The director of France's Guimet Museum has pledged to return the cultural artifact to China within 24 hours if it is confirmed to have been looted.

The Director of the Guimet Museum: If Confirmed as Looted, Chinese Cultural Relics in Our Collection Will Be Returned Immediately

Chinese cultural relics account for approximately one-third of the collection at the French National Guimet Museum of Asian Art. Regarding issues of ownership, the museum's director, Yannick Lintz, stated that if there is solid evidence proving that artifacts were obtained through looting, they should be returned to their country of origin within 24 hours.

According to Phoenix TV, Yannick Lintz, director of the French National Guimet Museum of Asian Art, said: "In the coming years, we will certainly collaborate with our Chinese counterparts to reconstruct the provenance history of these artworks and clarify the truth. I reiterate once again: once there is conclusive evidence—not mere suspicion—that items were looted, I believe they should be returned within 24 hours."

In April 2026, France passed a landmark law establishing a general framework for returning cultural property acquired illegally between 1815 and 1972 through means such as theft, plunder, or gifts obtained under coercion or violence. This legislation bypasses the previous strict "non-transferable" principle, allowing the government to return looted items to their rightful owners without requiring individual parliamentary votes for each artifact. The amendment also stipulates that recipient countries must commit to returning artifacts according to international standards and guarantee public access.

Subsequently, French parliamentarian Jérémie Patrice-Létourneau shared a video of his speech on social media, referencing the famous dream of French literary giant Victor Hugo, stating that just as Hugo famously declared in 1861, one day France would cleanse its sins and return the artifacts looted from the Old Summer Palace to China.

The Guimet Museum is one of Europe’s most important institutions dedicated to Asian art, housing over 20,000 Chinese cultural relics.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869570274809034/

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