Ushering in its first auction of the year, the Beijing Council International Auction Company is presenting more than 1,700 ancient and contemporary Chinese painting and calligraphy works on Monday and Tuesday.

With many of those artworks pitched at affordable prices ranging from 10,000 yuan ($1,600) to 100,000 yuan, the auction preview at the Jianguo Garden Hotel over the weekend attracted a number of art fans to take a look for potential additions to their collection.

Presenting more than 40 works, the section auctioning contemporary Chinese painting and calligraphy works has traditionally been the most eye-catching part of Council's annual auction as tends to gather works from famous artists such as Pan Tianshou, Xie Zhiliu and Qi Baishi.

In addition, this year's auction will also include a special auction featuring personal letters from famous historian and scholar Hu Shi (1891-1962), a majority of which stem from the time Hu was China's ambassador to the US (1938-1941).

Another spotlight will be letters and paintings from the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), which will go under the hammer to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the war's end.

Not counted among the auction houses specializing in items from this period, Council's move may indicate a rising interest in this period by domestic auction companies.

Global Times