Mainland Chinese stamp collector says HK$4 billion in valuables, including Mao Zedong calligraphy, stolen from Hong Kong flat
- Two-metre tall calligraphy piece by former Chinese leader said to be worth HK$2 billion, though value of stolen items has yet to be officially confirmed
- Collector Fu Chunxiao is a member of the Hong Kong Philatelic Society and once hosted an exhibition of rare stamps in city
Hong Kong police are hunting three men who targeted a well-known collector of antique stamps and revolutionary art, taking what he said was an estimated HK$4 billion (US$516 million) worth of valuables during a raid on his Kowloon flat, a loss that would mark the biggest burglary in city history if confirmed.
Collector Fu Chunxiao, who spoke to the Post from his home in mainland China on Wednesday, expressed grief over the loss, calling the stolen items, which included calligraphy by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, “invaluable”.
According to police sources, Fu told investigators that about HK$4 billion in valuables had been taken from his flat on Nathan Road in Yau Ma Tei, after he was informed about the break-in by the force.
Among the pieces said to be taken, the most valuable was a two-metre tall poem in calligraphy by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, believed to have an estimated value of HK$2 billion.
Another stolen item was said to be a Chinese postage stamp with the words: “The whole country is red”. The rare philatelic item was issued in 1968, and one of the nine believed remaining was auctioned off for 13.8 million yuan in 2018, making it among the most expensive stamps in the world at the time.