編者按：近日，中華搶救流失海外文物專(zhuān)項(xiàng)基金收藏顧問(wèn)、文物收藏家蔡銘超以3149萬(wàn)歐元的價(jià)格拍下1860年圓明園遭洗劫時(shí)被竊掠的兩尊清朝獸首銅像。這兩尊銅像之前由已故的時(shí)尚設(shè)計(jì)師伊夫?圣洛朗收藏。后來(lái)，蔡銘超表示不會(huì)，也不能付款，從而挫敗了本月在法國(guó)的這次拍賣(mài)。蔡銘超本人立即得到全球媒體的關(guān)注，他謝絕了許多媒體的采訪，但在3月9日接受了美國(guó)彭博社的采訪。以下是本次采訪的節(jié)選：

'This has damaged me: I have lost the business I love,' said Cai, in his office in the southeastern city of Xiamen. Cai said he had bid with the intention of paying, then had second thoughts and decided it's wrong to do so. He again denied acting in concert with China's government.

“這毀了我：我失去了我熱愛(ài)的事業(yè)，”蔡銘超在中國(guó)東南部城市廈門(mén)的辦公室說(shuō)。他表示，他競(jìng)標(biāo)時(shí)有打算付錢(qián)，但思量再三，覺(jué)得這樣做不對(duì)。他再次否認(rèn)與中國(guó)政府有接觸。

On Feb. 23 in Paris, a court ruled that the sale could go ahead. Hours later, Cai called Christie from his favorite leather couch on his dark-wood, second-floor office and registered to bid. 'I thought to myself, "It's impossible to find these items again,"' Cai said.

2月23日，巴黎一家法院做出裁定，拍賣(mài)可以進(jìn)行。幾個(gè)小時(shí)之后，蔡銘超坐在其二層黑木辦公室里他最喜歡的皮沙發(fā)上打電話給佳士得公司，登記參與拍賣(mài)?！拔艺J(rèn)為，以后不可能再找到它們了，”蔡銘超說(shuō)。

At about 2 a.m. Beijing time on Feb. 26, the last day of the S sale was under way in Paris. Cai watched the auction live from a Phoenix Television broadcast. First came the rat head. Cai looked on as the bidding on Lot 677 climbed from 9 million euros to 10 million euros to 11 million euros. 'Just as they were about to close the deal, I went in,' said Cai. 'I felt if I didn't bid, I will lose it forever.'

北京時(shí)間2月26日凌晨2點(diǎn)，巴黎的圣洛朗拍賣(mài)進(jìn)入最后一天。蔡銘超收看鳳凰衛(wèi)視的直播，關(guān)注拍賣(mài)會(huì)的動(dòng)態(tài)。首先是鼠首，他看這件677號(hào)物件的拍賣(mài)價(jià)從900萬(wàn)歐元升至1000萬(wàn)歐元，又攀升至1100萬(wàn)歐元。“在他們剛要完成交易的時(shí)候，我介入了。”“我覺(jué)得，如果我不競(jìng)拍，我就會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)失去它?！?/p>

He offered 12 million euros. A rival countered with 13 million euros, so Cai went up to 14 million euros - the final bid. Next up was the rabbit head. Cai's 14 million-euro bid beat a rival's 13.5 million euros and he secured the second bronze.

他出價(jià)1200萬(wàn)歐元。一個(gè)對(duì)手給出1300萬(wàn)歐元，蔡銘超隨之出價(jià)1400萬(wàn)歐元，也即最高價(jià)。接下來(lái)是兔首。蔡銘超1400萬(wàn)歐元的標(biāo)價(jià)擊敗了對(duì)手的1350萬(wàn)歐元，他拍得了第二個(gè)獸首銅像。

'At that time, maybe I didn't consider if I could pay for them,' said Cai. 'At the most, I would sell some of my ceramics to pay for them.'

“當(dāng)時(shí)，可能我沒(méi)有想我付不付得起錢(qián)，”蔡銘超說(shuō)。“至多，我會(huì)賣(mài)掉我的一些陶瓷去付錢(qián)?！?/p>

Hours after the auction ended, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage responded to the sale with a circular requiring Christie's to detail the ownership and provenance of artifacts it brings into or out of China. When Cai heard of this, he started to question his purchase. 'I felt an internal struggle,' he said. 'I felt, "If I paid this money and I can't get the goods, what do I do? "'

拍賣(mài)結(jié)束之后數(shù)小時(shí)，中國(guó)國(guó)家文物局發(fā)出通知，要求佳士得提供其進(jìn)出中國(guó)的藝術(shù)品所有權(quán)與出處的詳盡信息。得知此事之后，蔡銘超開(kāi)始質(zhì)疑自己的購(gòu)買(mǎi)?！拔覂?nèi)心在掙扎，”他說(shuō)。“如果我付了錢(qián)，卻得不到東西，我將怎么辦？”

Hong Kong antiques dealer Yumi Kunizuka said this case is not so much a lesson in law and art-auction protocol than manners. 'The whole matter could have been handled with more grace and wisdom by Christie's, Berge and Cai,' said Kunizuka. Berge could have done more for Saint Laurent's memory by not flaunting the bronzes, Christie's shouldn't have agreed to auction the items and Cai was unprofessional in what he did, Kunizuka said.

香港古董商Yumi Kunizuka表示，此事與其說(shuō)是對(duì)法律與藝術(shù)品拍賣(mài)條約的教訓(xùn)，不如說(shuō)相關(guān)方做法欠佳?！叭绻咽康?、貝爾熱和蔡銘超能多一些友善，多動(dòng)動(dòng)腦子，整個(gè)事情可以處理得更好?！盞unizuka，貝爾熱本可以不炫耀獸首，以此紀(jì)念圣洛朗，佳士得不應(yīng)該同意拍賣(mài)獸首，蔡銘超這樣做也是違反職業(yè)道德的。

If he could do it again, Cai isn't sure he would bid for the bronzes. He said he's now trying to pick up the pieces of his life. If he ends his art-auction activity, Cai said he may focus on his real-estate and securities trading businesses.

蔡銘超表示，如果能再來(lái)一次，他不清楚自己是否會(huì)競(jìng)拍。他說(shuō)自己現(xiàn)在要重新振作起來(lái)。如果他不再?gòu)氖滤囆g(shù)品拍賣(mài)了，可能會(huì)把重點(diǎn)放在房地產(chǎn)和證券交易上。

'When I turn on my cell phone and walk out of this place, I really don't know what kind of life I will have,' he said.

“我打開(kāi)手機(jī)，從這里走出去，真不知道以后會(huì)有怎樣的生活，”他說(shuō)。

蔡銘超簡(jiǎn)介：

Cai Mingchao, a native of Jinjiang, wouldn't say how much he's worth. The third of a merchant's four children, he said he inherited some money and made the rest in stocks and real estate. He left Xiamen's art school at 18 and started in business by renting a store trading cloth. In 2005, he opened Xiamen Xinhe Art International Auction Co. after leaving the state-backed Xiamen Auction Co..

蔡銘超是晉江人，他不愿透露自己有多少家產(chǎn)。他出身商人家庭，在兄妹四人中排行老三。他表示，自己繼承了一筆錢(qián)，然后通過(guò)炒股與房地產(chǎn)又掙了一些。他18歲離開(kāi)廈門(mén)藝術(shù)學(xué)校，租了個(gè)店面，開(kāi)始做服裝生意。2005年，他離開(kāi)國(guó)有企業(yè)廈門(mén)國(guó)際商品拍賣(mài)公司，創(chuàng)立廈門(mén)心和藝術(shù)拍賣(mài)有限公司。

'He has a very good reputation with art dealers,' said Roger Keverne, 62, head of his namesake gallery and chairman of Asian Art in London, an annual exhibition by the city's galleries. Keverne said he'd met Cai in Beijing and Hong Kong in the past few years. 'I found him charming, his manners immaculate. I have only heard good things about him.'

“他在藝術(shù)品商人那里的名聲很好，”62歲的倫敦亞洲藝術(shù)品展（倫敦市藝術(shù)館每年都舉辦的一項(xiàng)展覽）董事羅格?科偉尼說(shuō)。科偉尼表示，幾年來(lái)他在北京和香港都見(jiàn)過(guò)蔡銘超，“我覺(jué)得他很有魅力，他的舉止完美無(wú)瑕。我聽(tīng)過(guò)關(guān)于他的消息都是正面的?！?/p>