日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Europe

Return of looted Summer Palace relic to China called for

By Bo Leung in London | China Daily UK | Updated: 2018-04-09 16:51
Share
Share - WeChat
A bronze water vessel, known as Tiger Ying, is up for auction in Kent. The Canterbury Auction Galleries / For China Daily

Calls are mounting for the return of a 3,000-year-old bronze water vessel that was likely looted from Beijing’s Yuanmingyuan, or Old Summer Palace, in 1860.

The Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC) relic is set to be auctioned at Canterbury Auction Galleries on Wednesday, with an estimated selling price of between 120,000 pounds and 200,000 pounds ($168,000-$280,000).

Documents found by the United Kingdom auction house suggest Royal Marines Captain Harry Lewis Evans (1831-83), who fought in the Second Opium War between 1856 and 1860, could have looted the so-called Tiger Ying when the Old Summer Palace was destroyed and sacked by British and French troops in 1860.

Cheng Xiaohe, an associate professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said the issue is of importance to Chinese people because the “burning of Yuanmingyuan has been a symbol of shame for Chinese people for many years”.

“The Tiger Ying was taken by the British soldier, who is a real historical figure.Therefore, this plunder is an eternal pain in the hearts of the Chinese people. Asking for a return can partially relieve the suffering and humiliation of the Chinese people,” Cheng said.

He said the Chinese government has a right to claim illegally stolen relics.

“It is said that he (Evans) had clearly stated in the letter that the artifact was looted. The evidence that the Evans family illegally possessed the relics is a strong support for China to claim them back,” he said, noting that if it were returned to Beijing, the act would enhance Sino-British relations.

But legal experts in the UK said China has little or no legal claim to the vessel in international courts because it was taken more than a century ago.

Ian Fox-Williams, deputy head of law at Birmingham City University, said China has been trying to secure the return of looted items of national importance ever since the first international treaty dedicated to fighting illegal trafficking in cultural property was introduced in 1989.

“However, whilst it did sign the 1970 UNESCO convention concerning the protection of world cultural and natural heritage, China as a country can only seek the return of artifacts illegally exported after it joined the convention,” Fox-Williams said. “Under English law, the innocent purchaser of the Tiger Ying vessel, which was originally looted from the Summer Palace in China over 100 years ago, will be given priority over rights to the vessel.”

Fox-Williams suggested that another possible solution in such situations could have been found under the 1995 International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) Convention, which requires prospective buyers of artifacts to perform due diligence before buying items.

But, as China did not sign up to that convention until 1997, Fox-Williams noted that the vessel set to be auctioned will not be covered by UNIDROIT “since the looting of the vessel predated this by a significant period”.

“The quickest and easiest way of returning the Tiger Ying home to China will depend upon the wishes of the highest bidder,” he added.

In a statement last week, China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage said: “We hope the related institutions will abide by the spirit of international agreements, respect the feelings of the people in the country where the relic is originally from and not trade looted relics.”

The bronze vessel is not the first relic to be auctioned in Britain that likely came from the looted Old Summer Palace.

In 2011, a Chinese imperial gilt metal box turned up at an auction in Salisbury with an inscription inside the lid that said “Loot from the Summer Palace, Pekin, Oct. 1860. Capt. James Gunter, King’s Dragoon Guards”. The box sold for 400,000 pounds.

In the same year, an auction house based in Dorchester sold pieces from the Old Summer Palace, including a yellow jade pendant carved in the shape of a dragon that was made in the 1700s. It sold for 478,000 pounds.

1 2 3 Next   >>|
Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 午夜精品一区 | 国产精品无码2021在线观看 | 夜夜摸视频网 | 99久在线观看 | 天天天天做夜夜夜夜 | 欧美淫视频 | xifan在线a精品一区二区视频网站 | 久国产精品| 亚洲免费福利 | 亚洲综合天堂网 | 亚洲香蕉久久一区二区三区四区 | 午夜人成 | 久久第一页| 好爽好大www视频在线播放 | 婷婷亚洲五月 | 免费网站色 | 福利视频区 | 国产成人精品在线 | 国产精品点击进入在线影院高清 | 亚洲欧美一区二区三区久本道 | 免费在线小视频 | 日韩免费在线视频 | 精品国产一区二区 | 麻豆av免费观看 | 日韩伊人网 | 亚洲午夜综合网 | 久久国产亚洲观看 | 欧美成人性生活 | 999av视频 | 一区二区三区在线看 | 国产高清一区二区三区 | 成人午夜亚洲影视在线观看 | 国产毛片视频 | 欧美一级片在线视频 | 国产精品高清在线 | 梦中人在线观看免费完整版 | 91视视频在线观看入口直接观看 | 日韩在线免费电影 | 在线观看国产 | 国产日韩一区二区三区 | 人人欧美|