Restitution of relics

Visitors explore an exhibition in Beijing of cultural relics that were once looted overseas. Photo: IC

Five Chinese artifacts, including a more than 2,000-year-old equestrian statue, that were once illicitly imported to Switzerland were recently returned to their home country braced by the efforts of Switzerland's Federal Office of Culture (FOC). 

"A great sense of responsibility" was how Fabienne Baraga, the head of FOC's Specialized Body for International Transfer of Cultural Property, described to the Global Times, as Baraga witnessed those precious objects being officially handed over to China. 

What would make a European local feel responsible for sending relics back to China? The answer to the question may go beyond Baraga's job commitments as restitution of cultural artifacts is an issue of global concern that deserves different countries' joint efforts. 

Solving the Conundrum 

In August 2023, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) wine vessel, two Tang Dynasty (618-907) statues, a Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) ancient coin and an equestrian statue with horse made in China's Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) were handed by Carine Bachmann, the director of FOC, to Wang Shiting, China's Ambassador to Switzerland. 

From 2018 to 2022, these Chinese relics entered Switzerland and were inspected by local customs authorities who discovered that they either "had not been declared at all" or had been declared "incorrectly," Baraga disclosed to the Global Times. 

Customs authorities filed criminal charges with the competent cantonal public prosecutors' offices in Basel-Stadt and Ticino. Those relics were later confiscated as part of cantonal criminal proceedings before passing to Switzerland's federal government. Despite details of the case remain confidential, importers identified were considered to have made criminal offence after violating the CPTA, also known as the Cultural Property Transfer Act, a means that fulfils UNESCO 1970 Convention addressing "illicit import and export of cultural property ownership." China and Switzerland were both committed to the treaty. 

Huo Zhengxin, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times, that if those relics illegally entered Switzerland then it might have also had been illegally taken away from China. 

"Many relics were robbed out of tombs and illegally exported overseas. We have seen many such cases," Huo remarked. 

The China-Switzerland handover was free from political posturing and its value lies in how such relics' return was systematically achieved through a China-Switzerland bilateral agreement signed in 2013.

Prior to the 2023 event, Switzerland had returned a Han Dynasty pottery figurine to China in 2014. It was the first milestone achievement after the China-Switzerland bilateral agreement officially came into force the same year. 

"This restitution is an important sign of the fruitful cooperation between Switzerland and China as well as in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property," Baraga remarked. 

A pottery camel that was once looted overseas is on display in Beijing. Photo: IC

'A kind gesture' 

In 2023, FOC have funded experts at the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage to restore relics discovered from Liye, an archaeological site in Hunan Province, which saw more than 8,000 cultural relics across periods such as the Warring State Period (475BC-221BC) to Han dynasty. 

The project is only one encapsulation reflecting China being a "priority country" to Switzerland under the "bilateral agreement," Baraga said. Starting from 2009, the FOC has underpinned several Chinese projects relating to the country's movable cultural heritage. 

Xiong Gang, a cultural expert, told the Global Times that Switzerland is the only European country that have national wide consensus to return looted and illegally obtained artefacts. France and Germany have in recently years voiced up to return cultural properties to Benin, Africa and also collaborating with China to make an inventory of Boxer Rebellion relics looted overseas. 

"Those kind gestures should not be ignored even when the overseas relics repatriation is still a tough battle to fight for," Huo noted. 

"All of our team members, myself included, feel a great sense of responsibility in handling such historically important objects and are most grateful when they can be returned to their original home," said Baraga.