HONG KONG:

A rare wine cup fired in the imperial kilns of China's Ming dynasty more than 500 years ago sold yesterday for HK $281.2 million at a Sotheby's sale in Hong Kong, making it one of the most expensive Chinese cultural relics ever auctioned. The tiny porcelain cup from the Chenghua period, dating from 1465 to 1487, is painted with cockerels, hens and chicks, and known simply as a "chicken cup".