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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

Collector Wins Lawsuit Over Fake Master Hsing Yun Calligraphy

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A collector sued two men for selling him fake artworks by the late Master Hsing Yun, seeking 2 million New Taiwan dollars.
  • The collector was initially convinced by a publication and certificates of authenticity, but later learned the works were forgeries.
  • The court ordered the two sellers to jointly pay 1.8 million New Taiwan dollars in damages.

A collector who spent nearly 2 million New Taiwan dollars on nine calligraphy works attributed to the late Master Hsing Yun has won a lawsuit against two men who sold him the forgeries. The collector, identified by the surname Chiang, sought compensation after discovering the artworks were fake.

In May 2019, Chiang attempted to purchase the calligraphy pieces, including works titled "Guan Xin Zi Zai" (Observe the Mind with Ease) and "Tian Xia Wei Gong" (The World Belongs to All). The sellers, identified as Chen and Kuo, allegedly presented a publication titled "Master Hsing Yun's One-Stroke Calligraphy" and provided certificates of authenticity to convince Chiang of the works' legitimacy. They ultimately received 1.81 million New Taiwan dollars from the transaction.

Chiang later learned from individuals associated with Fo Guang Shan, the Buddhist organization founded by Master Hsing Yun, that the artworks were indeed imitations. He subsequently filed a fraud lawsuit. Initial investigations by prosecutors, based on dialogue records where one seller stated, "Doctor, you yourself said I found things for you, if you bought the wrong thing, you yourself have to be responsible," led to a decision not to indict the men.

Chiang then pursued a civil lawsuit, demanding nearly 2 million New Taiwan dollars. The Kaohsiung District Court investigated and found that no affiliated units of Fo Guang Shan had ever issued such certificates of authenticity. The court determined that the high-priced works were not genuine Master Hsing Yun originals. However, it initially ruled that Chen did not have a subjective intent to conspire in fraud, ordering only Kuo to pay 1.15 million New Taiwan dollars.

Both Chiang and Kuo appealed the decision. The Kaohsiung High Court, upon review, concluded that Chen and Kuo had a shared intent to conspire. It consequently ordered them to jointly pay 1.8 million New Taiwan dollars in damages. The ruling is subject to further appeal.

Doctor, you yourself said I found things for you, if you bought the wrong thing, you yourself have to be responsible

— Seller (Chen or Kuo)A statement from dialogue records presented during the legal proceedings, suggesting the seller attempted to shift responsibility to the buyer.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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