France Simplifies Procedures for Returning Looted Cultural Artifacts, China Hopes to Recover Items from Old Summer Palace
The French National Assembly has passed a bill to simplify the process for returning illegally acquired foreign cultural artifacts. China has expressed its appreciation and anticipation of cooperation with France to track down and recover lost cultural items, including those from the Old Summer Palace.
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 19:20
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Central News Agency
(CNA Taipei, May 7) The French National Assembly passed a bill on May 6th to simplify the procedures for returning illegally acquired foreign cultural artifacts. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated today that it looks forward to cooperating with France. Chinese experts point out that numerous precious cultural relics looted by the Anglo-French Allied Forces from the Old Summer Palace in 1860, as well as artifacts lost during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900, are eligible for recovery and return.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media including Beijing Daily and The Paper, the French National Assembly reviewed and passed this bill on May 6th with 141 votes in favor and 0 against. The purpose of the bill is to simplify the procedures for returning looted artworks and artifacts to their countries of origin that were taken between 1815 and 1972. This bill is expected to come into effect after passing the French Senate today.
Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular press conference on the afternoon of May 7th, in response to media inquiries, that China appreciates France's responsible attitude in promoting the return of lost cultural relics to their countries of origin. China anticipates that the bill will complete its legislative process soon and looks forward to cooperating with France in this area.
Lin Jian also stated that China and France have had multiple successful cooperative practices in preventing the smuggling of cultural relics and promoting their return. China is willing to work with relevant parties, including France, to continue to "promote the protection and return of lost cultural relics" through dialogue and cooperation.
Duan Yong, Director of the Center for Research on Chinese Overseas Cultural Relics at Shanghai University, previously stated that this bill can indeed be said to greatly simplify the procedures for reclaiming lost cultural artifacts, reducing the difficulty of their return.
Duan Yong pointed out that the large number of precious cultural relics looted by the Anglo-French Allied Forces from the Old Summer Palace in 1860 under the guise of spoils of war were condemned by humanitarians like Victor Hugo at the time. The bill clearly stipulates that "military spoils" not used for military purposes are within the scope of return. Artifacts illegally lost during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 are even more within the scope of items that should be returned. Furthermore, Buddhist statues and murals stolen and smuggled out of China from various grottoes and temples during the Republic of China era also fall under the category of illegally lost cultural artifacts, all of which are eligible for recovery and return.
The report states that the Chinese Pavilion at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France houses a large number of precious cultural relics looted by French forces from the Old Summer Palace. The Chinese Pavilion can be considered a "reproduction" of the Old Summer Palace in the West. The pavilion houses over 1,000 artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, with 320 items on regular display. A formal inventory has not yet been publicly released.
The report mentions that among the Western powers, French individuals have been relatively cooperative in returning illegally lost cultural artifacts, with multiple batches of artifacts successfully returned to China. Examples include the return of the Rat and Rabbit heads from the Old Summer Palace's zodiac fountain and the recovery of stolen gold ornaments from the Qin Gong Cemetery in Dabaizi, Gansu Province in 2015. (Editors: Yang Shengru / Tang Peijun) 1150507
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(CNA Taipei, May 7) The French National Assembly passed a bill on May 6th to simplify the procedures for returning illegally acquired foreign cultural artifacts. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated today that it looks forward to cooperating with France. Chinese experts point out that numerous precious cultural relics looted by the Anglo-French Allied Forces from the Old Summer Palace in 1860, as well as artifacts lost during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900, are eligible for recovery and return.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media including Beijing Daily and The Paper, the French National Assembly reviewed and passed this bill on May 6th with 141 votes in favor and 0 against. The purpose of the bill is to simplify the procedures for returning looted artworks and artifacts to their countries of origin that were taken between 1815 and 1972. This bill is expected to come into effect after passing the French Senate today.
Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular press conference on the afternoon of May 7th, in response to media inquiries, that China appreciates France's responsible attitude in promoting the return of lost cultural relics to their countries of origin. China anticipates that the bill will complete its legislative process soon and looks forward to cooperating with France in this area.
Lin Jian also stated that China and France have had multiple successful cooperative practices in preventing the smuggling of cultural relics and promoting their return. China is willing to work with relevant parties, including France, to continue to "promote the protection and return of lost cultural relics" through dialogue and cooperation.
Duan Yong, Director of the Center for Research on Chinese Overseas Cultural Relics at Shanghai University, previously stated that this bill can indeed be said to greatly simplify the procedures for reclaiming lost cultural artifacts, reducing the difficulty of their return.
Duan Yong pointed out that the large number of precious cultural relics looted by the Anglo-French Allied Forces from the Old Summer Palace in 1860 under the guise of spoils of war were condemned by humanitarians like Victor Hugo at the time. The bill clearly stipulates that "military spoils" not used for military purposes are within the scope of return. Artifacts illegally lost during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 are even more within the scope of items that should be returned. Furthermore, Buddhist statues and murals stolen and smuggled out of China from various grottoes and temples during the Republic of China era also fall under the category of illegally lost cultural artifacts, all of which are eligible for recovery and return.
The report states that the Chinese Pavilion at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France houses a large number of precious cultural relics looted by French forces from the Old Summer Palace. The Chinese Pavilion can be considered a "reproduction" of the Old Summer Palace in the West. The pavilion houses over 1,000 artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, with 320 items on regular display. A formal inventory has not yet been publicly released.
The report mentions that among the Western powers, French individuals have been relatively cooperative in returning illegally lost cultural artifacts, with multiple batches of artifacts successfully returned to China. Examples include the return of the Rat and Rabbit heads from the Old Summer Palace's zodiac fountain and the recovery of stolen gold ornaments from the Qin Gong Cemetery in Dabaizi, Gansu Province in 2015. (Editors: Yang Shengru / Tang Peijun) 1150507
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Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP for real-time updates.
Text, images, and audio on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
FAQ
What is the purpose of the new French law?
The law aims to simplify the procedures for returning looted artworks and artifacts to their countries of origin that were taken between 1815 and 1972.
What types of artifacts are eligible for return under this law?
The law covers artifacts looted between 1815 and 1972, including those taken as spoils of war and illegally smuggled items, such as those from the Old Summer Palace and during the 1900 invasion of Beijing.
What is China's stance on this new law?
China appreciates France's responsible attitude and looks forward to cooperating with France in the area of cultural artifact restitution.
Are there historical precedents for France returning artifacts to China?
Yes, there have been multiple successful cases of artifact return, including the Rat and Rabbit heads from the Old Summer Palace and stolen gold ornaments from Gansu Province.