Abstract
Sotheby's has a US$1.6 million dollar limit per credit card transaction. So it took the Shanghainese billionaire Liu Yiqian twenty-four swipes of his Amex card to purchase one of the most sought-after pieces of Chinese porcelain in the world: a Ming-dynasty teacup decorated with a delicate painting of chickens. While the payment was going through at the auction house in Hong Kong in late July 2014, Liu picked up the US$36 million cup, poured some tea into it and took a sip. The photo of him drinking from the cup ignited a storm of criticism in
China, where he was accused of vanity, vulgarity, risking damage to the cup and ostentation. 'Emperor Qianlong has used it,' he said. 'Now I've used it. I just wanted to see how it felt.'
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Shared Destiny |
| Editors | G R Barme, L Jaivin and J Goldkorn |
| Place of Publication | Canberra, Australia |
| Publisher | ANU Press |
| Pages | 201-203 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781925022933 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |