Thieves taking treasured Chinese porcelain out of China have been a huge problem for years. But there is one name that is particularly infamous in the minds of most Chinese.
For this story, this man's name is Michael Hatcher (pseudonym), who is said to have stolen tons of Jingdezhen porcelain items and sold them for an enormous profit. What's even more appalling, he is accused of having destroyed hundreds of antique porcelain pieces to increase his earnings.
He is the one who salvaged the sunken ship Tek Sing, dubbed the Titanic of the Orient, in the South China Sea in 1999.
The perilous sea is a veritable treasure chest. In ancient times, it was packed with ships carrying beautiful porcelain to the west where demand was skyrocketing. But many ships ended up on the bottom of the sea, including the Tek Sing, which sank on January 14, 1822.
When the Tek Sing crashed, literally thousands of pieces of porcelain were lost to the world. They all came from Jingdezhen, which is still considered the porcelain capital of the world. Since they were bound for European markets, only the finest pieces were on board.
Over a hundred years later, Hatcher discovered the place where the Tek Sing sank. Even he, an experiences salvager, was shocked by the sheer number of porcelain pieces. It is said that all of the pieces piled on top of each other made a small mountain in the sea!
Most of the pieces survived the impact when Tek Sing hit the sea floor and were still in good condition. But Hatcher allegedly ordered his men to smash most of them into pieces, knowing that he could only make profit by hiking the prices. Only the best of the best were left and secretly moved to a ship where they sat for over a year. Thus, by UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, he could now claim the ownership of the salvaged porcelain.
Because of this, some say he stole from the Chinese people! He earned over 30 million US dollars from the salvaged porcelain.
But some people have a little payback, because after it was sold, the porcelain increased in value by as much as 15 times!
For this story, this man's name is Michael Hatcher (pseudonym), who is said to have stolen tons of Jingdezhen porcelain items and sold them for an enormous profit. What's even more appalling, he is accused of having destroyed hundreds of antique porcelain pieces to increase his earnings.
He is the one who salvaged the sunken ship Tek Sing, dubbed the Titanic of the Orient, in the South China Sea in 1999.
The perilous sea is a veritable treasure chest. In ancient times, it was packed with ships carrying beautiful porcelain to the west where demand was skyrocketing. But many ships ended up on the bottom of the sea, including the Tek Sing, which sank on January 14, 1822.
When the Tek Sing crashed, literally thousands of pieces of porcelain were lost to the world. They all came from Jingdezhen, which is still considered the porcelain capital of the world. Since they were bound for European markets, only the finest pieces were on board.
Over a hundred years later, Hatcher discovered the place where the Tek Sing sank. Even he, an experiences salvager, was shocked by the sheer number of porcelain pieces. It is said that all of the pieces piled on top of each other made a small mountain in the sea!
Most of the pieces survived the impact when Tek Sing hit the sea floor and were still in good condition. But Hatcher allegedly ordered his men to smash most of them into pieces, knowing that he could only make profit by hiking the prices. Only the best of the best were left and secretly moved to a ship where they sat for over a year. Thus, by UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, he could now claim the ownership of the salvaged porcelain.
Because of this, some say he stole from the Chinese people! He earned over 30 million US dollars from the salvaged porcelain.
But some people have a little payback, because after it was sold, the porcelain increased in value by as much as 15 times!
About the Author:
Author D. Cheng has written about Chinese culture, calligraphy, and arts & crafts such as Porcelain tea set for ages. From time to time, he endorses skilled Chinese craftsmen. Look at some beautiful China tea set.
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