In the past two centuries, the West came to China, plundered art treasures from caves, palaces and art dealers' secret rooms, and stole a large number of national treasures such as sculptures, furniture, porcelain, calligraphy and paintings. Dunhuang murals, Longmen Grottoes, Zhaoling Six Horses... Where are these rare treasures now? Among the treasure thieves, besides the notorious Stein, Warner, and Lu Qinzhai, what other lesser-known "masterminds" are there? By consulting private documents, historical archives, and the memoirs of key figures, the two authors describe in detail the history of how Western collectors, headed by Americans, tried their best to acquire Chinese art from the Opium War to 1949. These cultural relics eventually gave birth to the booming development of the Chinese antique market in Europe and the United States, and also inspired the Chinese people's efforts to rely on the art market to promote the return of national treasures.
Reader comments
This is the first long-form documentary work in China that comprehensively reveals the truth about the contemporary Chinese cultural relics market. It is mainly about the shameful theft of Chinese cultural relics by shameless Western powers. Many of our country's cultural relics have been lost overseas and will not be able to return to their homeland for a long time. In writing the content of the book, the author uses a documentary method of text descriptions and hidden photos to record the specific facts of the treasures of our country's civilization wandering abroad and being traded on the black market by bad actors and powers, allowing readers to deeply understand the complexity and darkness of human nature in this world.
Chinese culture has a long history, is extensive and profound. This is a book about Chinese collecting culture. Through an in-depth study of China's collection market and cultural traditions, the author explores issues such as the value, appreciation and protection of collections. The book introduces different types of collectibles and the development status of the collection market, as well as collectors' journeys and stories. For readers interested in Chinese culture and collecting, this book provides in-depth understanding and inspiration of collecting culture.
This book is very interesting! It exposed the history of Western collectors plundering art from China and allowed me to see how those precious cultural relics were lost abroad. The stories and details in the book are very attractive. I particularly like the author's description of the masterminds behind the scenes, which gave me a deeper understanding of this period of history.
This is the first long-form documentary work in China that comprehensively reveals the truth about the contemporary Chinese cultural relics market. It is mainly about the shameful theft of Chinese cultural relics by shameless Western powers. Many of our country's cultural relics have been lost overseas and will not be able to return to their homeland for a long time. In writing the content of the book, the author uses a documentary method of text descriptions and hidden photos to record the specific facts of the treasures of our country's civilization wandering abroad and being traded on the black market by bad actors and powers, allowing readers to deeply understand the complexity and darkness of human nature in this world.
Chinese culture has a long history, is extensive and profound. This is a book about Chinese collecting culture. Through an in-depth study of China's collection market and cultural traditions, the author explores issues such as the value, appreciation and protection of collections. The book introduces different types of collectibles and the development status of the collection market, as well as collectors' journeys and stories. For readers interested in Chinese culture and collecting, this book provides in-depth understanding and inspiration of collecting culture.
This book is very interesting! It exposed the history of Western collectors plundering art from China and allowed me to see how those precious cultural relics were lost abroad. The stories and details in the book are very attractive. I particularly like the author's description of the masterminds behind the scenes, which gave me a deeper understanding of this period of history.