this is sooo crazy!

Priceless Chinese mirror makes smashing TV debut


Agence France-Presse
Last updated 01:18pm (Mla time) 01/18/2007

BEIJING -- A studio audience at a Chinese television program showcasing priceless ancient relics was shocked when a crew member accidentally smashed a 2,500-year-old bronze mirror, state media reported.

Dating back to the Warring States Period of 475-221 BC, the small gilded mirror inlaid with turquoise was being held by a presenter's assistant when it fell out of its wooden box and smashed on stage, Xinhua news agency said.

The incident occurred on Sunday during filming of a Chinese Central Television program selecting the "10 most valuable treasures" from private Chinese collections.

Experts rushed onto the stage to pick up the pieces as the studio audience and crew watched in stunned silence, Xinhua said in a report issued late Wednesday.

The mirror's owner, renowned antique collector Chen Fengjiu, said it was the only one of its kind and that other collectors had offered him $1 million for it.

It was not known whether any arrangements for compensation were being made, Xinhua said.