Alberto Bonisoli, the minister of Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, examines the relics which set to return to China during the signing ceremony in Rome, Italy. (Photo/Courtesy of Yao Dawei)
An exhibition kicked off Wednesday in Beijing to showcase more than 700 Chinese cultural artifacts returned in March by Italian authorities at the National Museum of China (NMC).
The return of the relics this time marks the longest case of China tracking lost antiquities, Minister of Culture and Tourism Luo Shugang said at the opening of the exhibition.
He said the success was due to the two countries' bilateral mechanism on protection of cultural heritage and marks a milestone in cooperation on protecting cultural relics.
The returned artifacts are well-preserved and in good condition as they were originally to be sold in Italy, said Xin Lixiang, a research fellow at the NMC.
"This special exhibition impressed me a lot with its large amount and the efficiency of the preparation of exhibition. I believe that China and Italy have set an example for the repatriation of cultural relics to the world," Markus Wyss, a visitor from Switzerland, told the Global Times.
"Italy and China are cultural superpowers, and the two countries have the highest number of UNESCO heritage sites. We are looking forward to celebrating the year of culture and tourism in 2020," Italian Ambassador to China Ettore Francesco Sequi told the Global Times.
"The US has returned another 391 cultural relics, and these have already arrived in China. We are planning to hold a joint exhibition of repatriated cultural relics in the future," Guan Qiang, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, told the Global Times.
It is difficult to copy the success of the Italian case because each instance of looted cultural relics was caused by a different reason, Guan said.
Under the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, China and Italy will launch collaborative programs between the administrative bodies of World Heritage Sites, with the aim of enhancing exchanges in good practice, protection, promotion and management strategies, and developing new models for cross-border protection, according to China's Ministry of Cultureand Tourism.
It said that joint training mechanism for professionals from museums and heritage institutions will be established, with the aim of promoting exchanges and research in conservation theories.
Newspaper headline: More than 700 cultural relics returned by Italy go on show in Beijing
