BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China Tuesday criticized
the sale of two looted bronze sculptures at Christie's, saying it broke
international conventions and seriously hurt the cultural rights and interests
as well as its national sentiment.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu made the remarks
at a regular press conference as answering relevant questions.
The two bronze head sculptures, one rabbit and a
rat, formed part of the zodiacal clepsydra that decorated the Calm Sea Pavilion
in the Old Summer Palace of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795).They were stolen when
the palace was burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium
War in 1860.
So far, five of the 12 bronze animal heads have been
returned to China. The whereabouts of five others are unknown.
A team of 81 Chinese lawyers wrote to Christie's
auction house in an effort to stop the sale of the bronzes. The team also
attempted to get a French court to halt the case, but the court ruled out
the bid on Monday.
"It is the international community's consensus as
well as the basic cultural rights and interest of the people of other countries
to protect cultural relics and return them to the original owning countries," Ma
said.
He added that the Chinese government has attached
great importance to the retrieval of looted cultural items. He added that it has
joined international conventions, signed bilateral agreements with many
countries and actively participates in international cooperation in this regard.
"The western powers have plundered a great amount of
Chinese cultural relics in wars, including many precious items robbed from the
Old Summer Palace. All these should be returned to China," Ma said.
China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage
(SACH) has voiced strong opposition with Christie's and demanded that the
auction be stopped.
The Administration would not buy the sculptures,
because buying them means China acknowledges they were taken legally.
As for the report that the current owner of the
bronzes Pierre Berge said he would return the two heads of the sculpture so long
as China gives liberty to the Tibet people and welcomes the Dalai Lama, the
spokesman said it is absurd to infringe on the Chinese people's fundamental
cultural rights under the banner of human rights.
He urged those involved to understand and respect the
just demands of the Chinese people and help return Chinese cultural properties
back to China.
The auction house is to stage the auction in Paris at
7 a.m. on Feb. 25 (local time). The two items are expected to fetch between
16-20 million euros (20.8-26 million U.S. dollars).
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- American Chinese
collectors on Tuesday urged the Chinese government to take action against
Christine's, and called for a boycott of the auctioneer if it insists on
auctioning two historic bronze sculptures looted from a Chinese imperial garden.
The American Chinese Collector's Association and the
Eastern Cultural Foundation jointly issued an open letter at a press conference
here, in an appeal to all Chinese collectors and antique dealers around the
world to stop doing business with Christine's. Full story
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's heritage authorities
said Tuesday they had written to auction house Christie's in a bid to stop the
sale of two looted bronze sculptures.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH)
sent the letter to the auction house on Feb. 17, but only announced it in a
statement Tuesday. Full story
Ren Xiaohong (R), a lawyer for the
Association for the Protection of Chinese Art in Europe (APACE), the
plaintiff, speaks to the media with her colleague Ayagh at the Tribunal de
Grande Instance in Paris, capital of France, Feb. 23, 2009. The Paris
court on Monday ruled against stopping the sale of two looted Chinese
bronze sculptures which come up for auction at Christie's on
Wednesday.(Xinhua/Zheng Suchun) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Despite losing a bid in a
Parisian court to stop two looted bronze sculptures from being auctioned at
Christie's, Chinese lawyers pledged to continue their efforts to halt the sale.
"We are disappointed about the French court rule on Monday
but we have to accept it," Li Xingfeng, one of the 81 Chinese lawyers that
participated in the project, told Xinhua here Tuesday. Full story
A photographer takes a picture of the
Chinese bronze rat head and rabbit head sculptures displayed on the
preview of the auction of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge's art
collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Feb. 21, 2009.
(Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) Photo
Gallery>>>
PARIS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Paris court on Monday ruled
against stopping the sale of two looted Chinese bronze sculptures which come up
for auction at Christie's on Wednesday.
Under the ruling of the Tribunal de Grande Instance
in Paris, the plaintiff, the Association for the Protection of Chinese Art in
Europe (APACE), was ordered to pay compensation to the defendant. Full story
