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.
还记得有个英国家庭在阁楼上发现了一个价值连城的中国花瓶的感人故事吗？不过，故事的结局并不好。
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拍卖行2010年公布的清代花瓶照片。去年，英国拍卖行Bainbridges以 8,000多万美元的价格拍卖了一个清代花瓶，创下了当时中国古董拍卖的最高价。
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.
卖家是英国律师安东尼•约翰逊(Anthony Johnson)和他的母亲吉恩•约翰逊(Gene Johnson)。他们是在吉恩已故姐姐（妹妹）的阁楼中发现这个花瓶的。据《星期日邮报》(Mail on Sunday)报导，据说花瓶是19世纪鸦片战争时期，家族里一位“喜欢冒险的叔叔”从中国带回来的。
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，这家的好运没有持续太久。正如《金融时报》(FT) 2月份报导的，花瓶的买家尚未付款。买家身份仍不得而知。
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.
《星期日邮报》说，买家是一位中国亿万富豪，同时也是共产党员。他与政府的密切关系令一些人认为政府用这个买家作为幌子来破坏拍卖，阻止花瓶被卖掉。中国政府一直寻求让中国被盗文物返还中国。拍卖会上没有卖掉的拍品或是成为争议焦点的拍品有时可能会在今后的拍卖中失去价值。
The vase remains in storage until payment, according to Bloomberg.
据彭博(Bloomberg)说，花瓶在付款之前仍在库中保管。
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.
记者暂时无法联系到Bainbridges发言人置评。据彭博报导，法国多家拍卖行对买家实施了新的限制，以便打击拒不付款的做法，包括押金和严格的付款条款。
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多万美元的价格拍出两个18世纪的青铜兽首，买家是一个中国人。后来买家没有付款，拍卖被取消。
