Action to recover lost relics to begin in May By Yu Nan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-03-13 11:50
An action to recover lost Chinese treasures from abroad will begin
during the May Day holidays, and the first destination will be
Japan.
The action is sponsored by the Chinese Fund for Recovery of
Overseas Relics, the first non-governmental commonwealth organization
devoted for the recovery of lost relics.
The fund has been
recruiting domestic cultural relics collectors and enthusiasts to compose a
group to visit Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Relic specialists will accompany
them.
The fund, established in October 2002, launched the International
Action for the Recovery of Lost Treasures in July 2003, which has been playing
an important role in the recovery of lost relics.
In addition to
attending the Heiwajima national curio exhibition near Tokyo from May 3-5, the
group has arranged to visit Chinese treasures collected by other museums and
historical sites. Tokyo National Museum is currently holding an exhibition of
Chinese cultural relics, most of which are national treasures from Japanese
museums.
Overseas Chinese relics have, at times, been sold at higher
prices during exhibitions than at international relics markets.
"Therefore, it would more economical and convenient to take them back
through the market system," Niu Xianfeng, a member of the Chinese Fund for
Recovery of Overseas Relics, said.
According to the Chinese Fund for
Recovery of Overseas Relics, over 10 million Chinese cultural relics are
estimated to be lost, mostly among private citizens throughout the world.
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