Crystal chandeliers, gold-tinted walls and furniture in the grandiose style of French royalty - when photos of the extravagant decor of the mainland's state-owned Harbin Pharmaceutical Group headquarters recently hit the internet, the first reaction was fury over its lavish spending. Then came the art world's mocking laughter over the display of bad taste.
But soon after, dawned awareness of an opportunity.
'If they are reproducing Versailles,' said artist and collector Lo Kai-yin, 'why not get them to buy the real thing?'
As Sotheby's Nicholas Chow points out, the Chinese have been major collectors of important Western pieces in the past, and once again they are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the fine art market.
'The Qianlong emperor in the 18th century embraced Western science, architecture and aesthetics,' said Chow, deputy chairman of auction house Sotheby's Asia and international head of Chinese ceramics and works of art.
'The homes of the wealthy and politically influential Chinese elite of the Republican period almost two centuries later were filled with art deco pieces. Today, luxury developments in all major cities in China often bear the names of major Western mansions and estates. The potential of this new market for Western furniture and aesthetics in China is just waiting to be tapped.'
To many art dealers in the West facing the pessimism of the European and American economies, the lure of China's art market is irresistible.