After splashing out a world record HK$116.6 million for a Chinese work of art, a mysterious mainland businessman claimed the bronze Buddha was a bargain and he would happily have paid double.
A beaming Cai Mingchao, manager of the Xiamen Harmony Art International Auction Company, outbid fierce competition to secure a rare Sakyamuni Buddha at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong's Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday.
Mr Cai refused to reveal the source of his funds and laughed off suggestions he was a Beijing official in disguise. The short, plainly dressed man from Xiamen claimed there had been no central government involvement in the purchase. All he would say was he was part of a 'group'.
Mr Cai said he wanted as many people as possible in China to see the 72.5cm tall Buddha. 'As long as I am alive I will not sell this and it will not leave Chinese soil again,' he said. 'We will exhibit it in a gallery or maybe a temple in Xiamen in about one year. I am not buying this for myself, I am buying it for everyone.
'It has important religious and cultural significance and we will never sell it to anyone else. This was a very cheap price to pay.'
The previous record for a Chinese work of art - excluding ceramics - was the HK$72 million paid for a giant fanglei ritual wine jar at a Christie's New York auction in March, 2001.
