Profound and abstruse in meaning, Chinese painting and calligraphy are beyond the grasp of most Westerners and, rife with imitations and forgeries, a dangerous "trap" for the investor. That is why the Chinese art objects which regularly fetch the highest prices at Sotheby's auctions are all porcelain and ceramics.
究其原因，書畫意境深邈，歐美門外漢無從把玩；而且中國書畫仿作特多、處處「陷阱」，也令投資者望而怯步。