US returns 41 illegally exported cultural relics

China's National Cultural Heritage Administration is set to bring home 41 cultural relics and artworks that were illegally exported to the United States, following their handover by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York on Monday local time.

The administration said in a statement on Tuesday that it will arrange for the relics' return in due course and coordinate their display in China. The collection includes jade artifacts, pottery, porcelain, bronze wares, architectural components, wooden sculptures, stone carvings and statues.

"These relics feature a rich variety, diverse materials, a broad historical span, and significant historical and artistic value," the administration said.

Detailed information on the artifacts has yet to be released, as further appraisals are still underway. However, footage from State broadcaster China Central Television and images provided by the administration show items such as the components of a bronze tree, a pottery cooking vessel that first appeared during the Neolithic period known as li, a disc-shaped jade ritual item called bi, a pottery figurine of a storyteller and colored glaze with a dragon motif.

The relics and artworks were seized by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in November. The National Cultural Heritage Administration worked with the Chinese Consulate General in New York and US authorities to verify the artifacts and facilitate their return.

In 2009, China and the US signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to prevent illegal imports into the US of "archaeological materials ... representing China's cultural heritage from the Paleolithic period (c. 75,000 BC) through the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and monumental sculpture and wall art at least 250 years old". The memorandum has been renewed three times, most recently in January 2024.

"It is a just act to safeguard cultural heritage by preventing and combating the illegal trafficking of cultural relics and facilitating the return of lost items to their rightful countries," Luo Wenli, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said at the transfer ceremony.

He added that the administration seeks to enhance Sino-US relations through "friendship, mutual trust and cooperation".

Chen Li, China's consul general in New York, praised the repatriation as an example of mutual respect and assistance between different cultures, saying it sets a global precedent for international cooperation.

"With extensive common interests and vast space for cooperation, China and the United States can become partners and friends, mutually benefiting and prospering together," Chen said.

Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, likened the joint effort for a shared goal to the Olympic Games.

Since 2009, the US has returned 594 sets or pieces of Chinese cultural relics on 20 occasions, with the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Manhattan office jointly repatriating 93 sets or pieces.

China has signed intergovernmental agreements with 27 countries to combat the theft and illicit trade of cultural property.

A newly revised edition of China's Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics, which took effect on Saturday, includes Article 81, which calls for enhanced international cooperation in seeking the repatriation of stolen and illegally exported cultural relics — the first time cross-border repatriation of cultural relics has been codified in Chinese law. The law also urges reciprocal efforts for the return of foreign artifacts that were illegally brought into China.

wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn