| Summary |
"With the economy of China booming rapidly, the price of Chinese antiques continually escalates. But buyers have to be wary. There are many forgers at work, so it is hard to tell what's real and what's fake. John Mucha, an American who has lived in China for 10 years, is interested in buying antiques from the open market of Beijing. Having been tricked several times before, he decides to go and explore the antique forgery business in China. Mao Xiaohu, John's friend, used to fake antiques which fooled even the curators from Palace Museum. He is now a well-known appraiser and takes John on a journey to uncover China's top forgers and their secrets. Zhang Daqian is one of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters. He has been called China's Picasso. But he was also one of the most successful forgers of all time. Many major museums in the world house Zhang's fakes. In a tiny factory in Henan province, one forger makes figurines that have fooled the experts from the National Museum. He developed his own skill of aging pieces to make them look hundreds of years old. Another forger from Henan has already overcome one of the most recognised and sophisticated tests for antique authentication. As the science and technology for detecting fakes develops, so have the skills of the forgers. Now they are very science-conscious. Sometimes the destination of these fakes is the auction houses of Hong Kong. The price for antiques is going up every year; recently, the price of a Qing dynasty vase broke a world record at Sotheby's. " -- National Geographic website |
| Notes |
Available as videocassette (VHS) or DVD. Duration: 60 minutes |
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Off-air recording of The National Geographic Channel broadcast August 25, 2005. Copied under Part VA of the Copyright Act |
| Credits |
Director: Christine J. Song ; Producer: Xu Jianing ; Writers: Steven Seidenberg, Laura Hutchison |
| Performer |
Narrator: John Mucha |
| Notes |
No rating given |
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Available for Deakin University staff and students only |
| Subject |
Art -- Forgeries
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| Author |
Song, Christine J
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Mucha, John
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Seidenberg, Steven
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Hutchison, Laura
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Xu, Jianing
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National Geographic Channel (Television station)
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