Ancient treasures: Jade items on display in a shop window at the Metropolitan jewellery and antiques centre in Taipei. — AFP
Tracing a palm-sized jade pig resting on its haunches, an antique trader in Taiwan said the ears on the nearly 400-year-old piece are a marker of its authenticity.
“The folds in the pig’s ears show the handiwork, the ancient handicraft” of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), said the 60-year-old trader, who would only provide his last name as Lee.
“It takes very careful carving. If it were duplicates, they wouldn’t make it that delicate and detailed.”
Lee’s shop in Taipei’s Da’an district holds ancient treasures worth more than a condominium located in the same neighbourhood.
The value of his merchandise represents just a fraction of an industry that the island’s jade association says brought in nearly US$16mil (RM74.3mil) annually in recorded pre-pandemic antique jade sales.
But dealers warn the sector is flagging post-Covid.
With the global economy in tatters, buyers are more cautious about taking a chance on expensive items, especially with the market awash with counterfeits.
Relations have plummeted since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen was elected in 2016.
“About seven to 12 years ago, it was very good times for people in Taiwan who are in the antiques or jade trade,” said Liu San-bian, who runs a store in Metropolitan Jewelry and Antiques Emporium, a treasure trove of ateliers.
“It declined when cross-strait politics slowly affected travel between both sides,” he said, summing up the dilemma in four Chinese characters meaning: “Hard to buy, hard to sell.”— AFP
