China pays record prices to France for war spoils

[Armand2REP]

Looted Chinese relics fetch record sum at French auction
13:03, March 30, 2011

An imperial jade seal used by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and a Chinese imperial scroll painting were both bought by anonymous Chinese bidders at record prices during an auction held in Toulouse, France on March 26, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency.

The imperial jade seal was bought by a Chinese buyer for 12.4 million euros, setting a new world auction record for seals, according to reports by French media agencies.

The jade imperial seal is made of white Hetian jade with red brown textures and is 7.5 centimeters high and 9.85 centimeters long. There are carvings of intertwined dragons on the top of the seal, and the inscription of Emperor Qianlong is at the bottom. The seal was auctioned for 10 million euros, but the buyer will pay a total of 12.4 million euros after commissions and taxes are added.

At the starting price of 4 million euros, the painting named "Military Review" is the fourth and last part of the series "Paintings of Emperor Qianlong Inspecting the Troops." Eight bidders participated in the initial bidding and when the price reached 14 million euros, three bidders continued to bid. The scroll painting was finally auctioned for 17.8 million euros, but the buyer will pay a total of 22 million euros after commissions and taxes are added.

The painting is a long, colored silk scroll painting, 24 meters long and 69 centimeters wide. It delicately depicts about 9,000 different figures that are shorter than half of a finger length, and the clothes, weapons, flags and drums in the painting are true to life.

The painting was hung in Chonghua Palace of the Forbidden City during the reign of Qianlong and is the only one of four scrolls that were stamped with the name of the court painter. The artwork was looted from the Forbidden City in around 1900 when China was invaded by the Eight-Power Allied Forces and had been kept by a Paris family until the auction.

"The Paintings of Emperor Qianlong Inspecting the Troops" is a fine realistic painting and is among the late work of Giuseppe Castiglione, a court painter of the Qing Dynasty. Realistic paintings depicting figures and events are the most valuable of the court paintings of the Qing Dynasty and were the best way to record figures and events before the invention of cameras.

By People's Daily Online

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/98649/7335269.html

 

[redragon]

shamless French selling something they robbed. These should belong to Chinese people, If French is as nice as they delared, they should give them to Chinese museum for free, so obviously French are bullshiting when they try to lecture other countries how civilized France is.

 

[Armand2REP]

shamless French selling something they robbed. These should belong to Chinese people, If French is as nice as they delared, they should give them to Chinese museum for free, so obviously French are bullshiting when they try to lecture other countries how civilized France is.

France returns lost treasures... what is your problem? Rich Chinese industrialists have money to burn, better they buy lost art rather than French yachts and wines. If you think French families give away their art collections, you are insane.

 

[nimo_cn]

"落后就要挨打" "backwardness will take a beating". Thanks for reminding me of this old saying which has always being mentioned when we were learning that history.

It is kind of bitter that today's China is still paying the price of being weak over 150 years ago. I hope we Chinese don't have to repeat these episodes again 150 years from now.

 

[nimo_cn]

shamless French selling something they robbed. These should belong to Chinese people, If French is as nice as they delared, they should give them to Chinese museum for free, so obviously French are bullshiting when they try to lecture other countries how civilized France is.

No need to reason with him, let him show off. This has always been a cruel world which runs on "the law of jungle", they proved it to us in the past by bullying us and robbing us, now they are proving it again to us by showing off their spoils.

We made a mistake of being left behind for the last 150 years, and we are still paying for that mistake. That is just the reality we have to swallow, no matter how bitter the reality is.

 

[AOE]

Yes, shame on the French for looting artifacts that would have most likely been destroyed by the Maoists during their Great Leap Backwards. Shame on you France! lol

Sarcasm aside, it's good to know the French are making an effort to restore treasures and artifacts to where they came from.

 

[badguy2000]

well, the best way to revenge shameless Frenchmen is to work hard,bankrupt french industry, take over them, and make shameless frenchmen chai boys of CHinese bosses.

well, today, Chinese per nominal GDP is only about 1/8 of Frenchmen's,and real life quality of ordiany Chinese has still a long way to surpass that of Frenchmen ....so, my fellow CHinese ,let's work hard ,earn more money . Make you richer and make China richer and more mighty....... leave one rich ,properious ,advanced and mighty China for our kids ,so that they can be the bosses of the kids of Frenchmen such as Mr. Armand....

 

[badguy2000]

http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1...=45&kindid=0&docid=101645636&mdate=0331113835
Shenzhen to make its per capital nomical GDP 20K USD in 2015.....

深圳目标：到2015年人均GDP达2万美元

well ,if all Chinese were to has a per capital nominal GDP of 20K USD...then CHinese economy would be more than USA+EU+Japan+Canada+Australia+Russia+Brazil+India combined.

Then ,it would be the time when all Frenchmen be the chai boys of CHinese.
well,

 

[AOE]

Something made me laugh about your response badguy2000, it seems to me you've missed the whole point of not just business, commerce, industry, politics, etc... but also of life itself.

It seems you're on some vengeful quest for something fantasy based, for imaginary reasons.

 

[Oracle]

well, the best way to revenge shameless Frenchmen is to work hard,bankrupt french industry, take over them, and make shameless frenchmen chai boys of CHinese bosses.

well, today, Chinese per nominal GDP is only about 1/8 of Frenchmen's,and real life quality of ordiany Chinese has still a long way to surpass that of Frenchmen ....so, my fellow CHinese ,let's work hard ,earn more money . Make you richer and make China richer and more mighty....... leave one rich ,properious ,advanced and mighty China for our kids ,so that they can be the bosses of the kids of Frenchmen such as Mr. Armand....

well ,if all Chinese were to has a per capital nominal GDP of 20K USD...then CHinese economy would be more than USA+EU+Japan+Canada+Australia+Russia+Brazil+India combined.

Then ,it would be the time when all Frenchmen be the chai boys of CHinese.
well,

Chai boys, really? If hitting under the belt could make your point stronger, than you have just failed. Chai boy or a banker, each is working to provide for himself and his family. They should not be looked down upon.

Brits hold some of India's most precious treasures, that they took with them when they ruled India. Some might have been gifted by Indian Kings themselves. So should we start a war with the Brits! This needs to be done on a diplomatic level, and if auctioned - should be bought back. Talking about bankrupting industry and shameless Frenchmen is agony which sounded more like whining! On a side note, bringing in Chinese GDP in almost all threads you visit - does it get you high?

 

[AOE]

Diplomacy? Nah screw that, lets kill everyone who we've ever had a conflict with, whos oppressed us, and heck even looked at us the wrong way. The next time someone tries to rob me or come into my house with a shotgun, I'm going to blow up a hospital full of little children; because I was being oppressed, and that means everything I do is right.

Facetiousness aside, I think I've figured out the problem here. badguy2000 espouses 'vengeance' against what he perceives as oppressors, similar to the old stab in the back legend the Nazis used to justify coming to power and eliminating all of the jews and political enemies. Keep up the victimhood complex BG2000, some of the worst attrocities in human history have been committed under that guise.

 

[RedDragon]

Not matter treasure taken from China to France in the past or France crashed by German in WWII, they are all history.
Past is past, let's face today. We are still not strong enough today. If China is really strong today, all these treasure will come back to China for free. I wish that day will come. That is why we work so hard today.

 

[AOE]

I think you are missing the point RedDragon; vengeance is pointless in this context, as numerous countries in history have plundered one or another at some point, and even in some cases it has happened in reverse. All this will do is create WW3, and Chinas lack of popularity on the world stage will see a lot of enemies wanting to bring an end to the CCP. Of course mentioning this is pointless since the communists will pursue whatever interests them, rather than what is moral or reasonable.

 

[The Messiah]

I think you are missing the point RedDragon; vengeance is pointless in this context, as numerous countries in history have plundered one or another at some point, and even in some cases it has happened in reverse. All this will do is create WW3, and Chinas lack of popularity on the world stage will see a lot of enemies wanting to bring an end to the CCP. Of course mentioning this is pointless since the communists will pursue whatever interests them, rather than what is moral or reasonable.

You are correct but its bound to turn heads if a particular country places itself on a higher pedestal with superior morals and ethics and then sells looted treasure. Thats the point the chinese members here are making.

 

[Oracle]

E you are going off the tangent! Morals and ethics exist for countries like Pakistan, Davis case for e.g. There is nothing wrong with selling antiques and buying them.

 

[RedDragon]

I think you are missing the point RedDragon; vengeance is pointless in this context, as numerous countries in history have plundered one or another at some point, and even in some cases it has happened in reverse. All this will do is create WW3, and Chinas lack of popularity on the world stage will see a lot of enemies wanting to bring an end to the CCP. Of course mentioning this is pointless since the communists will pursue whatever interests them, rather than what is moral or reasonable.

I think you misunderstand me. Let me make it more clear:" If China is really strong today, all these treasure will come back to China for free, peacefully". If you are really strong, you can get what belongs to you by politic. No need WW3 for this ancient Chinese treasure to come back to China.
And I must tell you that CCP is more popular than you think in China, at least from 1949, no country dare to invade China, like before.

 

[Armand2REP]

I think you misunderstand me. Let me make it more clear:" If China is really strong today, all these treasure will come back to China for free, peacefully". If you are really strong, you can get what belongs to you by politic. No need WW3 for this ancient Chinese treasure to come back to China.
And I must tell you that CCP is more popular than you think in China, at least from 1949, no country dare to invade China, like before.

China is strong enough today, they print so much money they can buy their treasures back. No one invades China because they have nukes. Conventional capabilities are another matter.

 

[redragon]

Yes, my chinese fellow, we are still not strong enough, let's work harder, we will conduct our revenge later, we are good at waiting and we have good memory. We will keep growing, we will take the share of energy or resources enjoyed by those lazy French. One day we will make them pay back.
Yes let's be focus!!!!

 

[redragon]

China is strong enough today, they print so much money they can buy their treasures back. No one invades China because they have nukes. Conventional capabilities are another matter.

No that is not enough, if we can't catch the living standard you are enjoying, we guarantee you to lower your living standard, the question is can you lazy french take that?? I bet you will see that in your life.

 

[Armand2REP]

No that is not enough, if we can't catch the living standard you are enjoying, we guarantee you to lower your living standard, the question is can you lazy french take that?? I bet you will see that in your life.

How will you lower our living standard? Your slave labour supplies us with cheap crap that slightly raises our living standard. Chinese work twice as long as French yet are only 1/40th as productive per hour. We are more productive per hour than Americans. You cut off supply of cheap crap to lower our living standard and we just go to other developing countries to get it... you are replaceable. Our markets are not.