Rene's antique roadshow

Rene Schmitt's office is like a small antique museum. On the wall behind his desk is a map of Beijing 250 years ago, a newspaper published in the same period (1860), a picture of a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperor, plus a drawing of Hong Kong harbor in the early 20th century.

Opposite his desk is a display of Ming and Qing dynasty (1368-1911) Buddha statues, and a Qing Dynasty official's hat. On a bookshelf at one side of his small office are more than 200 century-old postcards he collected from Beijing and Qingdao, acquired overseas. Another unique collection features the tops of Qing Dynasty official hats, some made of bronze, some of jade, and some of red coral.

These are just a few examples from the antique collection of the president of the Kempinski S. A. China and managing director of Key International Hotels Management Co Ltd. Now 66, he did not arrive in Beijing until 1993, when he was 50, and he has spent the last 14 years here.