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As many as 1.64 million cultural relics have been lost abroad and are collected by 47 museums around the world. The British Museum is the museum with the largest collection of lost Chinese cultural relics, with a collection of more than 23,000 Chinese cultural relics, about 2,000 of which are on long-term display. The collection of Chinese cultural relics covers the entire art category of China and spans the entire history of China, including block-printed books, calligraphy and painting, jade, bronze, pottery, and ornaments.

When it comes to the British Museum, the richness of its collection is something that people cannot help but admire, but the sources of its treasures can make us feel conflicted to a certain extent. For example, the British Museum's mummy collection is ranked first in the world except for Egypt, so the source is self-evident. When it comes to the Chinese national treasures in the museum, it reminds us of the unbearable history.

▲British Museum——Chinese Cultural Relics Museum

The first sentence of the British Museum's introduction to Chinese cultural relics reads: "The Chinese created the most extensive and long-standing civilization in the world..."

▲British Museum——Chinese Cultural Relics Museum

This is a world-class gathering place for artworks, which brings together a treasure trove of cultural relics from ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, Rome and Oriental art. In the British Museum, you can see the essence of human civilization. Looking at the rare treasures on display, you feel as if you have come to the Forbidden City in China. Wandering in it is like traveling through a time tunnel of China's 5,000 years.

▲The famous Liao Dynasty tri-color arhat in Yi County

Although the cut marks of the Dunhuang murals behind the tri-color arhat are still visible, they cannot conceal its ancient beauty and the grace and elegance of the three "rich and plump" Bodhisattvas.

The Admonitions of Court Ladies is the earliest extant Chinese silk painting and one of the earliest works of professional Chinese painters. It is a milestone in the history of Chinese art and has been a treasure collected by the courts of all dynasties. There are only two copies left in the world. One was copied by a Song Dynasty artist and is collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing. The brushwork and color are not of the highest quality. The other is the copy in the British Museum.

It was originally kept in the Qing Palace and was a favorite on the desk of Emperor Qianlong. It was hidden in the Old Summer Palace. In 1860, the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing. British Captain Keyon stole it from the Old Summer Palace and took it abroad. In 1903, it was collected by the British Museum and became the most important oriental cultural relic in the museum. It is no exaggeration to call it the "treasure of the museum".

▲Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (attributed to him) "The Admonitions of the Court Instructress" (Tang copy)

Hall 33 of the British National Museum is a permanent exhibition hall dedicated to displaying Chinese cultural relics. It is one of the few national exhibition halls in the museum, along with the ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, ancient Roman and Indian exhibition halls. Among the 23,000 rare treasures from various dynasties in the British National Museum, two are China's top national treasures. One is a Tang Dynasty copy of Gu Kaizhi's "Biography of Female Historian" from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the other is a Dunhuang mural. Although the cuts are still visible, it is difficult to conceal its long-standing beauty and the elegance of the three "rich, plump" Bodhisattvas.

Between 1856 and 1932, many so-called "Western explorers" went deep into Northwest China more than 60 times in the name of scientific research, and each time they looted a large number of documents and cultural relics. Among them, the most cultural relics were looted by Hungarian Stein and Frenchman Paul Pelli in the Dunhuang Caves in 1907.

Dunhuang murals

Bronze

Jade

Song Dynasty Porcelain

Yuan Dynasty Porcelain

Ming Dynasty Porcelain

Qing Dynasty Porcelain

These exquisite works of art remind us of those distant memories, the memories of a nation's civilization, and the memories of our ancestors. Many Chinese visitors can't help but sigh when they see the masterpieces of their ancestors: When will we return home?

World Art Selection