US returns cultural relics to China

Staff members check the condition of returned Chinese cultural objects at a handover ceremony at the Chinese Consulate General in New York, the U.S., on April 17. Photos by Xinhua

A total of 38 Chinese cultural relics were returned from the United States to China on April 17.

Most of the cultural relics, handed over by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, are Buddhist artifacts from China, dating from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with a rich variety and exquisite craftsmanship.

Among them, ivory carvings, wood carvings, and mural fragments are particularly rare and hold significant historical, artistic, and scientific value.

Returned Chinese cultural objects are seen at a handover ceremony at the Chinese Consulate General in New York, the U.S.

These artifacts were seized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in March. After receiving the artifacts, the National Cultural Heritage Administration will arrange for their return to China.

Li Qun, deputy minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said at the handover event that the renewed cooperation between China and the U.S. in cultural relic returns signifies mutual trust and progress in artifact repatriation efforts.

China will continue to actively fulfill the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. on preventing the illegal entry of Chinese cultural relics into the U.S., and work with the U.S. to establish a sound mechanism for information sharing on stolen relics, contributing the wisdom and strength of both countries to safeguarding cultural heritage and promoting mutual understanding through cultural exchanges, Li said.

Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping noted that the event is a positive implementation of the San Francisco Vision reached by the leaders of both countries in November last year and will greatly enhance cultural exchanges and friendship between China and the U.S.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, and it is hoped that people from all walks of life in China and the U.S. will continue to work together to promote stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, said Huang.

Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, emphasized the significance of the return of these cultural relics in fostering cultural exchanges.

“Cultural heritage brings us together. ... We have far more in common when we roll up our sleeves and get to work returning these antiquities where they belong because that’s our goal,” said Bogdanos.

China and the U.S. signed an MOU that aims to prevent the illegal importation of Chinese cultural artifacts into the U.S. in January 2009. Its validity has been extended for the third time, starting from Jan. 14 this year.

The recent handover marks the first successful artifact repatriation cooperation between the two countries since the agreement’s renewal.

So far 504 pieces or sets of Chinese cultural relics have been delivered in 15 batches from the U.S. to China. (Xinhua)