Mandarin/Nat Foreign plunder and cultural neglect have contributed to the loss of countless national treasures from historical sites and sacred ruins across China. Now, powerful, rich groups of mainland entrepreneurs are joining forces and pooling their resources to try and retrieve those valuable artefacts which are surfacing on the international art market. If famous auction houses can't be persuaded to return the works of art stolen from China, wealthy groups are simply paying whatever it costs to bring home these priceless pieces of history. Tourists pose for pictures and clamber over the ruins at Beijing's Old Summer Palace. The ancient monument was built during the reign of the Manchu Emperor Qianlong. Jesuit missionary friends of the Emperor were commissioned in 1747 to design the Rococo palace, and work as architects for the structure's European-style palaces, surrounded by elaborate fountains and baroque statuary. Europeans became enemies a century later during the Second Opium War. British and French troops burnt the wooden Chinese pavilions and temples, leaving only marble facades, some broken columns and traces of fountains. Many ancient historical relics were looted at this time. Fountains, here rendered in stone and bronze with human forms and heads of animals from the Chinese zodiac- each spouting water for two hours in turn -were removed by enemy soldiers who made off with five of the animal busts. These ruins are all that's left of the palace itself. They attract thousands of visitors each year. So many tourists visit the monument, that efforts are being made to try and limit the number of people allowed to explore the ruins. China is proud of its cultural heritage, and many feel that historical treasures plundered by foreign armies during the Opium Wars should be returned. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "I believe the national treasures should be returned to China. They shouldn't be auctioned." SUPER: Vox Pop, tourist SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "Not only should we take them back, it's most important to stop them from being taken out of China again. This is important." SUPER: Vox Pop, tourist Three of those bronze heads - the monkey, ox and tiger - appeared for sale on the international art market last week in Hong Kong when Christie's and Sotheby's placed the items up for auction to the highest bidder. The sales caused widespread consternation among many Hong Kong and mainland Chinese. Scores of demonstrators gathered outside Sotheby's Hong Kong auction house as the relics were being auctioned off inside, and police were called to the scene as scuffles broke out. The protestors said the antiquities belonged to the Chinese people and had been looted by French and British troops in 1860. Stepping in to defend the mainland's position and rescue her stolen national treasures is the China Poly Group, an industrial conglomerate with interests in arms, property and telecommunications. Adding art to its list of interests, the China Poly Group with its strong connection to the People's Liberation Army, has embarked on a purchasing spree to buy back what China has lost to thieves. The group spent over four million U-S dollars in Hong Kong to purchase the three bronze heads which it intends to place in this special Beijing museum filled with looted Chinese bronzes. The Poly Group's mission is defined by a museum curator. SOUND BITE: (Mandarin) "If we only rely on government finances and government protection, it's not realistic. It need more private enterprises and people to join this movement to protect our antiquities. This should be the historical trend." SUPER CAPTION: Mr. Jiang, Assistant Museum Director SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f8d9d5efd62b599f664f98da0f61d658 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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