Liu Chen-tan Sentenced for Acquiring, Reselling Stolen Chang Dai-chien Painting After Statute of Limitations Expired
Liu Chen-tan has been sentenced by the Taipei District Court for reselling a stolen painting by master artist Chang Dai-chien. Based on a collector's testimony, the court determined that Liu knowingly purchased the painting at a low price, told a potential buyer that the statute of limitations had passed, and resold the artwork, known to be stolen, for a profit of NT$130 million. He was sentenced to four years for money laundering, and his criminal proceeds were confiscated.
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- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 18:41
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Liu Chen-tan, who resold a stolen painting by master artist Chang Dai-chien, was sentenced today by the Taipei District Court to four years in prison for money laundering, with his criminal proceeds confiscated. The court, citing a collector's testimony, found that Liu had purchased the painting at a low price and had told a potential buyer that the statute of limitations had passed. This led the court to conclude that Liu knew early on that the painting was stolen property and resold it for a profit of NT$130 million.
The Taipei District Court's verdict stated that Liu Chen-tan knew that "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall," a painting Chang Dai-chien gifted to Huang Chun-pi, was stolen property being sold by Huang Tsung-kai (deceased) and his ring. The painting bears the inscription, "A respectful painting for my brother Chun-pi's 71st birthday from your younger brother Yuan." Nevertheless, in April 1995, Liu acquired and held the painting from the ring for NT$1.5 million, a price far below market value.
According to the verdict, Liu waited for the statute of limitations for the "crime of receiving stolen property" to expire. In 2018, he invited collectors interested in "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" to his residence to view the painting and discuss a sale. However, the collectors, aware that it was stolen, declined to purchase it. In May or June of 2019, Liu commissioned Emperor Technology & Culture Co. to sell the painting, and in July of the same year, he sold it to a Chinese buyer with the surname Zhao for NT$130 million.
In October 2019, the internationally renowned auction house Sotheby's held a Chinese paintings and calligraphy auction, and its catalog included Chang Dai-chien's "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall," with an estimated value as high as HK$38 million (approximately NT$152 million). After learning of this, Huang Chun-pi's daughter, Huang Hsiang-ling, reported it to the police. Prosecutors requested the Ministry of Justice's Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council to contact Sotheby's to have the painting withdrawn. They then traced the painting back to Liu Chen-tan.
During the trial, Liu Chen-tan admitted to purchasing "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" for NT$1.5 million and commissioning Emperor Auction to sell it, receiving NT$130 million. However, he denied the money laundering charge, arguing, "I did not know the painting in this case was stolen property, and there was no information revealing it was stolen."
The verdict pointed out that based on the testimonies of Huang Hsiang-ling, Huang Chun-pi's student Chang Fu-ying, and a collector surnamed Ko, it is clear that "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" was indeed stolen in October 1990 and disappeared, only for rumors of its auction to surface in 2018. Given that Huang Chun-pi was despondent over the theft of his painting and the work's extreme rarity, the possibility of Huang Chun-pi himself selling it in 1990 is extremely low. Thus, it is evident that "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" was stolen property after its theft.
According to the verdict, the collector surnamed Ko further testified that when he viewed the painting at Liu Chen-tan's home and questioned if it was stolen, Liu said he would issue a certificate of origin and assume all legal responsibility. Ko found this strange at the time, as no one in a normal art transaction would offer a certificate of origin. "I asked him about the source, and he said someone sold it to him for NT$2 million back then. The moment I heard that, I felt it was impossible, just too far from the market price."
The collector surnamed Ko testified that everyone in the industry knew there was a huge discrepancy between the price Liu initially paid and the actual value. "'Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall' was a birthday gift from Chang Dai-chien to Huang Chun-pi, using Japanese xuan paper with gold foil, which is almost nonexistent in the market. Moreover, the inscription indicates it was a gift to Huang Chun-pi. Unless Huang Chun-pi officially sold it, it's impossible for it to be on the market."
Ko said he asked Liu how he would handle it if a client had problems after buying it. Liu said he could issue a written undertaking to bear all legal responsibility and even mentioned the criminal code, stating that the crime of dealing with stolen goods had passed its statute of limitations and the sale should be fine.
The collegial panel concluded that based on the fact that the price Liu paid for "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" deviated significantly from the market price and that he told potential buyers the statute of limitations for dealing with stolen goods had passed, it is clear Liu knew it was stolen property when he bought it in 1995. Liu's act of selling the painting only after the statute of limitations expired constitutes a money laundering act of concealing or hiding the proceeds of a specific crime.
The panel considered that Liu consistently denied all charges, completely failed to acknowledge his wrongdoing, and severely wasted limited judicial resources. Taking into account that Liu never expressed a willingness to return the criminal proceeds nor reached a settlement with the plaintiff, among all other circumstances, he was sentenced under the Money Laundering Control Act to 4 years in prison and a fine of NT$3 million. The unseized criminal proceeds of NT$130 million were declared to be confiscated.
Now 89, Liu Chen-tan is a political victim of the White Terror period. In the 1970s, he was arrested by the Taiwan Garrison Command for involvement in the "Tainan USIS Bombing Case" and the "Taipei Citibank Bombing Case" and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. After appeals and rescue efforts by international human rights groups, his sentence was reduced to 5 years and 8 months. He once served as the chairman of the Taiwan Association for the Care of Political Victims of the Martial Law Period.
The Taipei District Court's verdict stated that Liu Chen-tan knew that "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall," a painting Chang Dai-chien gifted to Huang Chun-pi, was stolen property being sold by Huang Tsung-kai (deceased) and his ring. The painting bears the inscription, "A respectful painting for my brother Chun-pi's 71st birthday from your younger brother Yuan." Nevertheless, in April 1995, Liu acquired and held the painting from the ring for NT$1.5 million, a price far below market value.
According to the verdict, Liu waited for the statute of limitations for the "crime of receiving stolen property" to expire. In 2018, he invited collectors interested in "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" to his residence to view the painting and discuss a sale. However, the collectors, aware that it was stolen, declined to purchase it. In May or June of 2019, Liu commissioned Emperor Technology & Culture Co. to sell the painting, and in July of the same year, he sold it to a Chinese buyer with the surname Zhao for NT$130 million.
In October 2019, the internationally renowned auction house Sotheby's held a Chinese paintings and calligraphy auction, and its catalog included Chang Dai-chien's "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall," with an estimated value as high as HK$38 million (approximately NT$152 million). After learning of this, Huang Chun-pi's daughter, Huang Hsiang-ling, reported it to the police. Prosecutors requested the Ministry of Justice's Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council to contact Sotheby's to have the painting withdrawn. They then traced the painting back to Liu Chen-tan.
During the trial, Liu Chen-tan admitted to purchasing "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" for NT$1.5 million and commissioning Emperor Auction to sell it, receiving NT$130 million. However, he denied the money laundering charge, arguing, "I did not know the painting in this case was stolen property, and there was no information revealing it was stolen."
The verdict pointed out that based on the testimonies of Huang Hsiang-ling, Huang Chun-pi's student Chang Fu-ying, and a collector surnamed Ko, it is clear that "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" was indeed stolen in October 1990 and disappeared, only for rumors of its auction to surface in 2018. Given that Huang Chun-pi was despondent over the theft of his painting and the work's extreme rarity, the possibility of Huang Chun-pi himself selling it in 1990 is extremely low. Thus, it is evident that "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" was stolen property after its theft.
According to the verdict, the collector surnamed Ko further testified that when he viewed the painting at Liu Chen-tan's home and questioned if it was stolen, Liu said he would issue a certificate of origin and assume all legal responsibility. Ko found this strange at the time, as no one in a normal art transaction would offer a certificate of origin. "I asked him about the source, and he said someone sold it to him for NT$2 million back then. The moment I heard that, I felt it was impossible, just too far from the market price."
The collector surnamed Ko testified that everyone in the industry knew there was a huge discrepancy between the price Liu initially paid and the actual value. "'Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall' was a birthday gift from Chang Dai-chien to Huang Chun-pi, using Japanese xuan paper with gold foil, which is almost nonexistent in the market. Moreover, the inscription indicates it was a gift to Huang Chun-pi. Unless Huang Chun-pi officially sold it, it's impossible for it to be on the market."
Ko said he asked Liu how he would handle it if a client had problems after buying it. Liu said he could issue a written undertaking to bear all legal responsibility and even mentioned the criminal code, stating that the crime of dealing with stolen goods had passed its statute of limitations and the sale should be fine.
The collegial panel concluded that based on the fact that the price Liu paid for "Spring Mountains and Cloudy Waterfall" deviated significantly from the market price and that he told potential buyers the statute of limitations for dealing with stolen goods had passed, it is clear Liu knew it was stolen property when he bought it in 1995. Liu's act of selling the painting only after the statute of limitations expired constitutes a money laundering act of concealing or hiding the proceeds of a specific crime.
The panel considered that Liu consistently denied all charges, completely failed to acknowledge his wrongdoing, and severely wasted limited judicial resources. Taking into account that Liu never expressed a willingness to return the criminal proceeds nor reached a settlement with the plaintiff, among all other circumstances, he was sentenced under the Money Laundering Control Act to 4 years in prison and a fine of NT$3 million. The unseized criminal proceeds of NT$130 million were declared to be confiscated.
Now 89, Liu Chen-tan is a political victim of the White Terror period. In the 1970s, he was arrested by the Taiwan Garrison Command for involvement in the "Tainan USIS Bombing Case" and the "Taipei Citibank Bombing Case" and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. After appeals and rescue efforts by international human rights groups, his sentence was reduced to 5 years and 8 months. He once served as the chairman of the Taiwan Association for the Care of Political Victims of the Martial Law Period.