China tightens control on Christie´s after auction

Source: Xinhua | 02-26-2009 14:47

BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- In response to an auction by Christie's of two bronze sculptures taken from the Old Summer Palace in 1860, held despite China's protests, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) Thursday imposed limits on what the auction house can take in or out of China.

The bronze sculpture of a rabbit's head, which is an ancient  Chinese relic, is auctioned in the Grand Palace of Paris in  Paris, France, Feb. 25, 2009. Two controversial ancient  Chinese relics including the bronze sculptures of a rat's  head and a rabbit's head, were auctioned off on Wednesday  night for 14 million euros each by anonymous telephone bidders  in Christies's sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurant  and Pierre Berge in Paris. The sculptures were looted by  invading Anglo-French expedition army in the 19th century,  when the invaders burned down the royal garden of Yuanmingyuan  in Beijing.(Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

Entry and exit administrative departments for cultural heritage at all levels were ordered in a circular to carefully check "heritage items" that Christie's seeks to import or export. The notice also covers agents and employees of Christie's.

These entry-exit offices are separate from the customs administration.

Certificates of legal ownership must be provided for all items, the circular said. These documents must provide detailed information about the owners and the provenance (ownership history) of the items. Items with inadequate or missing documentation won't be allowed to enter or exit the country.

Entry and exit departments should immediately report to the SACH and local police and customs offices if they find relics owned by Christie's that might have been looted or smuggled, said the circular.

The circular said: "In recent years, Christie's has frequently sold cultural heritage items looted or smuggled from China, and all items involved were illegally taken out of the country." It didn't specify the items or transactions.