Christie's in China

Sign of the times: auctioneer Jin Ling does her thing at Christie's first independent auction in mainland China. The auction was held yesterday in Shanghai. Christie's has been operating in mainland China since 2005 by authorising a Chinese auction firm to use its trademark. You might think Christie's is as British as fish and chips, but it is owned by French billionaire Francois Pinault. Remember the fracas in 2009 when two bronze animal heads looted from Beijing's Old Summer Palace in 1860 were put up for auction in Paris? They were previously owned by the late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Pinault acquired the two bronzes and handed them back to China in June this year (CLICK). Shrewd move.