This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows the Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911).Photo:China News Service

This seal fetched $145,691,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $18 million) in the special section of "Chinese Works of Art" at 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction on Thursday.

On the side of the jade seal, there carved an imperial prose named Jientang (the Hall of Jien), the order of Qianlong in remembrance of where he met his grandfather Empeor Kangxi in the Old Summer Palace (known as Yuanmingyuan).

This seal is still intact execept for some scars of burning, which is believed to be the fire damage in 1860 when French and British forces sacked the palace. 

This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows the Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911).Photo:China News Service

 

This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows the Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911).Photo:China News Service

 

This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows the Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911).Photo:China News Service