A piece of Chinese calligraphy by the great Chinese Song dynasty scholar Zeng Gong (1019-1083) has set a new world record in China.

The lot made $31.7m at the China Garden Auction House in Beijing earlier this month.

That makes it the most valuable piece of Chinese calligraphy ever sold.

It's highly prized due to its deeply personal content, with Gong writing to a friend on the subject of depression. It also features a clear and very rare example of his signature.

The last time it was sold in 2009 it realised $16.5m, equating to growth of 9.7% over the past seven years.

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