(ECNS) -- A letter written by a Song Dynasty (960-1127) politician and literati fetched 207 million yuan ($31.71 million) at a China Guardian Auctions sale on Sunday evening, Beijing Business Today reported.
The author, Zeng Gong, is regarded by scholars as one of the "eight masters of prose of the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song dynasties". He wrote the letter, titled Jushi Tie, or "a letter on happenings", on September 27, 1080, to a close friend to express his gratitude for the latter's longtime support, as well as his anxiety over not being able to fulfill his ideals about governance.
The auction set a record high price for Zeng's works to go under the hammer to date.
Two decades ago, the letter made its first appearance at a Christie's sale in New York, at which it was sold to Belgian couple Guy and Myriam Ullens for $508,500. They sold it in November 2009 to an anonymous Shanghai collector for 108.64 million yuan at a Poly Auction sale in Beijing.
The letter is Zeng's only calligraphy work still remaining. It has only 124 characters and is written in kaishu, the regular calligraphic script.
