COMING HOME

▶ Looted 3,000-year-old ‘Tiger Ying’ bronze vessel returned to China by mysterious buyer

State Administration of Cultural Heritage had been working to have the relic returned to its homeland.

The vessel was purchased at the auction for $581,600 by an anonymous buyer.

On April 28, the auction house contacted SACH stating that the buyer wished to unconditionally donate the bronze vessel to the Chinese government.

Through arrangements made by SACH and the Chinese Embassy in UK, a donation ceremony was held on September 21.

In an email sent to the Global Times on Tuesday, auction house representatives stated that they are “delighted to have been of service to the Chinese people,” but have “nothing to add” concerning information about the anonymous buyer.

At the ceremony on Tuesday, SACH Director Liu Yuzhu emphasized that looted treasures are important parts of China’s cultural heritage and are deeply tied to its history and the Chinese people.

Over the past few decades, nearly 4,000 looted cultural relics have been returned to China through various means.

Social media reaction

The news of the vessel’s return sparked a positive reaction on Chinese social media.

A Sina Weibo post from the People’s Daily about the return got more than 1,000 reposts and likes within its first 12 hours. Numerous netizens expressed their joy and excitement about the return, taking pride in the history and culture of China.

“You won’t be stolen again. Tiger Ying, welcome home!” posted netizen Nanfengyi on Sina Weibo.

Not all the posts were joyous as some netizens expressed their anger over the looting of the Old Summer Palace by Anglo-French forces.

Some netizens also showed interest in the identity of the anonymous buyer, which sparked discussion concerning the ownership and legality of looted cultural relics and whether major museums such as the British Museum should return items taken illegally from other nations.

“Those relics belong to the people who created them,” posted netizen Wan_Yancang.