On February 7, the Supreme People's Court issued a typical case on the legal protection of cultural relics and cultural heritage.
Yang Linping, vice president of the Supreme People's Court, said that for the statue of "Patriarch Zhang Gong" that was stolen and lost overseas in 1995, the people's court ruled that the foreigner who held the cultural relic should return the original to the owner of the cultural relic. It has exemplary significance in terms of promoting the rule of law at home and abroad as a whole.
Guan Qiang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said at the briefing that China's international cooperation in the recourse and return of cultural relics has continued to expand and deepen, the "Chinese voice" of the return of cultural relics has increased significantly, and the return of lost cultural relics has achieved breakthrough results. It has signed agreements with 24 countries to prevent theft. A total of 32 batches and more than 1,800 pieces (sets) of lost cultural relics and artworks have been returned to the motherland.
The trial, sentencing and related work of Case 11 "Portrait of Zhang Gongzu" released this time has attracted much attention at home and abroad. A new way to lose overseas cultural relics has pioneering demonstration significance.
(Reported by Li Jiali from Beijing)
Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]