 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
British museums relaxed about Chinese relics' search
London (AFP) Oct 20, 2009 Two of Britain's top museums said Tuesday they had nothing to hide, after China announced it would dispatch experts to record relics abroad it says were looted from Beijing's Old Summer Palace. Museums, libraries and private collections in the United States, Britain, France and Japan will be targeted by the initiative, according to the director of Beijing's Yuanmingyuan, or Old Summer Palace, quoted in the China Daily. China views the burning and pillaging of the Yuanmingyuan in 1860 by British and French armies as one of its greatest humiliations. The British Museum in London, which has a substantial collection of Chinese artefacts, said it did not believe the Chinese initiative was aimed at seeking the return of any items, but simply to catalogue them. "We understand it is about archiving and documentation. We would be happy to have any discussion with anyone who comes forward," said museum spokeswoman Esme Wilson. "But we have not been contacted by anyone at this point." A spokesman for London's Victoria and Albert Museum added that it "has not yet received any requests from researchers investigating whether we hold objects from the Summer Palace. But he said: "Should there be enquiries the museum would be happy to facilitate research into its collections." China protested strongly this year when auctioneers Christie's sold two bronze animal heads looted from the Old Summer Palace, which belonged to late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge. The Chinese government called for the sale to be cancelled and demanded that the relics be returned to China. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links China News from SinoDaily.com
China opposes Dalai Lama visit to disputed India border areaBeijing (AFP) Oct 20, 2009 China said Tuesday it was "firmly opposed" to a planned visit by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian region at the centre of a border dispute with China. "China's position on so-called Arunachal Pradesh is consistent and clear and we firmly oppose the Dalai Lama's visit to the region," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters. "China is ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook