The auction room -- standing room only -- broke into applause when the hammer finally went down. On sale was a tiny, white cup decorated with chickens, and the buyer was a prolific art collector from Shanghai, Liu Yiqian.
当拍卖槌最终落下时，站满人的拍卖室里爆发出了热烈的掌声。来自中国上海的收藏家刘益谦家中已有不少收藏，他拍下了这只绘有小鸡图案的白色小杯。

At a price of HK$281.24 million ($36.05 million), it was a record sale for auction house Sotheby's -- the highest price reached for a Chinese porcelain artifact. The previous record, HK$252.6 million ($32.4 million), was reached in 2010 for a Qianlong period vase, also at a Sotheby's sale.
这只杯子最终以2.8124亿港币（约合3605万美元）在苏富比拍卖行成交，打破了中国瓷器的拍卖纪录。此前的拍卖纪录也诞生于苏富比拍卖行——2010年，乾隆时期的一个花瓶拍出了2.526亿港币（约合3240万美元）的高价。

The 500-plus-year old Meiyintang Chenghua "Chicken Cup," is one of a reported 17 existing worldwide, most of which reside in museums, with a small number -- like Liu's new acquisition -- in private hands. It is so-called because of the decoration painted on its surface, showing two roosters, and a chicken tending her chicks.
这只玫茵堂成化年间的“鸡缸杯”有500多年的历史，据报道世界上现存的鸡缸杯仅剩17只，其中大多数存放在博物馆，小部分为私人所有，如刘益谦新得来的这只。得名“鸡缸杯”是因它杯壁上绘有公鸡偕母鸡和雏鸡的图案。

"About a hundred years after they were made, in the late Ming dynasty, they were already highly sought after by emperors," Nicolas Chow, deputy chairman of Sotheby's Asia and international head of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, tells CNN.
苏富比拍卖行亚洲副主席及中国瓷器及工艺品部国际主管仇国仕告诉CNN，“在晚明时期，也就是它们被烧制出来约100年后，皇帝就以高价求购它们。”

"By the late 17th century they were considered the most expensive objects money could buy."
“到了17世纪后期，它们已经成为人们能买到最贵的收藏品了。”

Liu will house the incredibly rare item, known in collectors' circles as the "holy grail" of Chinese ceramics, in his private Long Museum in Shanghai.
这只杯子在收藏者中有中国陶瓷“圣杯”的美誉，刘益谦将会把这件稀世珍品收藏在自己位于上海的龙美术馆中。

Liu is one of China's ultra-wealthy with an estimated net worth of $900 million, a former taxi driver who made his fortune in finance. He has said he "doesn't care" about the price of the cup.
刘益谦是中国的巨富之一，净资产约有9亿美元。他曾经是一名出租车司机，但后来投身金融业致富。他曾表示自己“不在乎”这只杯子的价钱是多少。

Growing economic power from China, especially from super-rich Chinese collectors like Liu has contributed to Hong Kong's transformation into one of the world's auction hubs, and inflated prices around the globe.
中国不断成长的经济实力，特别是像刘益谦这样的中国巨富收藏家帮助香港成为了世界拍卖中心之一，同时也推动世界拍卖价格一路水涨船高。

声明：本双语文章的中文翻译系沪江英语原创内容，转载请注明出处。中文翻译仅代表译者个人观点，仅供参考。如有不妥之处，欢迎指正。