2006年NPR美国国家公共电台二月-Buying Back China's Lost Art Treasures

Steve Inskeep: Many Chinese businesses and collectors are using their new wealth to buy back some of the country's history. Treasures plundered 1 in wars or stolen by tomb robbers. One company has made this its specialty 2. The Poly corporation, which started as an arms trading branch of china's military. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing.

Anthony Kuhn: Poly Plaza 3, the company's towering headquarters, overlooks a major intersection 4 on Beijing's east side. On the second floor is the Poly Museum, where museum assistant He Hui shows off some of the collections gems 5. There is a set of eight bronze bells in various sizes handcrafted 2800 years ago. There's a rare ritual wine vessel 6 from the Shang Dynasty some 3000 years old.

He Hui: There are two dragons here on the side handles. The head on the lid is an owl 7. Further down we have mythical 8 beasts with the trunk of an elephant, the head of an ox, and the feet of a sheep.

Anthony Kuhn: Nearby are several bronze animal head sculptures. Poly rocked the Chinese art world when it bought them for a total of 4 million dollars at auctions 9 in Hong Kong in 2000. At the time, media reported that Poly was willing to pay any prices to reclaim 10 the sculptures which French and British troops plundered from the Imperial Summer Palace in 1860. Poly Museum's curator Jiang Yingchun is an archeologist by training. He explains Poly's motivation this way.

Jiang Yingchun: We thought what will Poly Corporation leave to future generations, he recalls. We decided 11 that only these ancient Chinese works of fine art are everlasting 12.

Anthony Kuhn: Jiang says that Poly cut all its ties with the Chinese military in 1998. He insists that Poly buys artworks with its own corporate 13 earnings 14 and is not acting 15 on the government's behalf.

James Mulvenon: There is a very strong motivation at the heart of this to restore China's national treasures.

Anthony Kuhn: James Mulvenon is an expert on the Chinese military at the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, a Washington DC based think tank.

James Mulvenon: I really think they are sincere. There is a lot of people who think that this is just a front, I do think it is sincere but there are commercial benefits to be in a cultural patron. I think it does, to a certain extent, take some heat off of them. Because, you know, they had a fairly nefarious 16 past.

Anthony Kuhn: Poly was created under the People's Liberation Armies General Armaments Department, it got its start selling weapons and has since diversified 17 into real estate and cultural ventures. Its current president is He Ping, son-in-law of the late leader Deng Xiaoping. Poly's former president, Wang Jun, sipped 18 coffee with President Clinton at the white house in 1996 amid a controversy 19 over campaign contributions by foreign interests. Earlier that year, US Customs officials uncovered an alleged 20 conspiracy 21 to import 2000 Ak-47 rifles into the US. Indicted 22 in the case was Ma Baoping, Polly's former representative in the US and the former vice 23 curator of the Poly Museum, he left the US before he could be arrested. Foreign museums and collectors need not worry about their collections, museum assistant He Hui says that for all its formidable connections, Poly is not about to buy up all of China's overseas art treasures.

He Hui: As for artwork that has been lost overseas, if they were lost through illegal channels, then they should come back. But if they were legitimately 24 purchased, and taken overseas by, say, businessmen or missionaries 25, those should remain abroad.

Anthony Kuhn: Past controversies 26 seemed to have had little affect on Poly, the museum is moving this year to larger quarters across the street. The company's relations with the US are apparently 27 in good shape too; last year the US army approved a 29 million dollar contract for Poly to equip the Iraqi Army with Chinese made guns and ammunition 28.

Anthony Kuhn: Anthony Kuhn, NPR News.