'"The Louvre Was Nothing": Masterpiece Worth 18.6 Billion Won Siphoned from Major Chinese Museum and Sent to Auction'

Illegal Transfers and Private Deals of Donated Relics Exposed
China to Tighten Oversight of Museums and Art Galleries
Authorities Move to Prevent Recurrence Amid Continued Similar Cases

Chinese authorities have conducted a large-scale investigation and imposed disciplinary measures on a total of 24 people in connection with the illegal export of cultural relics from the Nanjing Museum, one of the three major museums in China.

On the 10th, Yonhap News, citing the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, reported that under the guidance of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Jiangsu provincial authorities carried out a comprehensive inspection of how donated cultural relics were managed at the Nanjing Museum and confirmed that artifacts had been systematically siphoned off.

Part of 'Spring in Jiangnan' by Ming dynasty Chinese painter Gu Ying. Baidu

The investigation was launched after a cultural relic donated to the Nanjing Museum about 60 years ago suddenly appeared in a preview for an auction last year, sparking controversy. The work in question is "Spring in Jiangnan," regarded as a representative piece by Qiu Ying, a painter of the Ming dynasty, with an estimated appraisal value of about 88 million yuan (approximately 18.5 billion to 18.6 billion won). When the donor’s descendants raised objections, saying they were "unable to locate the work in the museum," the museum countered that it had "disposed of the piece after determining it was a forgery." During the ensuing lawsuit between the two sides, a museum employee accused former museum director Xu Huping of involvement in the removal of cultural relics, prompting the authorities to launch a sweeping investigation.

The investigation found that a total of 29 people were involved in the case, 5 of whom are already deceased, leaving 24 to be disciplined. Former director Xu Huping, identified as the key figure in the illegal export of cultural relics, concurrently served as head of "Wenwu Zongdian," the state-owned cultural relics distribution network, and is accused of approving the illegal transfer of donated artifacts, including "Spring in Jiangnan," to Wenwu Zongdian. He is currently under investigation by disciplinary and supervisory bodies.

An employee of the Nanjing Museum, identified only by the surname Zhang, is under investigation for disciplinary violations after it was revealed that he had drastically reduced the estimated appraisal value of "Spring in Jiangnan" to about one-tenth of its actual value, purchased it at that price, and then resold it at a high price to reap illicit gains. Some of those subject to disciplinary measures have reportedly been referred to judicial authorities, but the specific level of punishment for each individual has not been made public.

The People’s Daily placed unusual emphasis on the scale of mobilization during the investigation of this case. The authorities questioned a cumulative total of more than 1,100 people, including officials, employees, and ordinary citizens; reviewed over 65,000 documents; and secured more than 1,500 pieces of written evidence. They also cross-checked 32,055 calligraphy and painting artifacts in the collection, focusing on identifying any legal violations throughout the entire process of transfer and distribution. The authorities recovered three cultural relics, including "Spring in Jiangnan," and placed them in storage, while the whereabouts of one remaining piece are still being traced. It was later confirmed that one of the items had in fact remained in the original storage facility all along.

Chinese authorities stated that, using this case as a turning point, they will conduct a thorough review of the management system for cultural relics held by museums, expand the scope of oversight to include libraries and art museums, and significantly strengthen staff training and internal controls.

Meanwhile, in recent years China has seen a series of cases uncovered involving the leakage and illegal trade of cultural relics at local museums and cultural institutions. In the late 2010s as well, some local museum officials were punished for handing over items from their collections to private collectors or manipulating appraisal values. In such cases, those involved were stripped of their Party membership and received prison sentences or suspended sentences.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.