Remember the heart-warming story of British family that found a valuable Chinese vase in the attic? Well, it hasn"t had a happy ending.

　　還記得有個英國家庭在閣樓上發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個價值連城的中國花瓶的感人故事嗎？不過，故事的結(jié)局并不好。

　　Last year, the U.K. auction house Bainbridges sold a Qing Dynasty vase for more than $80 million ─ the highest price ever paid at the time for a Chinese antiquity.

　　ReutersBainbridges拍賣行2010年公布的清代花瓶照片。去年，英國拍賣行Bainbridges以 8,000多萬美元的價格拍賣了一個清代花瓶，創(chuàng)下了當(dāng)時中國古董拍賣的最高價。

　　The sellers were a British lawyer, Anthony Johnson, and his mom, Gene, who found the vase in Gene's late sister's attic. It was reported to have been brought back from China by an "adventurous uncle" in the family during the 19th Century Opium Wars, according to the Mail on Sunday.

　　賣家是英國律師安東尼•約翰遜(Anthony Johnson)和他的母親吉恩•約翰遜(Gene Johnson)。他們是在吉恩已故姐姐（妹妹）的閣樓中發(fā)現(xiàn)這個花瓶的。據(jù)《星期日郵報》(Mail on Sunday)報導(dǎo)，據(jù)說花瓶是19世紀(jì)鴉片戰(zhàn)爭時期，家族里一位“喜歡冒險的叔叔”從中國帶回來的。

　　Yet the family's good fortune didn't last long. As the FT reported in February, the buyer of the vase who remained anonymous has yet to pay for the vase.

　　然而，這家的好運(yùn)沒有持續(xù)太久。正如《金融時報》(FT) 2月份報導(dǎo)的，花瓶的買家尚未付款。買家身份仍不得而知。

　　The Mail on Sunday says the buyer is a Chinese billionaire who is a member of the Communist Party. His close ties to the government, which has been seeking to return what it calls "stolen treasures" of China, has led some to believe the government used the buyer as a front to sabotage the auction and prevent it from being sold. Items that fail to sell at auction or that become the focus of controversy can sometimes lose their value at future sales.

　　《星期日郵報》說，買家是一位中國億萬富豪，同時也是共產(chǎn)黨員。他與政府的密切關(guān)系令一些人認(rèn)為政府用這個買家作為幌子來破壞拍賣，阻止花瓶被賣掉。中國政府一直尋求讓中國被盜文物返還中國。拍賣會上沒有賣掉的拍品或是成為爭議焦點的拍品有時可能會在今后的拍賣中失去價值。

　　The vase remains in storage until payment, according to Bloomberg.

　　據(jù)彭博(Bloomberg)說，花瓶在付款之前仍在庫中保管。

　　A spokesman for Bainbridges couldn't be reached for comment. Bloomberg reports that French auctioneers have imposed new restrictions on buyers including deposits and strict payment terms to clamp down on nonpayments.

　　記者暫時無法聯(lián)系到Bainbridges發(fā)言人置評。據(jù)彭博報導(dǎo)，法國多家拍賣行對買家實施了新的限制，以便打擊拒不付款的做法，包括押金和嚴(yán)格的付款條款。

　　In 2009, Christie's sold a pair of 18th-century bronze animal heads sold for more than $50 million to a Chinese bidder. The bidder never paid and the sale was canceled.

　　2009年，佳士得 (Christie"s)以5,000多萬美元的價格拍出兩個18世紀(jì)的青銅獸首，買家是一個中國人。后來買家沒有付款，拍賣被取消。