Records show museum sold antiques for profit

Despite denials, heritage caretaker did buy and sell valuable letters

BEIJING - The city's cultural heritage authority on Saturday said that the Palace Museum was not the buyer of five letters written in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in a 1997 auction, nor the seller of the antiques in a 2005 auction despite online posts and media reports suggesting the contrary.

The official with the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage said the administration had examined and approved all the lots in both auctions.