CRI听力:Western Classical Furniture Collection

Ms. Bai, a collector in Shanghai, has her home completely furnished with western classical furniture, from sofa to dining table, from cabinet to bed table, some over 100 years old.

"This was a wedding gift that Linke, a very famous European furniture manufacturer in the 19th century, ordered for his daughter. Looking at the furniture, I think you can imagine how he cared about and loved his daughter and how he wished his daughter and son-in-low would be happy in their future life. So it is not just a valuable piece of furniture, it is a piece of art."

Since Bai was introduced to western classical furniture at a furniture exhibition a year ago, she has bought nine sets of furniture at five to six million yuan in total. The investment return is another drive for her to buy western classical furniture.

"One of my best friends is very interested in classical furniture. He bought a pair of European classical cabinets half a year ago with little more than 400,000 yuan. I saw a pair of very similar cabinets days ago at another exhibition, but the price was almost 800,000 yuan. So I think there is considerable investment potential in this market."

The western classical furniture market was very brisk five years ago in the U.S. However, due to the sagging US economy and European debt crisis, the antiquarians have to shift their focus to the Chinese market where there is strong purchasing power.

Here is Kent, a business insider.

"Obviously China is a very interesting place, and people are becoming interested in western furniture. They want to learn more and more about it. I have absolute confidence in the market in China."

Although western classical furniture has been favored by Chinese people for many years, the market in China is still far from being as mature as that of Europe. The biggest challenge for most Chinese buyers is to identify the authenticity of the Western furniture.

Fake western classical furniture is made in China but claims to be imported from abroad. Experts remind buyers that valuable western classical furniture is note necessarily just a high price.

For buyers who want to get furniture that worth colleting or investing, knowledge of western history and western history of art is necessary.

Currently in Europe, a comprehensive pricing scheme of western classical furniture has been formed. However, in China, things are different. Zhu Xuchu, retired curator of Shanghai Museum explains.

"The price of western classical furniture is formed through commercial exploitation in China. Some prices are not what the furniture is really worth. Therefore, buyers must be capable of identifying furniture as authentic."

In Europe, auctions for classical furniture are held almost every day so that these pieces maintain their value and are sold and purchased in the market. But in China, there is less opportunity for collectors to sell their valuables. For example, in 2010, only two western classical furniture auctions were held in China.

Experts remind consumers to be cautious of the risk in western classical furniture collection.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan