The loss of Chinese cultural relics has always been a pain in the hearts of the Chinese people, and tens of thousands of precious cultural relics have been brought to the world by theft, robbery, plunder and other means. Although some cultural relics have been returned to the motherland thanks to the efforts of relevant workers, the number of cultural relics returned to China is still very small compared to the total number of cultural relics that are still lost abroad.
The United States is one of the countries with the worst loss of cultural relics in China. Since the 19th and 20th centuries, a large number of American explorers have come to China to search for treasures, looking for treasures in caves, secret rooms, and palaces. Some of them are scholars, some are greedy antique dealers, and some are officials who keep their collections in museums without pulling a penny from their lovers. Various characters are intertwined, and many precious artifacts have been brought to the United States. According to statistics, in the past 30 years, about 2.3 million Chinese cultural relics have flowed into the United States.
Canada is also one of the countries that houses a large collection of Chinese artifacts. The Ontario Museum of Canada is one of the famous museums with a rich collection of Chinese antiques, which occupies almost half of the exhibition area. Most of these Chinese artifacts were collected by missionaries while in China. While preaching, missionaries collected Chinese artifacts for the museum. The Ontario Museum is also an important place to collect Chinese artifacts.
The Palais de Fontainebleau in France also houses a large collection of Chinese artifacts. The palace was looted during the Anglo-French invasion of China in 1860 and became the treasury of the French royal palace. It contains more than 30,000 pieces of famous Chinese paintings, gold and silver jewelry, chimes and other treasures.
The British Museum is by far one of the world's largest and richest collections of cultural relics, and it is also the museum with the largest collection of lost cultural relics in China. In the British Museum, Chinese cultural relics cover almost all categories, from ancient artifacts to porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with a long history span and a complete variety, no less than any museum in China.
In addition, cultural relics lost in China are scattered in Germany, Japan, Russia and other countries. Germany has reportedly had 300,000 Chinese artifacts scattered across the country. The Shoso-in Temple of Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan, preserves a large number of artifacts from the Tang Dynasty. The Russian Museum of Oriental Culture and the Russian Winter Palace house artifacts from the Western Xia period in China.
The loss of cultural relics is not just a temporary loss, they represent the splendid culture of the Chinese nation and the wisdom of the ancestors. The pursuit of the restitution of lost cultural relics requires many difficulties, including the identification of historical facts and legal obstacles. Moreover, for museums that collect Chinese artifacts, they are also one of the highlights that attract tourists, increasing their tourism revenue. Solving this long-standing and complex problem requires the joint efforts of all parties to seek mutually beneficial and win-win solutions. Only in this way can we better protect and inherit the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.
"The Loss of Cultural Relics, China's List of Sorrows"
China is a country with an ancient civilization with a long and splendid history and a rich and diverse cultural heritage. However, for a long time, Chinese cultural relics have suffered a serious loss. This is a pain point that has long plagued the hearts of the Chinese people, which is sad and heavy.
Since 1949, Chinese workers have worked hard to recover lost cultural relics from abroad, and so far more than 150,000 cultural relics have been successfully returned to China. This number may seem huge, but compared to the total number of cultural relics that are still lost, the number of cultural relics that have been returned to China is actually very small. According to data from the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, since the Opium War, more than 10 million cultural relics have been lost to Southeast Asia, Japan, Europe and the United States and other countries and regions. These artifacts were transported around the world through theft, robbery, war plunder, and other means.
The United States is one of the hardest hit areas for the loss of cultural relics in China. Since the 19th and 20th centuries, many treasure-hunting Americans have come to China, wandering around in search of treasures such as statues, murals, porcelain, and so on. Among them are smart scholars, greedy and unfortunate antique dealers, lovers who officials leave their collections in museums and refuse to use them, and people who buy and sell from behind... These diverse figures are intertwined, so that many artifacts are eventually shipped out of China. According to statistics, about 2.3 million Chinese artifacts have flowed into the United States in the past 30 years. At the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Chinese art accounts for more than half of the exhibits, including paintings and calligraphy, embroidery, gold and silverware, ivory carvings, and more. However, individuals can only be short-term conservators of artifacts, and many Chinese artifacts end up in museum collections.
Canada is also an important collection of Chinese artifacts. The Ontario Museum of Canada is one of the most famous museums in the country and houses a large collection of Chinese artifacts. In the museum's exhibition hall, precious cultural relics such as oracle bones, bronzes, and Tang Sancai occupy almost half of the area. Many of these artifacts were collected by Canadian missionaries after coming to China. While preaching, these missionaries collected Chinese artifacts for the museum. The Ontario Museum of Canada has also actively expanded its collection of Chinese cultural relics through purchases, donations and solicitations.
The Palace of Fontainebleau in France, as a world-famous museum, houses a large collection of Chinese artifacts. Most of these artifacts were taken away by the Anglo-French army after the Old Summer Palace was looted in 1860. Later, Empress Eugénie built the Chinese Museum in the Palais de Fontainebleau, displaying a large number of looted Chinese artifacts. These cultural relics include famous paintings, gold and silver jewelry, chimes, etc., and exceed 30,000 pieces.
The British Museum is one of the largest and richest collections of antiquities in the world. Its collection is very diverse, including almost all cultural relics from all over the world. Chinese artifacts occupy an important place in the British Museum. From artifacts from ancient times, to Shang and Zhou bronzes, to stone Buddhas and scriptures from the Wei and Jin dynasties, calligraphy and paintings from the Song and Yuan dynasties, porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the British Museum has almost all categories of Chinese artifacts. According to UNESCO, the number of lost cultural relics in China reached 1.64 million, of which the British Museum has the largest collection of Chinese cultural relics.
In addition to the above-mentioned countries, countries such as Russia, Japan and Germany also have large collections of artifacts lost from China. For example, in the Museum of Oriental Culture in Russia and the Russian Hermitage, a large number of artifacts from the Western Xia period in China are preserved. In the Shoso-in Temple in Nara, Japan, a large number of Chinese cultural relics are also on display, including precious books, metal coins, ornaments, etc. Germany also has about 300,000 Chinese cultural relics, most of which were excavated and sent to Germany during the Republican period.
There are many reasons for the loss of these Chinese artifacts, ranging from theft and plunder, to transfer and ruthless destruction. This situation has brought many difficulties to the return of Chinese cultural relics, such as the confirmation of historical facts and the removal of legal obstacles. In addition, Chinese artifacts have also become a highlight and tourist attraction of the museum, bringing huge income to the local area. To solve these problems, we need to continue to explore and seek win-win ways for all parties.
For China, the loss of cultural relics is not only a material loss, but also a moral injury. In order to protect and inherit China's cultural heritage, we need to strengthen the protection and management of domestic cultural relics, and at the same time actively promote international cooperation to strive for more cultural relics to be returned. Only in this way can the permanent preservation and inheritance of cultural relics be realized.
