"Opium War Loot Auctioned Off" Topic
9 Posts
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Areas of Interest19th Century
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 Editor in Chief Bill   | 13 Apr 2018 12:13 p.m. PST |
A 3,000-year old bronze vessel that was looted by a British soldier from an imperial palace in Beijing fetched $581,600 USD at auction this week despite objections from the Chinese government… link |
| Cacique Caribe | 13 Apr 2018 12:24 p.m. PST |
Whatever happened to right of conquest? :) Dan |
| Winston Smith | 13 Apr 2018 12:40 p.m. PST |
If the Chinese had stolen Stonehenge, do you think they would give it back? I think not. |
| Cacique Caribe | 13 Apr 2018 12:45 p.m. PST |
Lol. The activists wouldn't even try it with China. In fact they would turn it around and say that we are too attached to our own heritage, that it was unhealthy and a sign of a Euro-supremacy mindset. :) Dan |
Wackmole9  | 13 Apr 2018 1:24 p.m. PST |
But would it have survived the Culture revolution. |
| Cacique Caribe | 13 Apr 2018 2:34 p.m. PST |
Nope. It would have been long lost, at the hands of the same government that demands the return of these artifacts now. Dan |
| clibinarium | 14 Apr 2018 4:21 a.m. PST |
If the Chinese had stolen Stonehenge, do you think the English would want it back? I think so.
It would be an impressive act of theft too, getting it all the way to China. But its a thorny issue, rights of conquest haven't really flown since since WW2, thought obviously this was well before that. Perhaps you could say that limitation applies since it was so long ago. But its easy to say that when you haven't been subject to serious plundering since the time of the Vikings.
Lots was lost during the cultural revolution, but you wouldn't be impressed by a burglar who says "Its a good job I stole your stuff so it was safe during that fit of iconoclasm you went through. I should probably hang on to it too". |
| bsrlee | 14 Apr 2018 5:53 a.m. PST |
Well, there is nothing stopping them from bidding at the auction. Unless the Chinese start a shooting war with Britain, I doubt the relevant Minister would get away with refusing them an export permit either. |
| Cacique Caribe | 14 Apr 2018 8:35 a.m. PST |
Lol. Wasn't this the entire premise of Rush Hour (1998), the return of artwork that Communist China would have destroyed during its Cultural Revolution? YouTube link Good thing that the Kuomintang saved much of it and is now safe in museums and private collections in Taiwan (ROC), instead of a big pile of dust or ash. Dan
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