CHINA HAS reacted with fury to the sale in Paris of two imperial bronze sculptures from the collection belonging to French designer Yves Saint Laurent, relics they say should have been returned to China, and the government has vowed to continue to hunt for and reclaim other similarly looted relics.
The state administration of cultural heritage said the sale of two 18th-century bronzes, looted by Anglo-French forces when they burned down the Summer Palace in Beijing during the second Opium War, would impact on auction house Christie’s interests in China.
A group of lawyers protested unsuccessfully in a French court and China formally complained to Christie’s about the sale of the disputed fountainheads – heads of a rat and a rabbit, which form part of a zodiac series. However, the heads were sold for €28 million at the auction in Paris to an unidentified telephone bidder.
“Christie’s obstinately went on with the auction of the Summer Palace relics, going against the spirit of relevant international conventions and the international common understanding that cultural relics should be returned to their country of origin,” the administration said.
“This has hurt the cultural rights and interests of the Chinese people and the national sentiment, and will have a serious effect on Christie’s development in China.”
Pierre Berge, owner of the bronzes with his late partner Saint Laurent, offered to swap the sculptures for the application of “human rights in China and the freedom of Tibet”. The government estimates that 1.67 million Chinese relics, “mostly robbed in wars”, are in more than 2,000 museums in 47 countries.
“China will try to take back all Chinese relics stolen in wars or exported illegally in accordance with related international conventions and by all necessary means,” the administration said.
Webizens were outraged. “Our anger is indescribable. This is an auction by bandits and we are indignant at their bandits’ nature. As Chinese, what we can do is to firmly boycott French goods, condemn this extreme behaviour and strongly urge the French government to compensate our hurt feelings and spiritual loss,” wrote commentator Shi Wan Shan Li Feng.
A writer called Ghost Witch said: “If the buyer is not Chinese, I will send my sincere curse: the holder’s family go to hell.”
However, writer Huang Ni said the situation had been a ruse to increase the price of the artefacts.