"Won't pay" not wise

A photographer takes a picture of the

Chinese bronze rat head and rabbit head sculptures displayed on the

preview of the auction of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge's art

collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Feb. 21, 2009.

(Chinese media/Zhang Yuwei)
Photo

Gallery

BEIJING,March

5-- His "act of patriotism" has stopped a Christie's auction which ignited

indignation among Chinese people. But it is not a wise move to take at the loss

of both his reputation and China's image abroad. That said, many Chinese believe

that Christie's move went far beyond international norm and ethics against

auctioning looted relics.

The mysterious buyer who successfully bid for two

looted Chinese relics has been revealed. As many anticipated, he is a Chinese.

This bidder, Cai Mingchao is a consultant of National Treasure Funds of China

(NTFC), a non-governmental organization.The bid for two Qing Dynasty

bronzes at a Christie's auction on February 25 amounted to 31.49 million Euro.

Bidder Cai, however, did not reveal that he was the

bidder and that he won't pay for the items until a March 2nd press conference,

at which he declared his bid was an act of patriotism. The reason for not

paying, as he cited later, was an order issued by the State Administration of

Cultural Heritage (SACH) the day after the auction, which clearly requires

detailed documentation proving all artefacts the Christie's shipped into and out

of China are from legal sources.

Cai argued that since the two items had been

officially deemed to have been illegally looted, the Christie's would not be

able to deliver them to him even if he paid.

It sounds like good news to some. But Cai's bid and

refusal to pay still shocked many others who believe his act was in some way not

only a recognition of Christie's auction of looted items, but also a damage to

his own credibility and China's long-standing image of being a nation of 5000

years of civilization.

Critics added that using such an extraordinary method

in this situation was not a wise solution. "Won't pay", although seen by some as

an act of patriotism, is on the other hand an unlawful act, one without honesty,

too.

Ever since the Christie's announced its plan to

auction the bronze rat and rabbit heads, Chinese people have paid close

attention to the fate of the two cultural relics.

In 1860, the Anglo-French forces sacked the Old

Summer Palace in Beijing and took the two bronzes away during the Second Opium

War. For this reason, the Chinese see the artefacts as evidence of their crime

committed during the invasion, and to them the two bronzes have special

historical value, although some antique specialists may not think the relics are

as valuable.

As Chinese, we should stand up and voice our anger at

that moment, said Cai Mingchao when explaining why he placed the bid at March

2nd press conference.

Yes, many Chinese have stood up and expressed their

opposition. A group of Chinese lawyers lodged a motion in a French court, trying

to block Christie's auction. Unfortunately, their appeal was rejected. China's

State Administration of Cultural Heritage voiced its strong opposition to the

Christie's and demanded that the auction be cancelled.

All these efforts did not stop Christie's, which held

its auction as scheduled.

Some people still hail Cai's behavior as a witty move

in a fine how-d'ye-do because he successfully stopped the auction and fulfilled

millions of Chinese' wish. In their opinions, Chinese need not to restrain

themselves with credibility or law at all when retaliating against the

Christie's move that has badly hurt the feelings of Chinese people.

But we are living in the modern civilized society. As

is known to all, the lack of law-abiding and honest citizens will lead to chaos

and disorder. We have to always play the game especially in the international

exchange so as to help build up China's new image. In today's world, business is

business. You have the right not to buy things, but you have to pay if you bid

or get an item.

---Based on an article from The Beijing News

(Source: CRI.cn）

Online survey: Over 80% French back

repatriation of looted Chinese bronzes




PARIS, March 4 (Chinese media) -- An online

survey showed that more than 80 percent of French respondents hold the looted

Chinese bronze sculptures should be returned to where they came from.

Le Figaro newspaper's website organized the survey

Monday as a Chinese man said he would not pay the 31.49 million euros (39.63

million U.S. dollars) he bid for the 18th Century bronze heads of a rat and a

rabbit, the Nouvelles d'Europe daily reported Wednesday. Full story

Chinese bidder of looted sculptures

refuses to pay

BEIJING, March 2 -- The Chinese man who successfully

bid for two bronze sculptures - auctioned in Paris last week- says he will not

pay for them as they already belong to China.

Cai Mingchao, a collection advisor of the National

Treasures Fund, bid 31.49 million euros or 39.63 million U.S. dollars by

telephone during the auction at Christie's on Feb. 25. Full story

Auctioned bronze sculptures go to

Chinese bidder

BEIJING, March 2 (Chinese media) -- A Chinese bidder won the two

looted relics, bronze rabbit and rat heads, that were auctioned in Paris last

month, a Chinese fund for looted artworks announced here Monday. Full story

China condemns Christie's sculpture

sale, warns of "serious effects"

BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Chinese media) -- Following an auction

Wednesday in Paris by Christie's of two bronze sculptures taken from the Summer

Palace in 1860, China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) issued

a statement here Thursday condemning the action and saying it would have

"serious effects" on Christie's development in China."

The administration said in the statement that China

did not acknowledge what it called the illegal possession of the two sculptures

and would "continue to seek the return of the sculptures by all means in accord

with related international conventions and Chinese laws." Full story

Looted Chinese relics sold for 14

million euros each

PARIS, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- Two controversial ancient

Chinese relics were auctioned off on Wednesday night for 14 million euros (17.92

million U.S. dollars) each by anonymous telephone bidders in Christie's sale of

the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in the Grand Palace of

Paris.

According to Christie's, they have received 8 phone calls

for "enquiries" before the sale. After the auction was launched, the competition

was only conducted between telephone bidders, with no one in the scene raised

for a bid. Full story

How absurd to "kidnap" cultural relics

with human rights

BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- Two pieces of China's

valuable cultural past, the bronze heads of a rabbit and a rat, stolen from the

Old Summer Palace by British and French forces during the second Opium War in

1860, are scheduled for auction in Paris Wednesday night.

Long before the auction, the Chinese government, cultural

heritage organizations and lawyers have been actively pursuing the return of the

Chinese treasures. However, at this specific moment, the owner of the bronzes,

French businessman Pierre Berge, offered to swap the two sculptures for the

application of human rights in China and the freedom of Tibet. From the Chinese

point of view, it's an absurd requirement by abducting China's cultural relics

with human rights issues. Full story

American Chinese collectors urge

boycott of Christie's

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 (Chinese media) -- American Chinese

collectors on Tuesday urged the Chinese government to take action against

Christine's, and called for a boycott of the auctioneer if it insists on

auctioning two historic bronze sculptures looted from a Chinese imperial garden.

The American Chinese Collector's Association and the

Eastern Cultural Foundation jointly issued an open letter at a press conference

here, in an appeal to all Chinese collectors and antique dealers around the

world to stop doing business with Christine's. Full story

Chinese gov't writes to Christie's

seeking to stop auction

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Chinese media) -- China's heritage authorities

said Tuesday they had written to auction house Christie's in a bid to stop the

sale of two looted bronze sculptures.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH)

sent the letter to the auction house on Feb. 17, but only announced it in a

statement Tuesday. Full story

Chinese lawyers vow to carry on

despite French court rule on looted bronzes

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.(Chinese media/Zheng Suchun)
Photo

Gallery

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Chinese media) -- Despite losing a bid in a

Parisian court to stop two looted bronze sculptures from being auctioned at

Christie's, Chinese lawyers pledged to continue their efforts to halt the sale.

"We are disappointed about the French court rule on Monday

but we have to accept it," Li Xingfeng, one of the 81 Chinese lawyers that

participated in the project, told Chinese media here Tuesday. Full story

Paris court refuses to stop sale of

looted Chinese bronzes

PARIS, Feb. 23 (Chinese media) -- A 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.

Under the ruling of the Tribunal de Grande Instance

in Paris, the plaintiff, the Association for the Protection of Chinese Art in

Europe (APACE), was ordered to pay compensation to the defendant. Full story