inspired mainland auction houses to broaden their range. Chang says Poly has been offering "artists from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, in which more and more Chinese and Asian collectors are showing interest". Wilson of China Guardian has plans to introduce mid-20th century Scandinavian furniture created by the Danish designer Hans Wegner who "did a couple of chairs based on Chinese design".