A blue-and-white porcelain vase, dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), offered by Chak's at this year's antiques fair. [Photo provided to China Daily]

To attend the classes, he flew from Hong Kong to Beijing once a week. He took the first flight of the day, rushed directly from the airport to the classes, and took the evening flight back. After he returned home at midnight, he reviewed the course with the aid of a recorder because he couldn't follow the teachers' Mandarin accents at the time.

Through the classes, he formed close connections with researchers at the school, which enabled him to follow them to archaeological excavations and field studies in the years afterward. The extensive trips across the country widely opened his eyes to the varieties of ancient Chinese ceramics.

"Maybe I'm an expert, but the more I learn about the history and culture behind these ceramics, the more I feel I know little and should dig further."

Combining practical experience with academic learning is something that he often suggests to people whether they are serious collectors or buyers for investment purposes. He also advises buyers to focus on specific areas of collecting that best suit one's personality, lifestyle and financial status.

"It's impossible for a private collector to be well versed in all categories of antiques－this is the job of museums," he says. "It surely takes time for one, at first very passionate but lost, to mature and gradually build up a collecting hierarchy of his or her own."

A responsible dealer not only profits from his clients' consignments, but befriends them, studies antiques with them and helps them find their direction in the world of collecting, he says.

Although he now spends more time in the mainland where the market is booming, Chak remains optimistic about the role of Hong Kong as an Asian art hub.

"Antique collecting emerged in Hong Kong in the 1970s. The past decades have seen the rise of Hong Kong art collectors to international prominence, not only because they have formed a stable collective but also because their tastes have become diversified.

"The openness of Hong Kong has attracted international auctioneers, and (due to this) local dealers like me are able to learn a lot of about the art market and widen our vision."

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn