Hong Kong is staging a series of auctions this month aimed at tapping mainland Chinese buyers' growing wealth, with Sotheby's autumn sale alone expected to rake in over 200 million US dollars. The southern Chinese city of seven million people has become the world's third-largest auction hub after New York and London, thanks in large part to China's growing political and economic prowess. Mainland Chinese often grab the top lots in sales of works of art, jewellery and wine, reflecting their growing wealth and increasingly sophisticated tastes. Sotheby's autumn sale, which revs into high gear on Monday and runs until October 8, will see 3,200 items put on the auction block, including top-end wines, a 6.4 carat pink diamond, works by contemporary Chinese painters and an 18th century Chinese imperial seal. The Qing Dynasty white jade seal is estimated to sell for as much as 30 million Hong Kong dollars (3.86 million US dollars), Sotheby's said. Wealthy mainland buyers want to own a piece … [Read more...] about Hong Kong kicks off month of multi-million-dollar auctions