An ancient traditional Chinese seven-string musical instrument, the Guqin, has set a new world record at a musical instrument auction, selling for 136 million yuan (US$20 million) in Beijing on December 7.
The ancient Guqin was made for Chinese emperor Song Huizong during the Song Dynasty in 1120. It was treasured by the royal family and the Qing Dynasty emperor Qianlong, who he had his seal engraved on it in 1742.
However, the Guqin was taken from the Yuanmingyuan, the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, when it was pillaged by a joint British and French military expedition in 1860. It was recovered at the beginning of the 20th century and preserved by a Chinese musician in Shanghai. Finally, an anonymous buyer purchased it.
A box of 28 premium Esashi apples was recently sold for a record one million yen (US$12,000) in Iwate, Japan. Esashi is a place known for its high quality agricultural products, especially its rice and apples.
The Norwegian Seafood Export Council set a new world record last week at China’s Shanghai Expo in celebration of the arrival of Norwegian Salmon No. 10,000,000 to China.
The record-setting sushi mosaic featured 8,374 pieces of sushi made from different types of Norwegian seafood, primarily salmon, but also cod, mackerel and prawns.
The mosaic covered 20.13 square metres, used 120 kilos of rice and 65 kilos of Norwegian Salmon, and took 6 hours and 15 minutes to complete.
1940 bikini clad ladies gathered in Guangzhou, China, on May 9 to set a new world record for “the highest number of women attending a swimsuit photoshoot.”
A 6-year-old boy from Shenyang, China, had a total of 31 fingers and toes (one of the fingers is not fully grown, so it looks like 30 instead.) He underwent a surgery to remove the extra digits.
