Recently, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage successfully recovered the stolen and lost Western Zhou Feng Xing Shuwei from the United States. On January 28, the cultural relics arrived safely in Beijing by flight under the escort of special personnel, ending their 40-year overseas wandering journey and returning to the embrace of the motherland. On the 29th, after organizing experts to identify the object, and repeatedly comparing and verifying with historical archives photos and rubbings, it was comprehensively determined from the modeling style, decoration technology, inscription style, rusty appearance, and disabled traces that the Gui was the original vessel of Feng Xing Shugui, which was a first-class cultural relic.
△ Western Zhou Feng Xing Shu 簋 (guǐ) (Photo courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage)
△ Feng Xing Shu's upper abdomen is decorated with a week of plagiarism, and the lower part of the abdomen is decorated with corrugated patterns (Photo courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage)
What is written in the 18-character inscription of the Western Zhou Dynasty bronze craftsmanship?
Feng Xing Shuwei was unearthed in 1978 in a late Western Zhou Dynasty bronze cellar in Famen Town, Fufeng County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, with a height of 18 cm, a diameter of 21 cm, a depth of 12 cm, and a weight of 6 kg. The belly is drumming, the mouth, the upper abdomen is decorated with a circle of stealing curves, the lower part of the abdomen is decorated with corrugated patterns, the three flat feet of the beast head are connected under the circle foot, and the upper end of both ears are decorated with the head of the beast with a curly nose, which is a typical bronze vessel shape of the Western Zhou Dynasty, with a concise and solemn style of the times. The inner bottom of this gui is cast with an inscription of 3 lines and 18 characters (including 2 heavy texts) "Uncle Feng Xing is a Bo Ji Zun, and its children and grandchildren are used by Yongbao for ten thousand years", and the calligraphy art is exquisite. The craftsmanship of the artifacts reflects the high level of casting of Western Zhou bronzes. It was stolen in November 1984 and lost overseas.
△ Feng Xing Shugui's ears are decorated with curly-nosed animal heads, with a unique shape (courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage)
△ Feng Xing Shugui has an 18-character inscription on the inner bottom (courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage)
△ Feng Xing Shu Gui inner bottom inscription and rubbing: "Feng Dong (Xing) Shu Cha (made) Bo Ji Zun, its ten thousand years of descendants and grandchildren Yongbao use" (photo courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage; rubbings quoted from Luo Xizhang: "Shaanxi Fufeng Discovers the King of Li of the Western Zhou Dynasty", 1979, "Cultural Relics", No. 4). ）
Relics Present Overseas, Owners Decide to 'Do the Right Thing'
In January 2023, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage learned through the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom that Feng Xing Shuwei appeared in New York, USA, and immediately started the recovery procedure for lost cultural relics, and cooperated with the Ministry of Public Security to guide local cultural relics and public security departments to quickly collect and sort out relevant evidence, and at the same time fully communicated with the holder Raymond King and his mother. When Raymond King and his mother learned about the artifacts, they decided to "do the right thing" and agreed to return them to the Chinese government without conditions. On November 11, 2023, with the authorization of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Huang Ping, Consul General of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York, received and temporarily stored Feng Xing Shuwei on behalf of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
△ Huang Ping, Consul General of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York, was authorized to receive and temporarily store Feng Xing Shuwei on behalf of the Chinese side (Photo courtesy of the Consulate General in New York)
On the afternoon of January 22, 2024, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Consulate General of China in San Francisco jointly held a ceremony for the return of Feng Xing Shugui in Portland, Oregon, USA, where Raymond King and his mother live. Raymond King and his mother, as well as representatives of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco, the Lost Art Registry, Sotheby's New York, and Chinese and foreign media reporters attended the event. About 90 local citizens attended the ceremony.
Li Qun, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, delivered a video message at the ceremony, expressing his gratitude to Raymond King and his mother, as well as all parties involved in facilitating the return. In his speech, Li Qun said that the return of Feng Xing Shuwei is an important achievement in the implementation of the San Francisco consensus between the Chinese and US heads of state, provides a positive example for promoting the return of more cultural relics to their countries of origin, and is also a vivid example of the friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples. Since the signing of the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding between China and the United States to prevent the illegal entry of Chinese cultural relics into the United States, many American non-governmental friendly figures such as Raymond King and his mother have taken practical actions to help the return of Chinese cultural relics lost overseas to their homeland. These vivid stories of friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American people have injected impetus into the continuous expansion of China-US cultural heritage protection and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. Combating illicit trafficking in cultural property is in the common interest of all mankind and requires joint action by counterparts from all countries of the world and all sectors of society.
△ Li Qun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, delivered a video speech at the return ceremony of Feng Xing Shuwei (Photo courtesy of the Consulate General in San Francisco)
Raymond King and his mother introduced the situation of Feng Xing Shugui, and once again expressed a strong desire for the lost cultural relics to be returned as soon as possible. At the same time, he expressed his gratitude to all parties for their trust and support, and expressed his deep love for Chinese culture and his determination to help protect the world's cultural heritage.
On behalf of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Zhang Jianmin, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco, presented a donation certificate to Raymond King and his mother in recognition of his contribution to the recovery and repatriation of lost Chinese cultural relics. Zhang Jianmin said that the loss of overseas Chinese cultural relics carries the historical feelings and cultural memories of the Chinese people and is an inseparable part of China's cultural heritage. On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the return of Feng Xing Shuwei is an important achievement of cultural exchanges between the two countries, which will help strengthen the friendship between China and the United States and set an example for global cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage.
△ Zhang Jianmin, Consul General of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco, on behalf of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, issued a donation certificate to Raymond King and his mother (Photo courtesy of the Consulate General in San Francisco)
The relevant person in charge of the "Lost Art Registration Organization" reviewed the process of facilitating the return of Feng Xing Shugui, expressed his gratitude to Raymond King and his mother for their selfless behavior, and expressed the hope that the return of Feng Xing Shugui can effectively promote the return of other cultural relics and become a bridge to build friendship between continents. The person in charge of Sotheby's briefly introduced the unforgettable experience of working with Raymond King and the "Lost Art Registry" to return Feng Xing Shugui, and expressed his commitment to the protection of cultural property.
The return of cultural relics and artworks to the motherland has aroused the public's patriotic enthusiasm
In 1989, the mainland acceded to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has facilitated the return of more than 1,800 pieces (sets) of cultural relics and artworks to the motherland through international law enforcement cooperation, international civil litigation, diplomatic negotiations, negotiated donations, etc., stimulating public patriotic enthusiasm and strengthening cultural self-confidence. On January 14, 2009, China and the United States signed the first China-US Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding on Preventing the Illegal Entry of Chinese Cultural Relics into the United States, which was extended for the third time from January 14 this year. The MoU is an important document for China-US intergovernmental cooperation on cultural heritage, and has so far facilitated the return of 15 batches of 504 pieces (sets) of Chinese cultural relics and artworks to the motherland.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage instructed the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center, Beijing Lu Xun Museum and other relevant units to quickly start the return of Feng Xing Shugui after the return ceremony. Beijing Customs and Capital Airport Customs provide green channels for the entry of cultural relics. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) instructed Air China to provide relevant assistance. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage will organize and carry out the protection, research, publicity and display of cultural relics in a timely manner, fully excavate the value of cultural relics, and effectively strengthen the protection of cultural relics.
Source: CCTV News