Wednesday saw the ending of this year's China Guardian's Autumn Auction. In five days, the total sales fetched in nearly 2.3 billion yuan - a 25% increase from last fall's auction.

Late Chinese painter Zhang Daqian's color ink painting "A Copy of Juran's Landscape" reeled in the highest bid at China Guardian's autumn auction . Created in the 1940s, the piece fetched a whopping 103.5 million yuan, or, 15.2 million US dollars.

Five other items have also passed the benchmark of 50 million yuan, or, nearly 7.5 million US dollars. The star lots include: Fu Baoshi's "Singing Beauty", Qi Baishi's "Lotus Studio" and "Calligraphy, Painting and Seal", as well as Ming Dynasty artist Tang Yin's "Calligraphy in Running Script" and a rare bronze gilt Buddhist figure of Zanabazar made by a Mongolian artist in the 17th century.

Fu Baoshi's "Singing Beauty"

"It's too early to see if the market is back, but we've seen some signs of recovery. Unlike previous years, this season's top lots are not purchased by the few or even one person, but they are being purchased by new collectors who have their own interests. We are also glad to see some new faces among the buyers.  Their taste and focus are different from veteran collectors. This change has brought more opportunites to the market," said Hu Yanyan, managing director of China Guardian Auction House.

Over 6,000 lots have been under the hammer at the autumn auction of China Guardian.

In five days, nearly 40 sessions of auction have offered art collectors a rich choice from Chinese traditional paintings and calligraphy, to 20th century and contemporary art. Porcelain and jade wares,  ancient books, coins and stamps have also been on offer.

Two thirds of the field auction were also available online through a live broadcast. 

"We've launced a new special session called 'Panorama' this season, and it features 179 specially selected private collections. It's rich in its variety, and the lots are of good quality with low starting prices. The session was very popular. It lasted two hours longer than we expected. On average, the purchase price was nine times more than the starting price," said Hu Yanyan.

As one of China's leading auction houses, China Guardian has also turned its focus to fostering art lovers and collectors. Their next step is to open an art centre next spring, which will stand north of the country's most famous shopping street, Wangfujing.