The 436.8 million yuan auctioneer

For Lan Chen, it was a moment he would never forget. It happened at 10:49 pm on June 3. The 30-year-old auctioneer from Beijing Poly Auction Company had just sold an 8.24-m-long calligraphy by Huang Tingjian, a prestigious poet and artist in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), for 436.8 million yuan (about $64 million), setting a new world record in Chinese art auction history. The sale made headlines worldwide. Lan recently sat down with METRO to share the moments before he stepped onto the podium and how it felt to auction off the most expensive Chinese artwork ever.