Why are China's museums closing and being gutted of their art?
Illustration by Sam Ward
Liu Yiqian, the Chinese billionaire, swiped his American Express Centurion card 24 times.
Surrounded by the Chinese art world’s most elite collectors, Liu charged $36 million on his credit card to purchase “the holy grail” of Chinese art: a tea cup from the Ming dynasty. The cup, which is more than 500 years old, is only 8 centimeters in diameter and adorned with chickens pecking at their feed.
The Meiyintang ‘Chicken Cup’. Credit: Sotheby's
It was the summer of 2014, and Liu,
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