BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese man who successfully bid for two looted bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week says his winning bid will not be paid.

    Cai Mingchao, a collection advisor of National Treasure Funds of China (NTFC), bid 31.49 million euros (39.63 million U.S. dollars) by telephone during the auction at Christie's on Feb. 25,Niu Xianfeng, deputy director of the fund, said at a brief press conference Monday.

    "What I want to stress is that this money cannot be paid," Cai said at the press conference.

Cai Mingchao, a collection advisor of National Treasures Fund who successfully bid for two looted bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week, attends a news conference in Beijing, on March 2, 2009. Cai said on Monday his winning bid will not be paid. Cai bid 31.49 million euros (39.63 million U.S. dollars) by telephone during the auction at Christie's on Feb. 25, Niu Xianfeng, deputy director of the fund, said at a brief press conference Monday. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Photo Gallery>>>

    An unnamed officer with NTFC said Cai successfully registered as an individual bidder on the day of the auction at Christie's because of his good reputation. Usually, bidders are required to register several days before an auction.

    "Every Chinese would have liked to do like this at that moment, and I'm honored to have the chance to make the bid," he said.

    NTFC was established in 2002 under the administration of China Foundation for the Development of Social Culture registered under the name of the Ministry of Culture for the purpose of repatriating looted Chinese artifacts.

    A Xinhua reporter asked if he registered at the auction as a representative of the fund, but Cai only answered, "I did this on behalf of all Chinese people."

Cai Mingchao (3rd R), a collection advisor of National Treasures Fund who successfully bid for two looted bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week, attends a news conference in Beijing, on March 2, 2009. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Photo Gallery>>>

    "The fund faces great pressure and risks by bidding for the two sculptures, but this is an extraordinary method taken in an extraordinary situation, which successfully stopped the auction," Niu said.

    Earlier media reports said the 18th Century bronze heads of a rat and a rabbit were sold for 28 million euros as part of an auction of art works owned by the late French designer Yves Saint Laurent.

    China has repeatedly demanded the return of the sculptures looted when the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) was burned down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860.However, Christie's held the auction after a court in Paris turned down a motion by Chinese lawyers to stop the auction.

    So far, five of the 12 bronze animal heads have been returned, while the whereabouts of five others are unknown.

    Wang Qing, spokesman of a group of almost 90 lawyers who have been trying to boycott the auction by legal means, told Xinhua that they were excited to hear the news.

    "We admire Cai's action, which demonstrated the power of Chinese people," Wang said. He said Cai was a patriot, who had spent a lot of money in repatriating Chinese cultural relics. He was forced to do this in an effort to stop the auction.

Cai Mingchao (3rd R), a collection advisor of National Treasures Fund who successfully bid for two looted bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week, and Niu Xianfeng (1st L), deputy director of the fund, attend a news conference in Beijing, on March 2, 2009. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Photo Gallery>>>

    Cai, a native of Fujian, also runs a cultural company in Xiamen city in the province. He bought a bronze buddha statue at a sotheby's auction for 116 million Hong Kong dollars (14.95 million U.S. dollars) in 2006, and brought the rare treasure back to China.

    Wang said Cai's action would help the lawyers pursue further legal actions.

    Gan Xuejun, general manager of Beijing Huachen Auctions Co. Ltd., said Cai's method of foiling the auction was improper and he sacrificed his reputation as a well-known antiques collector.

    "I'm very surprised. Cai's reputation and future career could be ruined. Cai made the choice in an urgent situation for the country, but I personally do not support such behavior," Gan told Xinhua.

    "As an experienced artifacts collector and advisor, Cai fully understood all possible consequences and he chose to do what he did after careful consideration," the NTFC officer said.

    In China, bidders must pay a deposit before attending an auction. However, a deposit was unnecessary outside China and auctioneers usually accept reliable bidders, said Gan.

Niu Xianfeng (2nd L), deputy director of the National Treasures Fund, is interviewed after a news conference in Beijing, on March 2, 2009. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang) Photo Gallery>>>

    Gillian Leung, a public relations manager with Christie's Hong Kong office, said the company was investigating the case, but no official statement was available.

    Shan Jing, chief representative of Christie's Beijing office, said usually such a case would be submitted to the company's legal affairs department, and its lawyers would decide on further action.

    Gan said Christie's may take legal action to pursue payment from Cai.

Auctioned bronze sculptures go to Chinese bidder

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>>>

    BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese bidder won the two looted relics, bronze rabbit and rat heads, that were auctioned in Paris last month, a Chinese fund for looted artworks announced here Monday.  Full story

China condemns Christie's sculpture sale, warns of "serious effects"

    BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Following an auction Wednesday in Paris by Christie's of two bronze sculptures taken from the Summer Palace in 1860, China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) issued a statement here Thursday condemning the action and saying it would have "serious effects" on Christie's development in China."

    The administration said in the statement that China did not acknowledge what it called the illegal possession of the two sculptures and would "continue to seek the return of the sculptures by all means in accord with related international conventions and Chinese laws."  Full story

Looted Chinese relics sold for 14 million euros each

    PARIS, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Two controversial ancient Chinese relics were auctioned off on Wednesday night for 14 million euros (17.92 million U.S. dollars) each by anonymous telephone bidders in Christie's sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in the Grand Palace of Paris.

    According to Christie's, they have received 8 phone calls for "enquiries" before the sale. After the auction was launched, the competition was only conducted between telephone bidders, with no one in the scene raised for a bid. Full story

How absurd to "kidnap" cultural relics with human rights

    BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Two pieces of China's valuable cultural past, the bronze heads of a rabbit and a rat, stolen from the Old Summer Palace by British and French forces during the second Opium War in 1860, are scheduled for auction in Paris Wednesday night.

    Long before the auction, the Chinese government, cultural heritage organizations and lawyers have been actively pursuing the return of the Chinese treasures. However, at this specific moment, the owner of the bronzes, French businessman Pierre Berge, offered to swap the two sculptures for the application of human rights in China and the freedom of Tibet. From the Chinese point of view, it's an absurd requirement by abducting China's cultural relics with human rights issues. Full story

American Chinese collectors urge boycott of Christie's

    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

Chinese gov't writes to Christie's seeking to stop auction

    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

Chinese lawyers vow to carry on despite French court rule on looted bronzes

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

Paris court refuses to stop sale of looted Chinese bronzes

    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