This photo taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009 shows the office furniture used by Jacques Rogge, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 29th Olympic Games, which will be auctioned in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
It's good news for enthusiasts who dream of owning their own unique Olympic souvenir. A set of office furniture used by Jacques Rogge, the President of International Olympic Committee during the 29th Olympic Games, will be auctioned off in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009.
The exquisite office furniture, including file cabinets, desks and chairs are all made from bamboo, following Rogge's requirement that environment-friendly materials and technology be used. The furniture will be auctioned by the Zhong Hongxin International Auction Co. Ltd.
The pieces of furniture were created using the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) style as its reference. An important feature of Ming Dynasty furniture is that items are exquisitely shaped using consummate skill. The outlines are natural and fluid while the surfaces are wax polished to reveal their natural beauty.
Jacques Rogge highly praised this set of furniture, "They are the greatest arts and crafts I've ever seen. I prefer to live in my office if it's possible." Bamboo culture is deeply rooted in the daily lives of the Chinese people and the Ming Dynasty styled furniture also symbolizes Chinese culture.
Xu Jian, the president of the China Collections Magazine introduced this unique set of furniture by saying, "The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games has certified that the furniture set on auction was used by Jacques Rogge during the Olympic Games in Beijing. It is unique and there will be no duplications."
The furniture will be auctioned as a set. The reference price for the set is about 1,200,000 yuan, as announced by Shen Yanbing, the executive director of the Zhong Hongxin International Auction Co. Ltd. and auctioneer for the coming auction. Shen added, "It is hard to imagine what the final bid will be because the final bids were much higher than expected when we held the Olympic Fou drums auction."
China auctioned 1,000 of the 2,008 "Fou" drums which were used in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games with bids amounting to 52.45 million yuan (about 7.5 million U.S. dollars).
This photo taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009 shows the office furniture used by Jacques Rogge, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 29th Olympic Games, which will be auctioned in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
This photo taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009 shows the office furniture used by Jacques Rogge, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 29th Olympic Games, which will be auctioned in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
This photo taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009 shows the office furniture used by Jacques Rogge, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 29th Olympic Games, which will be auctioned in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
This photo taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009 shows the office furniture used by Jacques Rogge, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 29th Olympic Games, which will be auctioned in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
This photo taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009 shows the office furniture used by Jacques Rogge, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 29th Olympic Games, which will be auctioned in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
This photo, taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009, shows Shen Yanbing (L), the executive director of the Zhong Hongxin International Auction Co. Ltd. and state registered auctioneer and Xu Jian (R), the president of the China Collections Magazine speaking at a press conference. The Zhong Hongxin International Auction Co. Ltd. will hold an auction of the Office Furniture used by Jacques Rogge in the Beijing Asia Hotel on March 31st, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
