Two seals once used by an emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and recently retrieved from overseas sold for 3.55 million yuan (about US$430,000) at a Chinese spring auction in Beijing on Wednesday.

It is the first time an emperor's seal has been auctioned in China.

Bidding for the seals which were said to be used by Emperor Kang Xi, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, began at 500,000 yuan (about US$60,000) but soared to a final price of 3.55 million yuan.

A spokesperson for the auctioneer said that the seals were retrieved from an European collector and sold to a Chinese buyer who declined to be identified.

According to Chinese history, emperor's seals were regarded as a symbol of their power.

Records show that Emperor Kang Xi had a total of 120 seals. Most of them were lost in Europe after allied forces looted Beijing in 1900.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2002)