Antique hotel

Antique market are where traders and collectors put their psychological strength and their antique knowledge to test the annual big antique fair in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province. [Photo by Xiang Mingchao/China Daily]

Given the huge profits at stake, some people have turned－or returned－to the hazardous trade of tomb-raiding, a crime once punishable by death. Today, the toughest punishment is life imprisonment, a change that has been blamed by many archeologists for encouraging up a new wave of tomb-raiding.

At Zhengzhou fair, as with all the other antique fairs, big and small, stuff from the underground surfaces, evidenced by its patina-encrusted surfaces. The sellers dutifully instruct a buyer on how to clean the grit and no one seems to bother with the item's provenance.

Together with things that have been passed down over the generations, they are snatched up by collectors－professional and amateur, and by designers whose introduction of antique pieces into wearable fashion are blamed for further driving up the prices.

However, despite the white heat of China's current antique craze, some observers have already started talking about "a slow-down", and "a possible dip in the market". "It started as early as mid last year," says Zhu. "The impact of the current nationwide anti-corruption campaign is clearly felt by the antique market. In fact, it has broken the market's supply chain that has been in existence for thirty years. And a new one is yet to form ... this year, fewer people are coming to Zhengzhou fair, and most of my stuff was sold to fellow traders who felt obliged to buy one item or two from an old acquaintance."