We want them back

[nimo_cn]

China wants Summer Palace relics returned, 150 years on .

BEIJING: China has renewed a call for the return of relics looted from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing 150 years ago -- an act seen as a cause of national humiliation at the hands of Western armies.

The Yuanmingyuan, a summer resort garden for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was pillaged by a joint British and French military expedition during the second Opium War on Oct 18-19, 1860.

Cultural officials have urged private collectors in China to forgo profits from the antiquities trade and return the looted relics, the China Daily reported today.

A statue of French literary giant Victor Hugo was also erected on the Yuanmingyuan grounds in commemoration of his strident opposition to the looting and burning undertaken by the joint military force.

"At least 1.5 million relics from the Yuanmingyuan have either been looted or otherwise lost over the years," the China Daily quoted Chen Mingjie, head of the Yuanmingyuan park administration, as saying.

Xinhua news agency, citing the UN cultural body Unesco, said some 1.64 million Chinese relics are housed in more than 200 museums in 47 countries, some of which are believed to have been looted from the Yuanmingyuan.

In recent years, cultural relic experts from China have sought to categorise and bring back looted Chinese antiquities, but their efforts have been waylaid by legal and historical obstacles, the China Daily said.

In February 2009, two bronze fountainheads looted from the palace that belonged to late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge were auctioned at Christie's for about 20 million dollars each.

The sale enraged Beijing, which accused the house of regularly selling smuggled Chinese relics. The mystery Chinese bidder later said he would not pay and the items were returned to Berge.

The approximately 100 years that followed the sacking of the Yuanmingyuan represented some of China's darkest days, the English-language Global Times, the sister paper of the Communist mouthpiece People's Daily, said in an editorial.

But "the fall of China has been reversed... what happened 150 years ago to the Yuanmingyuan will not be repeated in China with its strong military."

http://freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-en...ts-summer-palace-relics-returned-150-years-on

 

[nimo_cn]

Old Summer Palace to mark looting anniversary

Located in northwest Beijing, Yuanmingyuan, built from 1709 onwards, had once been a resort for the imperial families of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).Yuanmingyuan was pillaged and burned down by British and French aggressor troops in 1860.[File photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Visitors can see more than 85 pieces of beautiful stone carvings exhibited at Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, Sunday to mark Monday's 150 anniversary of the looting of the imperial garden in the northwest of Beijing.

The 85 pieces of previously lost treasure were recovered from universities, public institutions or citizens in Beijing, Sun Chenlu, a staff member with the park's management office, told Xinhua Sunday.

The carvings, mostly in white marble and bluestones, were originally placed in Yuanmingyuan, but had been lost to different people and institutions for a variety of reasons, Sun said.

Displaying 57 types of figures, including stone screens, fountains, lions and fish, most of the carvings were voluntarily donated by individuals and institutions, she said.

Besides the once lost treasures, 57 pieces of repaired cultural relics are also on display.

The exhibition is one of many activities organized by the Haidian District Government of Beijing to mark the anniversary of the looting on October 18, the exact date the looting occurred 150 years ago.

Other activities will include Sino-foreign culture exchanges and even a soiree, and will last through the end of this month.

Located in northwest Beijing, Yuanmingyuan, built from 1709 onwards, had once been a resort for the imperial families of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Yuanmingyuan was pillaged and burned down by British and French aggressor troops in 1860 and again sacked and burned down in 1900 when the Eight-Power Allied Forces -- troops sent by Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria -- occupied Beijing.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-10/18/content_11424441.htm

 

[nimo_cn]

China renews appeal for looted palace relics return

China has made a new appeal for the return of relics looted by British and French troops from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing 150 years ago.

Chinese cultural officials said that at least 1.5 million antiquities were missing from the palace, which is also known as the Yuanmingyuan.

Many of the artefacts are thought to be in museums and private collections.

Actor and martial artist Jackie Chan became the first person to sign a petition for the cause.

Auctions boycott

The appeal for the return of the relics was made by China's Yuanmingyuan park authority exactly 150 years after the looting of the palace.

In response, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said "the pillaging of the Summer Palace was a tragedy", adding that the issue should be discussed calmly with China.

In its appeal, the Yuanmingyuan park authority also called for a boycott on auctions featuring the antiquities.

Last year, China had tried but failed to stop the sale of two bronze statues from the palace at an auction in Paris.

The sculptures - a rabbit's head and a rat's head - were part of a collection belonging to the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Chinese officials say the animals represent the Chinese zodiac, and adorned a fountain at the palace.

The Yuanmingyuan was used by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as their summer resort garden.

Its sacking and burning by the British and French during the second Opium War on 18-19 October 1860 is seen in China as a cause of national humiliation at the hands of Western armies.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11576576

 

[nimo_cn]

Today's Summer palace, only debris and rubble

 

[nimo_cn]

I think China should unite with other countries which have also been looted by these barbarians, such as Egypt, India, Iraq, Greece, etc, to demand them to return what they have robbed from us.

I believe museums in UK and France will become almost empty after they give back what does not belong to them.

 

[IBRIS]

These western civilizations systematicly had looted alot from Asian Subcontinent, catapulted tyranny against Asian civil society to control the country's resources for its own development. Hope in future India and China would team up to raise this issue together to reclaim our stolen artifacts.

 

[pmaitra]

Just like India has legitimate demands for the return of Indian artifacts looted from India, China too has similar legitimate claims. India and China (in fact most former colonies) should join hands and put pressure on the western governments and musea to return all the stolen property they are in possession of.

 

[navida]

The British Prime Minister Cameron Rejected India's claim to Koh-Hi-Noor stating that if people start claiming for such artifacts, British museum will be empty tomorrow. If Countries join hands and pressurize the former colonialists, it might bare fruit.

The Obelisk of Axum which was looted by the Italian forces in 1930's was returned to Ethiopia by Italy recently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk_of_Axum

 

[SHASH2K2]

I think China should unite with other countries which have also been looted by these barbarians, such as Egypt, India, Iraq, Greece, etc, to demand them to return what they have robbed from us.

I believe museums in UK and France will become almost empty after they give back what does not belong to them.

For first time I agree with you. We should be united and demand what is legally ours.

 

[Ray]

Sadly, the British will give nothing back, taken by them during their conquest.

One can keep whistling for the favourable wind to blow.

 

[ajtr]

Sadly, the British will give nothing back, taken by them during their conquest.

One can keep whistling for the favourable wind to blow.

sure sir british will never give the loot back its upto us to loot it back from british and time is not so far now.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

A day will come when the Asians will loot the west. Then on that day the west will tell that see they were the people whom we ruled and now they will rule us.

 

[nimo_cn]

Surely the westerners will be very reluctant to give back what they have looted.

If we just try to reason with them and beg them to return those relics, they will merely shrug their shoulders and say " sorry, no, can't do". They are still very powerful, and more importantly, they are still as brutal as they used to be.

That is why i suggest we should join hands together to force them to return what they have robbed from us. In the past, they ganged up to loot us, today we should unite together to ask them for justice.

China alone will not be able to topple them in a near future, and the westerners know it pretty well. In 2009, Chinese tried to stop French from auctioning two bronze statues they plundered from Summer Palace, but failed. If China can ally with other victim countries, we will build a strong alliance, then we can negotiate with them, pushing them to give in

 

[Minghegy]

I know India has a big diamond....
We are on the same side for this issue

 

[nimo_cn]

I know India has a big diamond....
We are on the same side for this issue

Well, it seems everyone begin to know about this.

That is a huge diamond which weighs about 105 carats, once the largest diamond in the world, if i am not mistaking.
It is named Koh-I-Noor, meaning the "Mountain of Light" in Farsi (hope i translate it correctly).
It may have an age of 5000 years, or at least is 700 years old.
But it was taken away from India by British in 1849 and was presented to Queen Victoria as a gift, who wore it in 1876 when accepting the title as the Queen of India.
Now it is exhibited in London Tower.

 

[nimo_cn]

The British Prime Minister Cameron Rejected India's claim to Koh-Hi-Noor stating that if people start claiming for such artifacts, British museum will be empty tomorrow. If Countries join hands and pressurize the former colonialists, it might bare fruit.

The Obelisk of Axum which was looted by the Italian forces in 1930's was returned to Ethiopia by Italy recently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk_of_Axum

What else did he say?

According Chinese reports, he also said something like British got it legally, so there is no reason for British should give them back.

 

[LurkerBaba]

"This is the secret of the political history of modern India. Weakened by division, it succumbed to invaders; impoverished by invaders, it lost all power of resistance, and took refuge in supernatural consolations; it argued that both mastery and slavery were superficial delusions, and concluded that freedom of the body or the nation was hardly worth defending in so brief a life. The bitter lesson that may be drawn from this tragedy is that eternal vigilance is the price of civilization. A nation must love peace, but keep its powder dry."

One of my favorite quotes from The Story of Civilization (It's sad I have to refer to an American source for my own history)

 

[Quickgun Murugan]

Very interseting NGC video


Egypt, India, China has all rights to demand its treasures back.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

The British Prime Minister Cameron Rejected India's claim to Koh-Hi-Noor stating that if people start claiming for such artifacts, British museum will be empty tomorrow. If Countries join hands and pressurize the former colonialists, it might bare fruit.

The Obelisk of Axum which was looted by the Italian forces in 1930's was returned to Ethiopia by Italy recently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk_of_Axum

This is an admission by the British that their museums are warehouses for pillaged goods .

 

[The Messiah]

Does anyone in India have ambition to rule over west ? No (ie. apart from me)

We will only ask and get turned down again and again. When thief is looting your house you dont ask him politely to return your things instead you beat him up.