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Museum's World Treasures Are China-Free

March 21, 2006 at 10:30 AM | 0 Comments

A British Museum exhibit of over 250 "Treasures of the World's Cultures" has run into a little controversy. Despite the fact that it's running in the new National Museum in Beijing, the show includes nothing from the country that's hosting it.

Of course, this isn't because the museum was fresh out of Chinese treasures  -- they have at least 20,000 pieces. But most of them were either stolen or bought for almost nothing during the colonial period, and the ownership question is something that China and the museum hardly see eye-to-eye about. Perhaps the Brits can refer them to the legal preceedent in the case of Finders vs. Keepers.

Related Stories:
·   Artifacts exhibit breeds controversy [Shanghaiist]
·   No Chinese antiquities at show [Shanghai Daily]
·   UK to lend world treasures to China [Guardian]
·   Treasures of World Cultures [British Museum]