CHINA’S National Cultural Heritage Administration yesterday received 41 artifacts and artworks, which had been smuggled out of China, from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York City, the United States. The items include pottery, jade, bronze ware and Buddhist artifacts. Among them is a bronze “money tree” with a ceramic base and a pottery figurine of an entertainer. According to preliminary assessments, these artifacts date from the Neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and hold significant value. In November last year, the Administration collaborated with the Chinese Consulate General in New York to facilitate the successful return of these items seized by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office during their bust of artifact smuggling networks. In 2009, China and the U.S. signed the first intergovernmental memorandum of understanding to prevent the illegal import of Chinese artifacts into the U.S., which was subsequently renewed in 2014, 2019 and 2024. Since then, 594 lost cultural relics and artifacts have been returned to China in 20 batches.(SD-Agencies) | 