On the morning of October 3, 2017, during Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Auction, a Ru ware sky-blue washer from the Northern Song Dynasty—one of the most anticipated pieces in the “Song Ceramics” session—was sold for HK$260 million. Including the buyer’s premium, the total reached HK$294 million (approximately RMB 250 million).

This remarkable sale surpassed the previous record of HK$281 million set by the Ming Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup, establishing a new world auction record for Chinese ceramics.

Prior to the auction, Sotheby’s Asia Vice President revealed that collectors and public museums from mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the West had shown great interest in this Northern Song masterpiece. However, details about the buyer have not been disclosed.