The HK$4 Billion Heist

Seen this postage stamp? It was recently stolen and worth a lot of money...

The coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong has resulted in a surge in burglaries, believe it or not. The police have recorded 1,156 cases in the first six months of this year, up 47.1 percent, compared to 786 cases in the same period last year.

But last week has to be the biggest robbery case in the city by far if it is confirmed, and it did not involve giant sparkling diamonds or expensive watches, but old postage stamps. And calligraphy that happened to be penned by Mao Zedong himself.

One item stolen was a calligraphy written by Mao Zedong

Last Thursday apparently three men broke into the apartment of a well known collector of revolutionary stamps and art in Yau Ma Tei, and allegedly stole HK$4 billion worth of items.

These include a two-metre tall poem written in calligraphy by Mao that collector Fu Chunxiao claimed was worth HK$2 billion, and a postage stamp that has the words, "The whole country is red".

Fu is not in Hong Kong but on the mainland, and it seems the thieves knew what they were taking.

"I was dealt a huge blow and feel so sad," he said by phone. "The lost items are invaluable indeed, but I cannot tell in detail what they are right now, as my mind is racing."

Apparently Fu is well known in certain circles, a member of the Hong Kong Philatelic Society and in 2018 even organized an exhibition of Mao stamps in the city, featuring more than 200 items from his own collection.

Fu Chunxiao is a collector of revolutionary stamps and art

He also seems to be very connected.

"I appreciate the help of the Hong Kong government and police, the Beijing liaison office, and the national security office, which were all involved in the case," he added, without explaining which national security office he meant, or how precisely it was involved.

The robbery came to light when a building security guard noticed the iron gate and the wooden door of the flat open.

Will the items ever be recovered? And who committed this crime?! And was it purely because these items were valuable or was there a political motive?!

Surely the police are on the case...

Hermes Brand Value Reaches New Highs

A Christie's Hong Kong auction from 2015 of a Hermes Birkin bag

The luxury economy in Hong Kong is thriving more than ever. Forget Louis Vuitton and Gucci -- Hermes is where it's at.

Christie's Hong Kong just held its sale of Hermes handbags and it netted a whopping HK$45.59 million. Apparently clients from 20 countries were fiercely bidding for Kelly and Birkin bags.

This Birkin bag went for four times its estimate

Hermes bags are highly coveted because they are handmade and take months to make, let alone months or years on the waiting list for your order to be processed.

The French company is best known for using quality materials and skilled craftsmen (and women) to make its objects, but it's the Kelly and Birkin bags that everyone wants. They are the ultimate status symbol.

Even better when the bag is made from crocodile skin.

The world record for a Hermes So Black series handbag was set last night with a rare, limited edition matte black Niloticus crocodile Birkin bag from 2010. The final price was four times the low estimate at HK$1.625 million (US$208,000).

The So Black series was created by Jean Paul Gaultier when he was Hermes creative director from 2003-2010.

Have a spare H$2 million to buy this Birkin bag?

But one bag that was sold for even more was another Birkin bag made from Himalaya Niloticus crocodile matte white (though it is brown on the edges) complete with a buckle that is 18k white gold and diamond encrusted. It dates back to 2011 and its price? HK$2 million (US$252,892).

Many people don't see the point in such extreme luxury, but to see buyers willing to bid fiercely for these items show there are people with lots of money to burn, and the gap between the rich and poor is widening even more.

But don't worry if you didn't get your Hermes bag this time -- Christie's is holding two more sales next month in London and New York.

Although Hermes won't get a cent from this sale, its brand value has been elevated to even greater heights.

Dresden's Treasures

 

A large bouquet of flowers made of mother of pearl

There's a lot to see within walking distance in Dresden, churches and museums each with their own story. Many intersect with World War II that was destroyed in air raids and buildings were slowly rebuilt.

One of these examples is the Frauenkirche or the Church of Our Lady. It was originally a Catholic church built in the 11th century in Romanesque style, but became Protestant during the Reformation. Hence the statue of Martin Luther in front.

The Frauenkirche rebuilt only recently

It has one of the largest domes in Europe at 96 metres high, called die Steinerne Glocke, or "Stone Bell". 

But in World War II it was severely damaged by air raids, the roof finally collapsing after having withstood two days and nights of attacks. The church was left in a pile of rubble for 45 years, because of Communist rule in East Germany, though the residents had already begun trying to salvage what they could and numbering them for future reconstruction.

That didn't happen until 1994, after Germany's reunification and raising money to rebuild Frauenkirche, which took 11 years and over 180 million euros. Some of the stone blocks are black, from the original building, but most are relatively new, a testament to the residents' determination to rebuild it also using the original plans.

Another jewel in Dresden is the Royal Palace or Residenzschloss. We came to see the Green Vault, which was amazingly not damaged during the air raids, and contains immense treasures royalty collected over the centuries.

The interior is stunning and awe-inspiring

The Historic Green Vault has its rules -- no bags or coats -- these must be placed at the coat check or in a locker, and you must be there at the time issued on your ticket, to limit the number of people in there. And at one point you must enter a room at most two by two into double doors, much like entering a jewellery store. It's that intense.

But it's worth the hassle -- the items they collected, from stunning wood carvings, mother-of-pearl decorating boxes, horns covered in carvings, massive silver platters, goblets, tiered platters lavishly decorated with tiny tea cups and the jewels! Massive rocks from diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies… how did they wear all that jewellery?

It was impressive to say the least. The Dresden Green Diamond is quite the stunner at 41 carats, decorated with two large diamonds and many smaller ones. For us plebs, we’d be happy with one small stone or two. They had hundreds of them. Even the rooms themselves are examples of the height of opulence, with each room decorated in a different colour and accentuated with curvy shaped mirrors framed in gold (of course).

Above the painted dome that is 96 metres tall

There’s tight security for the History Green Vault, but when it comes to the New Green Vault, visitors are taking pictures, and the stuff is still impressive, but not as much as those crazy jewels and boxes covered in glowing amber. There’s a massive display like a miniature stage filled with characters in a lavish set called The Throne of the Grand Mogul Aureng-Zeb.

August the Strong bought the work in 1709 for a massive sum at the time, and he and other royalty would buy items from jewellers and artisans, which ended up in this giant collection that reflects artistic and technical skills at the time. Interestingly they even used coconut shells to carve, and the stones of fruits. The ivory balls, with several balls inside look similar to the ones made in China – were they influenced by the Chinese? We didn’t get the audio tour to find out.

The Throne of the Grand Mogul Aureng-Zeb

Nevertheless the collection is stunning and worth just seeing for the admission alone (21 euros/$23.52). The upper floors are exhibition spaces and we saw one on Kandinsky and his woodblock prints.

Another place nearby worth checking out is Zwinger, another palace steps away from Residenzschloss that dates back to the 18th century, designed in the Baroque style by Matthaus Daniel Poppelmann for Augustus the Strong.

Zwinger means an enclosed killing ground in front of a castle or city gate, and this palace was formerly a fortress complete with a moat. The palace was used as one point to grow oranges, an exhibition space and festival area for the Dresden court.

It too was destroyed during World War II and luckily the art collection was evacuated earlier. Reconstruction began with the Soviets in 1945 and was completed finally in 1963, restoring Zwinger to its pre-war state.

Zwinger with the massive crown down at the other end

Walking into the massive courtyard leaves you in awe of such an amazing space and the giant crown at the top held up by four golden eagles. It is a replica of the Polish royal crown that Augustus the Strong wore from 1687 to 1704.

Visitors can see the massive amount of art amassed here, like the extensive porcelain collection of 20,000 pieces, with ceramics from Jingdezhen in China. There is also the Old Masters Picture Gallery that houses many well known paintings like Raffael's Die Sixtinische Madonna or two angels looking upwards, works by Van Eyck, Durer, Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer are here. The highlight is The Sistine Madonna by Raffael.

But it must also be amazing to come here to listen to live concerts that are put on here during the summer.
 

Picture of the Day: License Plates

The cleverness of car owners abounds in Hong Kong

Ah Hong Kong. Some car owners like to think they are very clever with their license plates.

They are known as Personalized Vehicle Registration Mark, where the person puts in an application to the Transport Department, waits for it to be selected, then have their application checked against the requirements, make a deposit, have the plate name vetted, and then finally wait for it to go up for auction.

Yes, you have to bid for your own plates.

Some names that have been seen:

OOHLALA
THE CEO
PLAYBOY
PORSCHE (on a Porsche)
I M LATE
G1GGLES
EGGS
PIKACHU
HAPPY
D1AMOND
LOVE

And tonight I spotted this Porsche on my way home.

How funky!

Advertorial Wedding

Angelababy wearing a Chaumet diamond tiara

French jeweller Chaumet is defying the bleak retail economy thanks to its sponsorship of the celebrity wedding between actors Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming in October last year.

On social media the bride showed off a six-carat, US$1.6 million wedding ring that was quickly dubbed the "Angelababy Ring" by millions of netizens.

The jewellery house has a long history of being the official jewellery to Emperor Napoleon I, making the crowns and ceremonial jewels for him and his wife Empress Josephine as well as other monarchs since the late 1700s. But it has lost out in terms of brand recognition, because well, you don't need a tiara everyday.

The infamous "Angelababy ring" with a six-carat diamond

Nevertheless, this massive wedding held at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre has hit the jackpot for Chaumet, says chief executive Jean-Marc Mansvelt.

He recalled the overwhelming response from Chinese clients for the Josephine Airgrett Imperiale ring, as well as for two antique diamond tiaras Angelababy wore at her wedding.

Mansvelt is quick to point out many shoppers flock to the Chaumet stores in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, asking for the "Angelababy ring", but "it was not something that was originally designed for her," he says.

But do Chinese consumers care to know who Empress Josephine was?

And why should Mansvelt care anyway? He's seeing "more than double-digit growth" in revenue in greater China from its 20 boutiques on the mainland, five in Hong Kong and four in Taiwan.

There doesn't seem to be any thought about how over-the-top the wedding is, and how the bride and groom profited from the sponsorships and tie-ups with companies, pitching their stuff by wearing or using it.

No-frills couple Shu Qi and Stephen Fung

This contrasts starkly with the recent wedding of Taiwanese actress Shu Qi and Hong Kong-based actor and director Stephen Fung in September. She wore a pink dress from H&M given to her two years ago, and they didn't even have a wedding banquet.

Seems like you either do the full-on, with everything on top kind of wedding, or the other extreme of keeping it as plain as possible...

Further Mainlandization of Hong Kong

The mainlandization of Hong Kong continues with whole office buildings being snapped up by mainland companies.

Evergrande Real Estate has agreed to buy Mass Mutual Tower in Wan Chai from Chinese Estates Holdings for a record HK$12.5 billion. The happy seller? Joseph Lau Luen-hung, who snapped up the $48 million blue diamond for his little Josephine a day earlier.

On the same day as the Mass Mutal Tower sale, Chinese insurer China Life bought an office block tower with a two-storey retail block at One HarbourGate in Hung Hom from Wheelock & Co. for HK$5.85 billion.

Experts say this trend will continue as more mainland companies expand their presence in Hong Kong, snapping up office space in prime locations...

So it looks like we will have more mainland landlords... is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Economically Hong Kong needs the money, but in the long term surely this just accelerates the pace at which the city integrates with the motherland?

In the meantime, tensions between mainlanders and locals continue to simmer.

This afternoon I went to the Body Shop in Times Square to buy something before going back to the office and a young mainland man was shouting loudly and angrily at one of the staff there. She looked completely unfazed even though he sounded threatening.

He was already shouting when I arrived, and thought he would stop soon, but he kept on his tirade in a very demanding tone. Another staff person was trying to sell more things to me, but this young man's loud voice was so disconcerting that I almost left.

When I went to the cashier to pay, he stormed off, and it seems he was annoyed he couldn't get a discount on something he wanted to buy. A mainland woman who was shopping in the store apologized for his behaviour, but the shop assistant who was shouted at was polite and said it didn't matter, and that he only wanted to buy something that wasn't expensive.

Then this evening my friend and I went to Caprice Bar in the Four Seasons Hong Kong for drinks with another friend we hadn't seen in ages.

However a young mainland family walked in -- and the child was whining in Mandarin. We are in a five-star hotel where a room is over HK$6,000 a night and a boy is making loud noises in a bar.

The parents try to quieten him down, but he keeps going. When we were misbehaving, our parents immediately took us outside to make us quiet. But why is he allowed in a place like this?

Eventually they are seated in the restaurant where dandan mian is not on the menu.

I know that Hong Kong people can treat mainlanders badly, but the two above examples are bad form too.

Money is what drives our relationship, not mutual respect.

And as long as they keep throwing money at Hong Kong, staff will have to put up with outrageous behaviour, while the landlords -- more and more mainland ones -- will be raking it in... What do they care?

Joseph Lau's Bling Bling Spree

Joseph Lau paid over $48 million for this gorgeous blue diamond at auction

Billionaire Joseph Lau Luen-hung was not shy about revealing he was the mystery buyer who snapped up a 12.03-carat blue diamond at auction in Geneva for a record-breaking $48.4 million -- for his seven-year-old daughter Josephine.

After he secured the winning bid, Lau promptly renamed the rare stone "Blue Moon of Josephine".

A few days earlier he bought another rock for his little girl, this time a 16.08-carat pink diamond for $28.5 million and named it "Sweet Josephine".

Lau was convicted in a bribes-for-land racket in Macau

Back in 2009 he showered the then one-year-old with another blue diamond, paying the then record price of $9.5 million for 7.03 carats.

The man has good taste in diamonds. But for a seven-year-old?

Another major fact to consider is that while he is listed by Forbes to be the sixth-richest man in Hong Kong with $9.8 billion in assets, Lau is also a fugitive, after being jailed in absentia in Macau in March last year for his part in a bribes-for-land racket involving Ao Man-long the most corrupt public official ever convicted in the city's history.

Lau received a five-year jail term, but has not served one day because the former Portuguese colony does not have an extradition treaty with Hong Kong. As long has he doesn't step foot in Macau, he's safe for now.

So why is the billionaire showering this one daughter with over $86 million in diamonds when he has four other children?

On Tuesday Lau also bought this diamond for his Josephine

He has a son and a daughter with Bo Wing-kam, another daughter and son with Yvonne Lui, and then Josephine's mother is girlfriend Chan Hoi-wan, who also bore him a son in 2012.

One can imagine Josephine can't go around anywhere now without an entourage of bodyguards as she plays with her new sparkling baubles...