A painting in China Guardian's spring sale, produced by Qianlong, depicts a vase with lotus flowers and a pot of daisies.

"Qianlong's love for flowers is akin to that of his father, emperor Yongzheng, who is known for his simplicity of artistic taste," explains Yu.

In fact, one of the lots is a very rare enamel bowl made for emperor Yongzheng. The bowl was painted with lots of colorful flowers in red, green and yellow. According to Yu, there are four bowls of this kind in existence. One is stored in the Palace Museum and another is owned by a collector in Hong Kong.

A well-known painting series, Twelve Beauties, used by Yongzheng on the screens in his study at the Summer Palace reveals his fondness for flowers.

"Emperors are also like ordinary people," concludes Yu. "They love nature and especially favor flowers."