Museum is misguided
I truly do not understand why or how the National Palace Museum could possibly turn down an offer for two bronze animal heads (“National Palace Museum turns down famed bronzes,” Oct. 8, page 1).
After all, by accepting the two pieces, the museum would be bringing these bronzes back into the loving embrace of the Middle Kingdom’s bosom.
It would be a truly magnificent and wonderful act of supreme patriotism to rescue these objets d’art from the greedy, rasping red-haired barbarians. Such an act of patriotism would do wonders to reverse the reigning sentiment of resentment in China brought on by the centuries of humiliation caused by foreigners, including the plundering of such treasures as the two bronzes in question. I would think that any patriotic Chinese would jump at the chance.
One must never forget that, according to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) own mythology … er … I mean ideology, the officials currently in control of the “Republic of China” (ROC) are the sole legitimate governing authority for all of China, including Tibet and parts of Mongolia.
Ergo, in their capacity of sole legitimate rulers of all China, the KMT would have every right to take possession of these two bronze pieces and the other pieces in the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent collection also.
After all, better that these priceless artifacts should be in the hands of the only rightful rulers of China, as opposed to those of the filthy “Communist Bandits.” Or have I overlooked something? Has the grand, dialectical current of history passed me by? Has the “song” changed so much?
Perhaps what I write is ludicrous, but it is no more risible than the pathetic excuse offered by the museum that “the artifacts do not fit its collection.” What stupendous bilge.
Neither can I accept museum director Chuo Kung-hsin’s (周�? claim that the museum had to follow professional ethics and reject any artifacts that were controversial, of unknown origin, or of contraband nature. That’s a load of cowardly, hypocritical tripe.
There can be no doubt whatsoever as to the origin of these bronze pieces. They were pilfered, but they were pilfered from China. To bring them back to China seems to me the ethical thing to do. And since the ROC lays claim to being the sole legitimate governing authority for all of China, it seems only justified that the bronze pieces be welcomed with open arms by the KMT.
MICHAEL SCANLON
East Hartford, Connecticut
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