936-Year-Old Song Dynasty Letter Sold for USD31 Million

A Chinese letter dating back nearly 1,000 years was purchased for RMB207 million (USD31.7 million) at an auction in Beijing on Sunday, the South China Morning Post reports. The relic was bought by billionaire Wang Zhongjun, chairman of Huayi Brothers Media. 

The letter previously went for RMB109 million at an auction seven years ago. The 124-character letter is believed to be the only existing work by renowned Song dynasty scholar and government official Zeng Gong. He composed the letter, which is called Jushi Tie (a letter on happenings) in 1080, 936 years ago.

Zeng has long been known for his impeccable penmanship and was widely regarded as one of the greatest Prose Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties. According to scholars of the archaic form of Chinese in which the letter is written, Zeng is addressing a friend and thanking him for his support during his time as a government official.  

This isn’t the first time Wang has invested a chunk of his fortune in art. He has a sizeable art collection consisting of works by many of the greats, such as Monet, Picasso and Renoir. It is reported that Wang has spent over RMB770 million on art during the past two years. He purchased Pablo Picasso’s Femme au Chignon Dans un Fauteuil (Woman with a hairbun on a sofa) for USD29.9 million last year and Vincent Van Gogh’s Still Life: Vase with Daisies and Poppies for USD61.8 million in 2014, the article states.

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