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Vivienne Chow

A rare  Chinese imperial sword will be among artworks and antiques worth HK$300 million on show next month at a fair organisers hope will stimulate interest in collecting them.
The cloisonne enamel imperial Longquan  sword, made  during the Ming dynasty, is the only known example of its type in the market.
The sword, with a 97cm blade and an engraved handle, is estimated to be worth more than HK$30 million.
Longquan   has a long history of sword-making.  Longquan swords, which were first made in the Tang  dynasty (618-907),  often feature in martial-arts novels and films.
The sword's owner, Milton Man Kin  of M&C Gallery,  said the sword was believed to have been shipped out of China when the country was attacked by a joint Anglo-French expedition during the second opium war (1856-60).
He acquired it from a European collector more than a year ago.
'I was extremely excited when I learned about this sword because imperial swords from the Ming dynasty are rare and the technique of cloisonne enamel was the best during that period,' said Mr Man, who also practises martial arts and sword fighting.
He said that although the sword would be exhibited during the Hong Kong International Arts and Antiques Fair, at which artworks and antiques would be bought and sold, the blade would not be for sale.
'It's important to share collections with people because we need to exchange information,' Mr Man said.
'Collectors have been too conservative and not willing to share knowledge. But we need to change that.'
Fair director Andy Hei  hopes  about 10,000 people will visit the fair, which will be open to the public free of charge.
The fair will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre between October 4 and 7.



Sword exhibitor hopes more get the point of collecting antiques