BEIJING, Jan. 4 -- Private collectors of Chinese national treasures, who have returned many valuable artifacts from overseas in recent years, are planning to pool resources to repatriate more of the country's heritage.

    Business people from east China's Zhejiang Province are holding a meeting in March to share experiences and combine forces in an attempt to head off competition at overseas auctions from international collectors.

    The event, in Cixi City, will offer new investment opportunities to businesspeople across the country, as well as endeavoring to establish a stronger and more coordinated approach.

    Over a million Chinese artifacts are thought to be kept in around 200 museums in 47 foreign countries, hundreds of thousands of which are considered amongst the best of their kind.

    "We initially bought the treasures to draw on techniques and patterns for our bowls and plates," said Li Linyan, president of Zhejiang Yongkang Linyan Corp, a house ware producer, "But it later became a hobby. I spend at least 3 million yuan each year on buying objects from overseas auctions."

    Li began his collection 10 years ago, and now has a small-scale exhibition house of his own.

    Many private entrepreneurs like Li have become collectors in Cixi.

    "As far as I know, 15 of the collectors in Zhejiang inject hundreds of millions of yuan every year into the overseas auction market to buy back national treasures," said Zhao Youqiang, director of the Publicity and Education Department of Zhejiang Museum.

    "It's impossible for a provincial museum like ours to spend such a huge sum," Zhao said, "But private entrepreneurs can. I am sure that private museums will be everywhere in four or five years."

    Zhejiang businesspeople have become a key force in the "buy-back" and have not gone unnoticed by overseas auctioneers.

    "Chinese bidders have increased by 20 percent over the past five years at Christie's," said Jiang Bingqiang, the auction house's Chinese representative, "China will be a potentially great market in the future."

    Christie's, one of the world's top auctioneers, specially invited 20 Cixi entrepreneurs to its Hong Kong salesroom in October 2004.

    Robin Straub, owner of the German Nagel Auktionen, agreed with Jiang. "Chinese clients have become more competitive on the international auction market," he said.

    The treasures kept by individuals in Zhejiang already outnumber those at the provincial museum.

    "Most Chinese collectors are usually isolated at overseas auctions," said Zhao, "They should try to unite as one like foreign buyers. Otherwise, they will never get the best items."

    At the moment it is unknown what proportion of the returned artifacts will be available for the people of China to see.

    (China.org.cn)