Smuggled cultural relics return to motherland
( 2003-12-22 00:19) (Xinhua)
Around 9,000 smuggled cultural relics were handed over to the Cultural
Heritage Administration of Tianjin, a north China port city, by the General
Administration of Customs Monday.
Some of the 9,000
smuggled cultural relics are displayed when they were handed over to the
Cultural Heritage Administration of Tianjin Monday.
[newsphoto.com.cn] | The handover, including nine second level and 226 third level state-protected
relics, was the biggest one in recent years, said Mou Xinsheng, commissioner of
the General Administration of Customs.
Mou said that the General Administration of Customs is now extending close
cooperation with relevant departments to establish a long-term system against
cultural relics smuggling.
He said that China's customs offices at all levels use the latest technology
to form an information network for the management of Chinese cultural relics.
According to customs statistics, since 1995, customs offices at all levels
have salvaged 45,725 smuggled cultural relics, of which 4,065 pieces were
rescued this year.
"The customs department plays an important role in the crack down on Chinese
cultural relics smuggling, and people of all walks of life should make efforts
to protect cultural relics", said Dong Baohua, deputy director of the State
Cultural Heritage Administration.
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