China says auction of looted sculptures will seriously hurt national sentiment

Source: Xinhua | 02-25-2009 09:44

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China Tuesday criticized the sale of two looted bronze sculptures at Christie's, saying it broke international conventions and seriously hurt the cultural rights and interests as well as their national sentiment.
Backgrounder: Stolen Chinese artifacts

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu made the  remarks at a regular press conference as  answering relevant questions.

FM press conference on Feb. 24, 2009>>

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu made the remarks at a regular press conference as answering relevant questions.

The two bronze head sculptures, one rabbit and one rat, formed part of the zodiacal clepsydra that decorated the Calm Sea Pavilion in the Old Summer Palace of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795).They were stolen when the palace was burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860. More Details>>

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Ren Xiaohong (R), a lawyer for the Association for the  Protection of Chinese Art in Europe (APACE), the plaintiff,  speaks to the media with her colleague Ayagh at the Tribunal  de Grande Instance in Paris, capital of France, Feb. 23, 2009.  The Paris court on Monday ruled against stopping the sale of  two looted Chinese bronze sculptures which come up for auction  at Christie's on Wednesday.(Xinhua/Zheng Suchun)

Chinese lawyers pledged to continue their efforts to bring two looted bronze sculptures back home. Their bid in a Parisian court to stop the two being auctioned at Christie's has been quashed. But the lawyers are vowing to take further steps towards halting the sculptures' sale. Full Story>>

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Editor:Du Xiaodan