Yuqing's Research Interests

Art market studies often overlook the consumption function of artworks. Gift artworks, with their primary purpose being relational rather than commercial, reveal how social value converts into economic value. Using a dataset of 9,953 globally auctioned works by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), one of the most prominent Chinese artists, we identify 3,128 gift artworks (31.4%) and find that on average, gift artworks achieve lower prices than non-gift works. However, provenance and elite dedicatee identities can enhance value. We find no evidence for an endowment effect. By drawing attention to one of the most distinctive phenomena in Chinese art, this study offers fresh insights into how socio-cultural dynamics shape the art trade.

Are copies always inferior to originals in value? In this paper, we first detail the differences existing between copies in the Western and the Eastern worlds and the influence of these differences on their appreciation. In the Western world, copies are often unnamed. By contrast, in China, artists are used to adding seals and inscriptions to declare the authorship of the artworks, even for copies. While the Western obsession with autography explains the lower prices observed for Western copies, Chinese markets also consider the formal aspects of copies in art valuation. Focusing on the eminent Chinese old master Dong Qichang (1555–1636), our empirical analysis demonstrates that the prices of copies may be higher than those of originals when the name of the copying artist is known. The paper sheds light on how buyers value copies in the context of a globalized art market.

How does meaning making affect the perceived value of art? In this paper, we focus on a unique form of art, Chinese calligraphy, to explore the effects of literal meaning on the perceived value of art combining both words and aesthetic quality. Based on a 2*4 between-subjects factorial experiment (n = 451), we find evidence that the provision of transcriptions for Chinese calligraphy artworks can have certain impact on the works’ perceived value. Specifically, our findings suggest that transcriptions enhance the appreciation of the value of the literal content and the perceived beauty of certain artwork. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the effect of meaning on the perceived value of Chinese calligraphy artworks, information supply on aesthetic experiences, and the value of Chinese calligraphy as intangible cultural heritage. Recommendations for stakeholders including auction houses are provided.

Collaboration is a common artistic practice. How does collaboration affect the market value of artworks? This study explores the market for collaborative paintings and calligraphy through the lens of Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), a prominent figure in 20th century art, often dubbed as the ‘Picasso of the East.’ Analyzing a collaboration network with 247 nodes and 782 edges, we find that the relationship between collaboration and art prices is moderated by the type of collaboration, the reputation of collaborators, and career stages. We also reveal an inversely U-shaped relationship between a collaborator’s network centrality and the market value of the artwork. This paper offers fresh insights into the role of network dynamics and artistic branding in shaping market outcomes.

This chapter explores the phenomenon of “sleepers”—artworks that remain undervalued due to unrecognized characteristics—and argues that they occur more frequently in the antique markets than is commonly acknowledged. Through in-depth interviews with an experienced Chinese antique dealer, we highlight the factors that contribute to the awakening of sleepers (jianlou), such as gut feelings (yanli), regional price differences (diqu cha), and next buyer differences (xiajia cha). We also identify the key elements that underpin long-term success in the antiques trade: expertise, relationships, trust, reputation, and discretion. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the broader antiques trade and the art market, revealing how cultural, economic, and social dynamics converge in the realization of hidden value.

Stories sell art, yet the mechanisms through which narratives shape value remain underexplored. This study examines how narratives—networks, subject matter, dedications, and stories—impact art prices. Focusing on 50 top artists spanning historical periods and media, we build a dataset consisting of 267,400 auction sales results of artworks, sold around the world between 1993 and 2022. We apply hedonic regressions, combined with network analysis and topic modeling, to identify the narratives that shape valuation in art markets. This study contributes to the literature on art pricing, how narratives influence economic behaviors, and Artificial Intelligence applications to art data.

Artworks in museums hold significant historical, cultural, and aesthetic value, yet they remain inaccessible to many. Product co-creation between brands and museums has emerged as an innovative strategy to enhance accessibility to museum art. This approach expands market reach, diversifies revenue streams, and responds to declining public funding. Our study investigates evolving transnational partnerships between museums and brands, focusing on collaborations between EU and UK museums and brands in the Chinese market. Applying the PRISMA methodology, we synthesize anglophone and Chinese scholarship between 2018 and 2024. Findings indicate clustering effects within national networks and highlight gaps between Chinese and international discourse, underscoring the need for integrated frameworks bridging global and regional perspectives.