編者按：近日，中華搶救流失海外文物專項基金收藏顧問、文物收藏家蔡銘超以3149萬歐元的價格拍下1860年圓明園遭洗劫時被竊掠的兩尊清朝獸首銅像。這兩尊銅像之前由已故的時尚設計師伊夫?圣洛朗收藏。后來，蔡銘超表示不會，也不能付款，從而挫敗了本月在法國的這次拍賣。蔡銘超本人立即得到全球媒體的關注，他謝絕了許多媒體的采訪，但在3月9日接受了美國彭博社的采訪。以下是本次采訪的節(jié)選：

'This has damaged me: I have lost the business I love,' said Cai, in his office in the southeastern city of Xiamen. Cai said he had bid with the intention of paying, then had second thoughts and decided it's wrong to do so. He again denied acting in concert with China's government.

“這毀了我：我失去了我熱愛的事業(yè)，”蔡銘超在中國東南部城市廈門的辦公室說。他表示，他競標時有打算付錢，但思量再三，覺得這樣做不對。他再次否認與中國政府有接觸。

On Feb. 23 in Paris, a court ruled that the sale could go ahead. Hours later, Cai called Christie from his favorite leather couch on his dark-wood, second-floor office and registered to bid. 'I thought to myself, "It's impossible to find these items again,"' Cai said.

2月23日，巴黎一家法院做出裁定，拍賣可以進行。幾個小時之后，蔡銘超坐在其二層黑木辦公室里他最喜歡的皮沙發(fā)上打電話給佳士得公司，登記參與拍賣?！拔艺J為，以后不可能再找到它們了，”蔡銘超說。

At about 2 a.m. Beijing time on Feb. 26, the last day of the S sale was under way in Paris. Cai watched the auction live from a Phoenix Television broadcast. First came the rat head. Cai looked on as the bidding on Lot 677 climbed from 9 million euros to 10 million euros to 11 million euros. 'Just as they were about to close the deal, I went in,' said Cai. 'I felt if I didn't bid, I will lose it forever.'

北京時間2月26日凌晨2點，巴黎的圣洛朗拍賣進入最后一天。蔡銘超收看鳳凰衛(wèi)視的直播，關注拍賣會的動態(tài)。首先是鼠首，他看這件677號物件的拍賣價從900萬歐元升至1000萬歐元，又攀升至1100萬歐元?！霸谒麄儎傄瓿山灰椎臅r候，我介入了?！薄拔矣X得，如果我不競拍，我就會永遠失去它?！?/p>

He offered 12 million euros. A rival countered with 13 million euros, so Cai went up to 14 million euros - the final bid. Next up was the rabbit head. Cai's 14 million-euro bid beat a rival's 13.5 million euros and he secured the second bronze.

他出價1200萬歐元。一個對手給出1300萬歐元，蔡銘超隨之出價1400萬歐元，也即最高價。接下來是兔首。蔡銘超1400萬歐元的標價擊敗了對手的1350萬歐元，他拍得了第二個獸首銅像。

'At that time, maybe I didn't consider if I could pay for them,' said Cai. 'At the most, I would sell some of my ceramics to pay for them.'

“當時，可能我沒有想我付不付得起錢，”蔡銘超說?！爸炼?，我會賣掉我的一些陶瓷去付錢?！?/p>

Hours after the auction ended, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage responded to the sale with a circular requiring Christie's to detail the ownership and provenance of artifacts it brings into or out of China. When Cai heard of this, he started to question his purchase. 'I felt an internal struggle,' he said. 'I felt, "If I paid this money and I can't get the goods, what do I do? "'

拍賣結束之后數小時，中國國家文物局發(fā)出通知，要求佳士得提供其進出中國的藝術品所有權與出處的詳盡信息。得知此事之后，蔡銘超開始質疑自己的購買?！拔覂刃脑趻暝?，”他說。“如果我付了錢，卻得不到東西，我將怎么辦？”

Hong Kong antiques dealer Yumi Kunizuka said this case is not so much a lesson in law and art-auction protocol than manners. 'The whole matter could have been handled with more grace and wisdom by Christie's, Berge and Cai,' said Kunizuka. Berge could have done more for Saint Laurent's memory by not flaunting the bronzes, Christie's shouldn't have agreed to auction the items and Cai was unprofessional in what he did, Kunizuka said.

香港古董商Yumi Kunizuka表示，此事與其說是對法律與藝術品拍賣條約的教訓，不如說相關方做法欠佳。“如果佳士得、貝爾熱和蔡銘超能多一些友善，多動動腦子，整個事情可以處理得更好。”Kunizuka，貝爾熱本可以不炫耀獸首，以此紀念圣洛朗，佳士得不應該同意拍賣獸首，蔡銘超這樣做也是違反職業(yè)道德的。

If he could do it again, Cai isn't sure he would bid for the bronzes. He said he's now trying to pick up the pieces of his life. If he ends his art-auction activity, Cai said he may focus on his real-estate and securities trading businesses.

蔡銘超表示，如果能再來一次，他不清楚自己是否會競拍。他說自己現(xiàn)在要重新振作起來。如果他不再從事藝術品拍賣了，可能會把重點放在房地產和證券交易上。

'When I turn on my cell phone and walk out of this place, I really don't know what kind of life I will have,' he said.

“我打開手機，從這里走出去，真不知道以后會有怎樣的生活，”他說。

蔡銘超簡介：

Cai Mingchao, a native of Jinjiang, wouldn't say how much he's worth. The third of a merchant's four children, he said he inherited some money and made the rest in stocks and real estate. He left Xiamen's art school at 18 and started in business by renting a store trading cloth. In 2005, he opened Xiamen Xinhe Art International Auction Co. after leaving the state-backed Xiamen Auction Co..

蔡銘超是晉江人，他不愿透露自己有多少家產。他出身商人家庭，在兄妹四人中排行老三。他表示，自己繼承了一筆錢，然后通過炒股與房地產又掙了一些。他18歲離開廈門藝術學校，租了個店面，開始做服裝生意。2005年，他離開國有企業(yè)廈門國際商品拍賣公司，創(chuàng)立廈門心和藝術拍賣有限公司。

'He has a very good reputation with art dealers,' said Roger Keverne, 62, head of his namesake gallery and chairman of Asian Art in London, an annual exhibition by the city's galleries. Keverne said he'd met Cai in Beijing and Hong Kong in the past few years. 'I found him charming, his manners immaculate. I have only heard good things about him.'

“他在藝術品商人那里的名聲很好，”62歲的倫敦亞洲藝術品展（倫敦市藝術館每年都舉辦的一項展覽）董事羅格?科偉尼說?？苽ツ岜硎?，幾年來他在北京和香港都見過蔡銘超，“我覺得他很有魅力，他的舉止完美無瑕。我聽過關于他的消息都是正面的?！?/p>