The garbage was taken to a Hong Kong landfill but attempts to recover the painting so far have remained fruitless . A small ` ` ' [UNK] '' broke the record for a Chinese porcelain artifact sold at auction . An ultra - rich Chinese collector bought the object for more than $ 1 million . Hong Kong , now an international auction hub , is popular among collectors from China . Cleaners at a luxury hotel in the city mistakenly threw out a valuable painting .
A small ` ` ' [UNK] '' broke the record for a Chinese porcelain artifact sold at auction . An ultra - rich Chinese collector bought the object for more than $ 1 million . Hong Kong , now an international auction hub , is popular among collectors from China . Cleaners at a luxury hotel in the city mistakenly threw out a valuable painting .