Asia's oldest art fair, Art Taipei, got off to a leisurely start last Thursday, with lots of talk and not much action, following the time-honored rhythm of its main client base, the Taiwanese collectors themselves. While new entrants to the fair, especially those from mainland China, found the measured pace at the vernissage disorienting, seasoned dealers settled down happily to the protracted discussions and haggling that are the hallmarks of business Taiwan-style.

A total 124 of galleries are participating in Art Taipei this year, drawn by the well-earned reputation of the Taiwanese as the leading collectors of modern and contemporary art in Asia. Regional galleries dominate the scene, with the Taiwanese out in force and serious participation from leading players in Japan, mainland China, and Hong Kong. But the slate also includes significant dealers of Western modern and contemporary art such as Pascal de Sarthe, Edouard Malingue, and James Cohan.

Although the golden carpet at the vernissage — gold being the imperial color of China — was dominated by Taiwan's home-grown collectors, there was a healthy admixture of players from further afield, notably from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. The Indonesian-Chinese collector Budi Tek (Yu Deyao) was active on the opening night, snapping up several works by emerging Chinese talents, while Richard Chang, the prominent American-Chinese collector, was also seen strolling the halls. Also checking out the scene were a number of interested (and influential) bystanders including leading gallerists from China such as Lorenz Helbling from ShanghART and Magnus Renfrew, director of Art Hong Kong.

Most of the business on opening night was done between Taiwanese galleries and local collectors. Eslite Gallery did well, not just with favored Taiwanese artists like Suling Wang, Michael Lin, and Lien Chien Hsing, but also with works by contemporary artists from mainland China. Their coups by night's end included one of Zhan Wang's "Artificial Rocks" series — a relatively diminutive rendering of a table and stools — for 7.25 million Taiwan new dollars (about $249,000) and an edgy work entitled "Swordsman — Ha Ha Ha Ha" from up-and-coming video artist Li Ming.

Among the non-Taiwanese galleries doing solid opening night business was Platform China with a cleverly chosen, and relatively affordable, selection of young Chinese painters. Platform has previously participated in the emerging Taiwanese art fair Young Art Taipei and had designed their booth with an eye to the Taiwanese penchant for technical excellence in painting. Nonetheless their opening night sales of works by Qin Qi and Song Yuanyuan were all to non-Taiwanese collectors.

Ironically, as the vernissage drew to a close it was some of the western gallerists who seemed most confident of matching the Taiwanese galleries in accessing local collectors at the fair. Pascal de Sarthe, for example, recently opened a gallery in Hong Kong but has been cultivating a clientele in Taiwan for 20 years. The connections he made selling Chinese modern masters revered in Taiwan like Zao Wou-ki and Chu Teh Chun (who made their careers in Paris after the Second World War) were yesterday providing him an entrée to showing quite different work. By the end of the night he was deep in discussions with Taiwanese collectors not just about Zao and Chu, but also about pieces he had brought to the fair by Bernar Venet and Pierre Soulages.