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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, February 17, 2003

Resolved to Recover Lost Cultural Relics in Overseas

A forum on rescuing cultural relics lost in overseas was held in Beijing at the end of January, at which leading figures in cultural relics circles gathered together to voice their opinions on the rescue of lost cultural relics in overseas and condemn the attitudes taken by some European and American museums.


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A forum on rescuing cultural relics lost in overseas was held in Beijing at the end of January by the Special Fund for Rescuing Lost Cultural Relics in Overseas under the China Social-Cultural Development Foundation, at which leading figures in cultural relics circles, such as President Luo Zhewen with the State Cultural Relics Society and Zheng Xiaoxie, deputy director of the experts committee for the protection of famous State historical and cultural cities, gathered together to voice their opinions on the rescue of lost cultural relics in overseas and condemn the attitudes taken by some European and American museums.

"Statement" dished out by 18 European and American museums
On December 10, 2002, eighteen European and American museums, including the Great Britain Museum, the Paris Louvre Museum and the New York Metropolis Art Museum, jointly issued a statement (hereinafter referred to as "Statement") on the importance and value of global museum, opposing returning artworks, particularly ancient cultural relics, to the original owner countries.

The "Statement" declares: "For a long time, these artifacts, obtained whether through purchase or by the method of the exchange of gifts, have become parts of the museums that keep these articles, and have extended to be parts of the countries that collect these articles. At present, we should pay particular attention to the primitive transmission and succession of these works, but we cannot neglect a fact, these museums have continued the vigor and values of these things through long-term displays after departure from their original places.

But we should admit that a museum serves not only the people of a country, but also the people of various countries. A museum is the spokesman for cultural development, the task of cultural development is to enrich knowledge through constant reinterpretations. Each piece of work makes its contribution in this process. Restricting the museum from collecting different and diversified works is disrespect for all visitors."

The "Statement" categorically opposes returning lost cultural relics to the original owner countries, and finds high-sounding reasons for its act of cultural monopolies.

Why do these European and American museums dish out such a statement? Zhang Yongnian, director of the Rescuing Lost Cultural Relics in Overseas under the China Social-Cultural Development Foundation, maintains that from the perspective of the entire international cultural relics market, large amounts of the cultural relics traded in the international cultural relics market are Chinese cultural relics, while the main buyers of these historical relics are some large museums in Europe and America.

In recent years, along with the increase of China's national strength, people live an affluent life, and there has emerged a back-flow heat; meanwhile, along with China's growing national strength, China's voice carries increasing weight, in implementing international conventions, the strength of the Chinese government to recover lost historical relics has been enhanced; this, plus the mounting demands of developing countries for the return of lost cultural relics in recent years, has made European and American museums feel the pressure, they wanted to get rid of passivity and gain the initiative, so they dished up such a statement.

Personages with the concerned departments of the State Cultural Relics Bureau hold that with the success of the Jew in their claim for some valuable cultural relics or works of art, some European and American museums feel that the problem of lost cultural relics is a matter very difficult to handle, furthermore, they maintain that with global integration, cultural relics, in the final analysis, belong to all mankind and, moreover, are well protected in their museums, it was under such circumstances that they dished out such a statement.

China's Non-governmental Organization Publishes an "Open Letter"
On January 13, the Special Fund for the Rescuing Lost Cultural Relics in Overseas under the China Social-Cultural Development Foundation published an "Open Letter to 18 Museums Including the Paris Louvre Museum and the New York Metropolis Museum", (hereinafter referred to as "Open Letter"), making an active reaction to this matter.

The "Open Letter" says: "the "Statement" expresses for the first time its opposition to returning the cultural relics and other works of art, obtained by illegitimate means, including predatory means used during imperialist wars of aggression, to the original owner countries. This is conflicting with the UNESCO "Convention on Prohibiting and Preventing the Illegal Import and Export of Cultural Property and the Method of Illegal Transfer of Its Ownership, and runs counter to justice and publicly acknowledged truth and tramples upon the just rights of the victimized countries and nations.

"As members of a non-governmental public-welfare organization which takes the rescue of lost Chinese cultural relics in overseas as its purpose, we support the Chinese government's accession to cultural relics protection international conventions such as the Convention on Prohibiting and Preventing Illegal Import and Export of Cultural Property and the Method of Illegal Transfer of Its Ownership, and we greatly favor the principle set in the international convention for "protecting the cultural property in the place of origin".

"The Chinese government has repeatedly stated that it will absolutely not give up its claim for the recovery of its robbed and illegally exported cultural relics. We firmly support the Chinese government's just demand, and take upon ourselves the rescue of lost cultural relics in overseas as our own responsibility, and we will do everything we can for this. Here we solemnly reiterate: whether under previous war conditions or in today's peaceful environment, the ownership of Chinese cultural relics lost through immoral, unjust and illegal ways forever belongs to the Chinese people and must be handled in accordance relevant stipulations of international conventions."

The Open Letter was carried in some domestic English media after its publication and contacts were made with related individual European and American museums, but the replies obtained were regrettable.

Intention of the "Statement" contradicts international conventions
According to Wan Weiming, director-general of the Special Fund for the Rescue of Lost Cultural Relics in Overseas under the China Social-Cultural Development Foundation, China has joined four cultural relics protection international conventions: it acceded to the "Convention on the Protection of World and Natural Heritages" in 1985; the "Convention on Prohibiting and Preventing Illegal Import and Export of Cultural Property and the Method of Illegal Transfer of Its Ownership in 1989; the International Unified Private Law Association's Convention on Robbed Or Illegally Exported Cultural Relics in 1997; and the "Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property under the Circumstances of Armed Conflicts" in 1999. In the meantime, the UNESCO signed the "Convention on Robbed or Illegally Exported Cultural Relics in 1995.

According to relevant stipulations of these conventions, countries suffering from the losses of cultural relics have the right to take back the lost cultural relics which should be returned to their original owner countries. In line with these international conventions, China has, in recent years, stuck to its just stand of taking back historically robbed and illegally exported Chinese cultural relics, and it has successfully recovered several batches of lost cultural relics by adopting diplomatic and legal means.

Experts and scholars support the "Open Letter"
At the forum, experts and scholars held that the State and government are the main force in rescuing lost cultural relics in overseas. At the same time, besides the government's main legal channels, there should also be non-governmental channels to assist the government in rescuing lost historical relics.

Xie Chensheng, honorary president of the Chinese Cultural Relics Society, said that national culture is the soul of a nation and a matter of life and death, while cultural relics are the essential representative of national culture. Under the globalization environment, rescuing cultural relics is rescuing national culture. Zheng Xiaoxie said that the loss of cultural relics is a matter concerning cultural sovereignty, i.e., ownership. The ownership of China's lost cultural relics forever belongs to China. They have the value of world heritages, but their protection should be given in the original address and the original place.

In the opinion of Wang Shixiang, standing member of the State Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, since we need to recover the cultural relics, we must carry out the work of investigation and study of the robbed cultural relics, so as to make our recovery of lost cultural relics well-based. An official with the related department of the State Cultural Relics Bureau said that the return of lost cultural relics involves history, laws and many other aspects, the matter is very complicated, the most fundamental work is to do the work of investigation and establishment of files well.

Zhang Yongnian said: our next work is to send materials to the above-said 18 European and American museums as well as international auction companies and conduct direct dialogs with them to strongly express our stand and wishes and to stop the loss of cultural relics and recover lost historical relics through our actual deeds.

Zhang Yongnian added, according to the opinions of experts, when the time is ripe in future, we will unite Egypt, Greece, Cambodia and the world's other victimized countries which suffer from the loss of cultural relics to create a cultural right-keeping institution and form an international force for the recovery of lost cultural relics.

By People's Daily Online


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