Thirty-two gold ornaments taken from ancient Chinese tombs were officially returned to China and handed over to Gansu Provincial Museum in northwest China on Monday. The cultural relics were previously held by French private collectors.
At a hand-over ceremony that took place on Monday morning, Li Xiaojie of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage presented one of the golden relics to Gansu provincial governor Liu Weiping.
The cultural relics would not have been returned if not for the renewed bilateral negotiations between China and France. Francois Pinault and Christian Deydier, the private collectors who kept the gold ornaments, returned the national treasures earlier this year.
"The return of the relics is the result of joint efforts by the Chinese and French governments and friends," said Li. He also added that the return of the artifacts reflect China and France's dedication to protect cultural heritage.
French Ambassador to China Maurice Gourdault-Montagne was also present at the hand-over ceremony. According to him, France hopes that China will rediscover a part of its own culture through the return of the relics.
Stolen from ancient tombs in Dabuzishan, Lixian County, Gansu Province, the 32 gold relics are said to date back to the Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C. - 476 B.C.). The items were believed to have been stolen in the 1990s along with other relics, and then smuggled abroad.
The Gansu Provincial Museum officially opened on Monday a public exhibit focusing on the newly returned cultural relics. After the exhibition, which will last until Oct. 31, the precious items will be put on permanent display within the halls of the Gansu Provincial Museum.