Ancient bronze bells, Han dynasty frog among 14 cultural relics returned to China
- Items handed over to Chinese envoy in Buenos Aires represent first such gesture under a 2018 bilateral agreement on cultural property
Argentina has returned 14 cultural relics to China as part of joint efforts to fight the illegal trafficking of cultural heritage.
The artefacts, dating from between 770BC and AD589, were handed over to Chinese ambassador Wang Wei in a formal ceremony at the embassy in Buenos Aires on Thursday.
China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) said items had been “illegally exported”.
They included seven bronze bells from the ancient Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), as well as three clay figurines, two clay heads, and a bronze helmet and frog – all dating back to the Han dynasty (206BC-AD220) and the Southern and Northern dynasties (AD386-589), according to the NCHA.
The items were seized in 2017 by the cultural heritage protection division of Argentine police, as part of an Interpol operation code-named Athena, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
Their return reflected the determination of China and Argentina to protect cultural heritage and offered lessons for further cooperation across various fields, Wang said at the ceremony in the Argentine capital.
