Top 10 Chinese painting and calligraphy sales at spring auctions

1. God of Cloud and Great Lord of Fate, by Fu Baoshi, 230 million yuan [Photo provided to China Daily]

Top Chinese ink works, especially classical paintings and calligraphy, continue to prop up the country's art market that has been slowing down since 2014. The category continues to perform well at the major spring sales, which just came to an end.

Rare and museum quality calligraphic pieces have garnered a lot of attention at auction and fetched high prices, while huge, signature paintings by master artists remain sought after among buyers.

Super buyers like Shanghai billionaire-cum-collector Liu Yiqian do not hesitate to bid for the top lots. Meanwhile the saleroom draws collectors of other types of art. One collector is media mogul Wang Zhongjun, a regular buyer of modern art who has recently turned his eyes to classical Chinese art.

Here are the top 10 sales of Chinese painting and calligraphy at auction.