HONG KONG (REUTERS).- Demand for classical and fine Chinese paintings was relatively robust at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Asia sales on Tuesday despite signs of softening demand for Asian and Chinese contemporary art amid recent financial market volatility. Sotheby’s biannual sales are considered a bellwether of the burgeoning Asian and Chinese art market with Hong Kong now rivaling London and New York as a global art auction hub, propelled by waves of affluent Chinese and regional buyers. Bidding was brisk at times for some 360 lots of fine Chinese paintings including ink brush landscapes, centuries-old scrolls, calligraphy and folding fans, even as the Hong Kong stock market fell nearly four percent for a second consecutive day. A Qi Baishi ink painting “Rabbits and Osmanthus” made HK$6.2 million ($796,224), nearly five times its estimate while works by old masters Fu Baoshi, Zhang Daqian and Wu