BEIJING.- China Guardian Auctions, Co., Ltd. recently announced an overview of the company’s 2011 performance. The leading auction house achieved significant sales and record highs in categories including Chinese paintings, calligraphy, oil paintings, sculptures, rare books, rubbings, manuscripts, stamps, coins, bronze mirrors, jadeite, jewelry and watches. The six auctions for the year –spring, autumn and four quarterly auctions – yielded over 29,700 sold lots, with annual sales in excess of RMB 11.2 billion (USD 1.77 billion). Four of the lots each fetched over RMB 1 billion (USD 158.5 million) and 144 lots sold for over RMB 10 million (USD 1.58 million), which marked the highest record of sales since the company was established in 1993. Sales in 2010 were recorded at RMB 7.55 billion (USD 1.2 billion), indicating a forty-nine percent increase in 2011. China Guardian maintains a leading position in the C