The art of buying well lies in tradition

The sudden slump in the Chinese contemporary art scene has many collectors turning to neglected areas like traditional handicrafts, paintings, rare books and manuscripts.

The shows National Stone Carvings and the Zhiweihanshuo Collection - Selected Works of Zisha Teapots in China Guardian's fall auctions were well received by collectors. Sales closed on over 90 percent of the lots, including the top sale of the Peach Pool Shoushan Tianhuang stone seal for 3.136 million yuan ($460,000).

Dong Qichang's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) painting Landscape and Calligraphy topped the sales in the fall auctions - 9.184 million yuan, followed by Zhang Daqian's Watching the Waterfall, for 6.16 million yuan ($902,000).