The mood was tense as a group of influential experts in the field of Chinese art and archaeology assembled in a dreary annex of the State Department on a wintry day in Washington, DC. They had come to the capital to participate in a public hearing of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC). The committee was considering the request of the People’s Republic of China for US Customs restrictions against the import of all Chinese cultural property over 95 years old, submitted under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO convention – the most important piece of US legislation ever proposed in the area of Chinese art. For all that it was inspiring to see democracy at work, the hearing was grim and urgent, as CPAC’s decision to support, oppose or modify China’s request will have far-reaching implications for the cultural lives of Americans, not to mention the livelihoods of people involved in Chinese art and archaeology: for as this request stands, it is in effect an embargo.
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