Xinhua: China to reclaim looted, stolen relics
Cultural relic experts and NGOs will go abroad to reclaim China’s national treasures.
The China Cultural Relics Recovery Program, funded by the China Foundation for the Development of Folklore Culture, announced a large-scale program Monday to claim back Chinese cultural relics scattered around the world. The group said it would mainly look for stolen, excavated or looted items between 1840 and 1949, said Zhang Yongnian, head of the program.
Statistics from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) show about more than 200 museums in 47 countries have 1.67 million Chinese cultural relics. However, some people estimate private collectors could have 10 times as many.
See also an article on this topic in the Standard.
