Many Chinese people can immediately think of one name when you mention the problem of smugglers taking treasured antique Jingdezhen porcelain out of their country. That's because he led one of the greatest heists ever known.
For this story, this man's name is Michael Hatcher (pseudonym), who is said to have stolen tons of Jingdezhen porcelain items and sold them for an enormous profit. What's even more appalling, he is accused of having destroyed hundreds of antique porcelain pieces to increase his earnings.
One ship called the Tek Sing or the "Titanic of the Orient" was recovered by Hatcher in 1999 in the South China Sea.
The perilous sea is a veritable treasure chest. In ancient times, it was packed with ships carrying beautiful porcelain to the west where demand was skyrocketing. But many ships ended up on the bottom of the sea, including the Tek Sing, which sank on January 14, 1822.
When the Tek Sing crashed, literally thousands of pieces of porcelain were lost to the world. They all came from Jingdezhen, which is still considered the porcelain capital of the world. Since they were bound for European markets, only the finest pieces were on board.
Just over 100 years after the ship sank, Hatcher came upon it in astonishment. Some say that there were so many porcelain items, stacking them on top of one another would make a mountain.
Most of the pieces survived the impact when Tek Sing hit the sea floor and were still in good condition. But Hatcher allegedly ordered his men to smash most of them into pieces, knowing that he could only make profit by hiking the prices. Only the best of the best were left and secretly moved to a ship where they sat for over a year. Thus, by UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, he could now claim the ownership of the salvaged porcelain.
It's estimated that he made almost 40 million dollars from the "stolen" porcelain! This angered many people.
In the end, he didn't get all that he really wanted. Just a few years after it was sold, the value of the porcelain increased by more than 10 times!
For this story, this man's name is Michael Hatcher (pseudonym), who is said to have stolen tons of Jingdezhen porcelain items and sold them for an enormous profit. What's even more appalling, he is accused of having destroyed hundreds of antique porcelain pieces to increase his earnings.
One ship called the Tek Sing or the "Titanic of the Orient" was recovered by Hatcher in 1999 in the South China Sea.
The perilous sea is a veritable treasure chest. In ancient times, it was packed with ships carrying beautiful porcelain to the west where demand was skyrocketing. But many ships ended up on the bottom of the sea, including the Tek Sing, which sank on January 14, 1822.
When the Tek Sing crashed, literally thousands of pieces of porcelain were lost to the world. They all came from Jingdezhen, which is still considered the porcelain capital of the world. Since they were bound for European markets, only the finest pieces were on board.
Just over 100 years after the ship sank, Hatcher came upon it in astonishment. Some say that there were so many porcelain items, stacking them on top of one another would make a mountain.
Most of the pieces survived the impact when Tek Sing hit the sea floor and were still in good condition. But Hatcher allegedly ordered his men to smash most of them into pieces, knowing that he could only make profit by hiking the prices. Only the best of the best were left and secretly moved to a ship where they sat for over a year. Thus, by UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, he could now claim the ownership of the salvaged porcelain.
It's estimated that he made almost 40 million dollars from the "stolen" porcelain! This angered many people.
In the end, he didn't get all that he really wanted. Just a few years after it was sold, the value of the porcelain increased by more than 10 times!
About the Author:
Author D. Cheng has written about Chinese culture, calligraphy, and arts & crafts such as Chinese porcelain for ages. From time to time, he endorses skilled Chinese craftsmen. See samples of quality China tea set.
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