The vase is from the Qianlong period in the Qing Dynasty. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

A vase decorated with blooming flowers sold for 22.425 million yuan ($3.24 million) at a Beijing auction on Wednesday night. The vase, from the Emperor Qianlong period (1711-1799) in the Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911), was stolen and taken to the UK in 1860, and had appeared at auctions many times.

The piece, from the Guang Tang Bi Que auction house, was made using a Western porcelain making technique. It was part of a former collection at the UK's Fonthill House.

"The piece is a major porcelain from the middle and late Qianlong period", Qian Weipeng, a porcelain authentication expert, said. "The large vase is like a flower just before budding", "We have counted the flowers on the vase, and it has more than 100 varieties, with many we can't even tell the names."

"As the economy peaked during the Qianlong period, so the emperor hoped flowers would bloom around the country, which symbolizes a prosperous future", Qian said.

The vase appeared at auctions overseas many times, and the latest transaction was during a London sale in 2003. A Chinese businessman from Zhejiang province bought the piece for about 4.8 million yuan.