The spring auction season is underway and an arts and antiques expo is coming to town.

China Guardian Auction House holds its spring auction at the Beijing Convention Hotel from May 15 to 18. The preview will be held on May 12.

On offer are 3,000 artworks, including traditional ink-wash paintings, ceramics, jade, carvings and ancient books as well as modern sculpture and oil paintings.

A highlight is "Ink Guanyin Standing on Lotus" created in 1942 by Xu Beihong (1895-1953), one of the greats in Chinese art and a master of both ink and oils.

It is expected to fetch 500,000 yuan (US$73,231) to 600,000 yuan.

On May 10-11, Beijing Council Auction House will preview 150 artworks, said to be the "best of best" for its spring auction in June at Shanghai Grand Theater.

The total value is estimated at nearly 500 million yuan.

Highlights are qin or guqin, seven-stringed musical instruments from the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties.

Antique lovers are increasingly drawn to ancient Chinese musical instruments and their value has risen sharply.

The guqin, a kind of zither, dates back more than 3,000 years and is often called the "instrument of the sages," because its delicate plucked sound was said to enrich the heart and elevate the spirit.

Mastering the qin was considered one of the four arts of the literati, which also included qi (weiqi, the game of go), shu (calligraphy) and hua (painting). The qin is considered a symbol of high Chinese culture.

In addition, the third Shanghai (China) Antiques and Artworks Expo gets underway from May 14 to 17 at East Asia Exhibition Center.

Nearly 200 exhibitors from China, America, France and Japan and other countries will display collections of jade, traditional ink-wash paintings, ceramics, Buddha statues, purple-clay tea pots and souvenirs from past World Expos.

A rare medal of the 1851 World Expo and Expo souvenir stamps will be displayed.

Exhibits include the original letter of appointment of Wu Yunchu by the Republic of China. Wu, known as the "Chinese father of MSG," took top honors at the World Expo in Philadelphia in 1923.

Chinese experts will give appraisals on site on May 16.

Guardian spring auction

Date: May 12, 9am-6pm (preview); May 15-18, 9:30am-6:30pm (auction)

Venue: Beijing Convention Hotel, 9 Jianguomenwai Street

Council spring auction

Date: May 10-11, 9am-6pm (preview)

Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People's Ave

Date: June 4-6, 9:30am-6:30pm (auction)

Venue: Beijing Convention Hotel, 9 Jianguomenwai Street

The Third Shanghai (China) Antiques and Artworks Expo

Date: May 14-17, 9am-5pm

Venue: East Asia Exhibition Center, 666 Tianyaoqiao Rd