Relic hunters descend on US, European museums

China will send an expert team to trace and document relics taken from the Old Summer Palace that are now in foreign countries, a park official said yesterday.

The team of experts will visit museums, libraries and private collectors next year in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and other countries for photos, documents and archives of relics plundered from the Old Summer Palace, according to Chen Mingjie, director of the park's management office.

"We hope to build a complete database of the Old Summer Palace's lost relics so we can have a clearer view of the historical royal garden, then known as the 'Garden of Gardens' before it was looted and burned down in 1860 by invading British and French armies," said Chen.