On November 14, 2025, the China Association of Auctioneers released [the following information] at the 10th "Shanghai Dialogue" Summit Forum.2024 Annual Report on Statistics of Cultural Relics and Art AuctionsKey data. This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of the auction situation of Chinese cultural relics and artworks in mainland China and overseas in 2024.

The total value of the auctioned items reached 18.354 billion yuan.

In 2024, affected by economic and other uncertainties, the total value of cultural relics and artworks auctioned nationwide was 18.354 billion yuan (excluding buyer's commission), a year-on-year decrease of 35.38%. The total number of auctioned items (sets) for the year was 307,100, a decrease of 10.35% compared to the previous year. The cultural relics and artworks auction market entered a period of deep adjustment. As of May 2025, settlements reached 10.008 billion yuan (plus 1.5 billion yuan in commissions collected from both buyers and sellers).

Online auctions have increased their share, reaching 9.27%.

In 2024, 385,100 items were offered for auction online, with 144,000 items sold. Online auctions are becoming more commonplace. The proportion of items sold for under 100,000 yuan increased by 0.5 percentage points to 90.28%. The average price of items decreased from 82,900 yuan in the previous year to 59,800 yuan.

Structural adjustments across various sectors are particularly prominent.

In 2024, structural adjustments were particularly prominent across various auction categories.

The hammer prices for stamps, coins, oil paintings, and contemporary art decreased by more than 50%.

Porcelain, jade, and miscellaneous items remained relatively stable, becoming the only growth sector, increasing by 1.10% compared to the previous year.

The market share of Chinese calligraphy and painting contracted, down 9.02 percentage points from the previous year; while the share of porcelain, jade and miscellaneous items increased by 14.08 percentage points from the previous year.

The total number of high-priced lots was halved, with 92 lots sold.

In 2024, the total number of cultural relics and artworks sold for over 10 million yuan decreased, with only 92 pieces sold.135 fewer than last yearAs of the time of this report, 42 cases have been settled, and 11 cases have not been fully settled.

The proportion of Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou continued to expand, accounting for a combined 39.23%.

In 2024, Beijing's market share continued to decline, with its total transaction value accounting for 58.33% of the national total, a decrease of 9.61 percentage points.

The proportions of Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou continued to expand, increasing by 2.16, 4.12, and 2.1 percentage points respectively compared to the previous year.

Leading companies accounted for over 50% of the actual proceeds from auctions, with 17 companies exceeding 100 million yuan.

In 2024, the top five companies in terms of actual proceeds from auctions (payments actually received for items sold in 2024 as of May 2025) achieved a total transaction value of 5.45 billion yuan, accounting for 54.45% of the industry share, a year-on-year decrease of 4.81 percentage points. There were 17 companies with transaction values exceeding 100 million yuan, the same as the previous year.

The company's main operating revenue was 1.78 billion yuan, and it generated 541 million yuan in taxes.

In 2024, the main business revenue of the national cultural relics and art auction industry declined, from RMB 2.121 billion in the previous year to RMB 1.78 billion, the main business profit margin dropped to 3.35%, and the profitability rate of enterprises was 39.17%.During this year, cultural relic auction companies nationwide generated a total of 541 million yuan in taxes.

Global transaction volume reached 27.902 billion yuan, ranking second.

In 2024, the global auction turnover of Chinese cultural relics and artworks decreased from RMB 42.757 billion (including buyer's commission) to RMB 27.902 billion (including buyer's commission). The Chinese cultural relics and artworks auction market (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) accounted for 29.00% of the global art auction market share, a decrease of 2 percentage points from the previous year, ranking second in the world; the United States accounted for 34%, ranking first.

Mainland China accounted for 74.82% of the global art auction market share, a decrease of 1.17 percentage points from the previous year.

The transaction volume in overseas markets reached 7.026 billion yuan, with porcelain, jade, and miscellaneous items accounting for half.

In 2024, 274 overseas auction houses conducted auctions of Chinese cultural relics and artworks. The total number of lots sold was 30,748, a decrease of 5.50% compared to the previous year; the total sales value was 7.026 billion yuan (including buyer's commission), a decrease of 31.56% compared to the previous year, the lowest since 2010. The average price of the lots was 228,500 yuan, and 75 lots sold for over 10 million yuan.

The transaction volume in Asia (excluding mainland China) was RMB 5.365 billion (including buyer's commission), a decrease of 33.04% compared to the previous year, but it remains the largest overseas market for Chinese cultural relics and artworks auctions.

Outside of China, porcelain, jade, and miscellaneous items remained the best-performing category. Although the number of lots offered and sold in this sector declined, the total transaction value reached 3.61 billion yuan (including buyer's commission), accounting for 51.39% of the total transaction value outside of China in 2024.

The Chinese painting and calligraphy sector experienced significant fluctuations, with high-priced lots dropping from 42 to 18; oil paintings and contemporary art saw a year-on-year decline of 27.59%; the rare books sector performed exceptionally well, bucking the trend with two works fetching over 10 million yuan, surging by 95.24% year-on-year.

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