The Beijing International Chinese Antuques Fairs opens on 30th,Nov—4th, Dec,2007 at Golden Hall, Beijing Hotel, and is hosted by Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, Beijing Daily Group and Beijing Television.The Beijing International Chinese Antiques Fair (BICAF), a fair of unprecedented scale and size, is the first of its kind to be held in China and the region. Museum curators, private collectors, top-level dealers, experts, scholars, government officials will be gathered at BICAF. It aspires to be an annual event of the highest standard for the enrichment of arts and antique trade calendar in China , both in terms of the stature of participants and the richness of collections. Asia is the rising star of the international art market and China represents markedly this growth. Chinese art is taking an increasingly important role; its galleries, exhibitions and auctions are becoming more and more significant in the overall global art market. According to official records, the number of museums nationwide has grown dramatically from around 300 in the late 1970s to 830 within a decade, and more than 2,000 by the turn of the century. It is expected to reach 3,000 in another 15 years' time. Alongside with that is the flourishing auction industry. It is reported that the gross trading volume of the top 20 auction houses in Beijing amounted to RMB 10 billion (about USD 1.35 billion) just in the last two years. In order to facilitate the flow of international trade of Chinese arts and antiques, a premier art fair such as the BICAF is therefore essential. It is an event that has long been anticipated by art lovers in China and around the world. China 's national prosperity, contributed by its rapid economic growth, offers the natural incentive to organize a landmark event like the BICAF. It is also a result of the unrelenting support of the Chinese government to cultural projects, together with its active encouragement for the development of arts and antiques trade.