France returns 32 cultural relics to Chinese museum

LANZHOU, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-two gold ornaments stolen from ancient Chinese tombs and held by French collectors were formally handed over to northwest China's Gansu Provincial Museum on Monday.

Li Xiaojie, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, presented a gold ornament to Liu Weiping, Gansu provincial governor, at a hand-over ceremony on Monday morning, marking the relics' return.

It was the first time cultural relics have been successfully returned to China following bilateral negotiations between the Chinese and French governments. They were returned by French private collectors Francois Pinault and Christian Deydier earlier this year.

The 32 gold items came from tombs in Dabuzishan in Lixian County, Gansu Province dating back to the Spring and Autumn period (770 BC-476 BC). The tombs were badly looted during the 1990s and a large number of relics, including the gold ornaments, were smuggled abroad.

A public exhibition of the relics also opened on Monday and will last until Oct. 31. After that, they will be permanently displayed at the Gansu Provincial Museum.

法国归还３２件秦人文物在兰州正式移交

新华社兰州７月２０日电（记者张玉洁、戴盈、姜潇）曾流失法国的３２件甘肃大堡子山秦人文物２０日正式移交至甘肃省博物馆。中法两国之间首次通过协商合作促成流失文物回归的案例成功完结。

９时３０分，大堡子山流失文物移交仪式暨“秦韵－大堡子山流失文物回归特展”在甘肃省博物馆开幕。仪式上，国家文物局局长励小捷将曾藏于法国国立吉美亚洲艺术博物馆的金饰片正式移交到甘肃省省长刘伟平手中。至此，中法两国之间首次通过协商合作促成流失文物回归的案例成功完结。

据了解，这３２件金饰品来自甘肃省陇南市礼县大堡子山遗址。在西周及春秋时期，秦人曾在西汉水上游的大堡子山一带生活繁衍。大堡子山于上世纪９０年代遭盗掘，大量秦人文物随之流失海外。２００５年以来，中国政府开始了大堡子山流失文物调查，并建立了被盗文物完整的证据链。

在２０１４中法建交５０周年之际，中法两国加紧合作，为这批文物回归营造了良好环境。文物原捐赠人皮诺、戴迪安撤销了对吉美博物馆的捐赠协议，并于今年四月、五月由原捐赠人归还中国政府。

据了解，此次特展将对公众免费开放至１０月３１日。展览结束后，这批文物将放入甘肃省博物馆基本陈列的相应单元展出。