China News Service, Beijing, September 26 (Reporter Ying Ni) The National Cultural Relics Aid to Tibet Video and Telephone Conference was held in Beijing on the 26th.
At the meeting, Li Qun, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and Duoji Cizhu, Vice Chairman of the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region, handed over the list of cultural relics, and the 12 cultural relics and works of art successfully recovered from the United States will be transferred to the Tibet Museum as a whole.
Retrieving cultural relics and artworks from the United States. Photo courtesy of the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Photographed by Luo Zheng
In March of this year, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage learned that a batch of suspected Chinese cultural relics and works of art had been seized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, New York.
After verification, the Chinese cultural relics entry and exit review agency has not received the exit application for the batch of cultural relics, and has not issued the exit permit for cultural relics, which is determined to be illegally lost cultural relics.
On April 15, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage issued a note, requesting recourse to the United States.
On April 29, the Chinese Consulate General in New York submitted the note to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, New York, and the U.S. agreed to return it.
On June 8, under the authorization of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Chinese Consulate General in New York and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York completed the handover of the batch of cultural relics and artworks.
On July 16, 12 cultural relics and artworks arrived in Beijing safely.
A brass statue of the Buddha at the end of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage for the tentative three-level cultural relics, photographed by Luo Zheng
The 16th-century gilt bronze living Buddha, courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the tentative third-level cultural relics, photographed by Luo Zheng
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage organized a physical identification study. Experts believe that the age span of the batch of cultural relics and artworks is mainly from the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Republic of China. There are 6 precious cultural relics, 2 general cultural relics, and 4 artworks. Generally speaking, they are typical artifacts in southwest China. It has relatively important historical, artistic and scientific value.
Among them, 5 gold-bronze Buddha statues and 1 gilt-bronze crystal inlaid gem support tower are made with excellent craftsmanship. Experts suggest that they be tentatively designated as third-class cultural relics.
In particular, a brass statue of the Buddha at the end of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, showing a prominent Han-Tibetan fusion style. Its six-sided pedestal is mostly seen in Han-Tibet style thangka and murals, but is relatively rare among bronze statues.
A gilt bronze crystal inlaid gem support tower in the Republic of China, tentatively scheduled to be a third-level cultural relics. Photo courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, photographed by Luo Zheng
The Tibet Museum is the largest comprehensive museum in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and its new museum will open soon.
In order to support the protection and utilization of cultural relics in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has decided to transfer the batch of 12 cultural relics and artworks to the Tibet Museum as a whole, and display them in the opening exhibition of its new museum, so as to better play the unique role of returning cultural relics.
The 16th century gilt bronze and immeasurable Buddha, courtesy of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, a tentative third-class cultural relic, photographed by Luo Zheng
China and the United States are both parties to the UNESCO Convention on Methods of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illegal Import and Export of Cultural Property and the Illegal Transfer of Its Ownership (the 1970 Convention).
In 2009, the two countries signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Importing Restrictions on Classified Archaeological Materials from the Paleolithic Age to the End of Tang Dynasty, and Monuments and Sculptures and Mural Art Over 250 Years Old", and the two renewed in 2014 and 2019.
According to the memorandum, the United States returned multiple batches of cultural relics to China in March 2011, December 2015, and February 2019. This is another successful cooperation between China and the United States in the field of cultural relics recovery.
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Retrieving cultural relics and artworks from the United States. Photo courtesy of the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Photographed by Luo Zheng