Surprising Collection of Japanese Relics in China

(Earlier this year an exhibition held by a private Chinese company has impressed both Japanese and Chinese historians. They are startled to find around 300 ancient and contemporary Japanese cultural relics here, which are of great historical and artistic significance. To their great surprise, these exhibits are just one hundredth of the total collection of the company.)

Stepping into the hall where the Ruiya Xuan company stores its collection of Japanese cultural relics in suburban Beijing, I felt like I was entering Ali Baba’s cave. The hall, with a floor space of several hundred square meters, seemed too small to house all the objects. Everywhere I went, I had to be very careful not to damage the delicate porcelains, lacquerwares, scroll paintings, and the many other artifacts.

Deputy General Manager of the Ruiya Xuan Culture and Arts Company Liu Yinping showed me some of the relics. He told me the items in the hall made up only a third of the total collection of 30,000 cultural relics, because there wasn’t enough space to house the other two thirds. He hopes to find a place to display all the items, but there is no such a place in Beijing. He once made a rough calculation that to display all 30,000 relics would require a space of some 100,000 square meters – a quarter of the area Tian’anmen Square covers.

Archaeologists from home and abroad estimate there are approximately 60,000 Japanese artifacts in China, of which the Ruiya Xuan company has collected half. The company’s collection of Japanese relics is twice as large as those collected at the Tokyo National Museum, and contains far more pieces than the collections of some world famous museums, such as the Louvre in Paris and the British Museum.

To judge the value of a collection of cultural relics, it is not only the quantity that matters. The quality of relics is of equal, if not greater, importance. Liu Yinping says his company’s collection covers a time span of more than 1,000 years, and consists of Japanese ancient and contemporary paintings, pieces of porcelain, lacquerwares, handwritings, textiles and statuary. Of the 30,000 relics, 2,000 have been authenticated by experts from both China and Japan to be works by a number of maestro artists, and are considered to be as precious as those of the Japanese national collection. The collection is thought of as a great cultural treasure in China and some experts suggest the company should apply to UNESCO for world cultural heritage listing.

The Ruiya Xuan company’s cultural relics are of great historical and artistic value. Liu yinping gave me an example. He once collected two pottery ashtrays, which look so ordinary that he casually placed them in the washroom. A Japanese collector happened to visit him and was surprised to see the ashtrays. He told Liu that they were made by a top potter, and each one was worth the equivalent of a top-level Mercedes in Japan.

I was curious as to how the company manages to collect so many precious cultural relics. Liu Yinping says it’s his company’s commercial secret, although he revealed to me the stories behind some of the finds. Some are collected from Chinese artists, the majority of them bought from people throughout China. He told me quite a number of artifacts were found hidden under floors or in the walls when old buildings were pulled down in north and east China. He further explains, from his own experiences as well as the research of scholars from home and abroad, as to why there are so many Japanese cultural relics remaining in China.

“China and Japan have a history of diplomatic relations that dates back more than 2,000 years. For a long period of time, China’s productivity was higher than that of Japan, and this attracted Japanese envoys and artisans to come to China to learn. Many of them brought with them their own works for their Chinese teachers to evaluate or as gifts. That’s why many of the cultural relics feature strong influences from Chinese culture. In addition, Japan often presented gifts to the ancient Chinese governments. And cultural exchanges between the two countries’ artists, businessmen and artisans were also very frequent, and this resulted in further exchanges of artifacts between Japan and China. What’s more, during the Japanese invasion of China, a number of Japanese officials and businessmen flooded into China, bringing with them many artifacts. After their unconditional surrender, they hurried back to Japan, leaving behind many artifacts hidden under floors or in the walls of buildings.”

During the past 20 years, the company has made painstaking efforts to collect Japanese artifacts from all across China. Its deputy general manager Liu Yinping says in the beginning, the company was mainly engaged in the collection, buying and selling of Japanese cultural relics. As they learned more about the items, they came to realize their great value. Later, they only collected the artifacts and no longer sold them.

“We collect Japanese relics from all across China in order to rescue and better protect them, as they are a cultural heritage shared by humankind. We also consider it helpful to promote friendship and cultural exchanges between the two peoples.”

Talking about the relic collection, Liu Yinping says much hardship has been experienced. A major difficulty is finances. He says one precious relic usually costs millions of yuan, and it is often the case that the company doesn’t have enough money to buy the relics. He says though his company faces serious financial difficulties, they don’t sell any part of the collection. As their collection becomes more and more well known, many collectors ask to buy the artifacts. Once, a buyer offered 200 million US dollars for a porcelain vase. But the offers were all turned down by the company, because they dreamed that one day a museum of foreign cultural relics would be built so that more people from China and abroad could have the opportunity to appreciate the treasures.

“Foreign cultural relics in China, as an integral part of the world cultural heritage, should be protected. Laws and regulations for their protection should be promulgated and improved, and a museum should be established to protect, promote and display them to more people. It will broaden people’s cultural horizons and enhance cultural exchanges between China and the world.”

Liu Yinping says that the building of such a museum in China is not a new idea. As early as a century ago, one of the cultural forerunners Cai Yuanpei called for the establishment of such a museum in China. In the following decades, continuous efforts were made by a number of renowned artists in this regard, including Xu Beihong, who made great efforts to collect European paintings. Last year, the proposal was once again put forward by a number of artists, scholars and officials and was supported by the government. With their concerted efforts, a preparatory committee for the building of the museum has been established.

Liu Yinping says that after the intention of his company was revealed, many people from Shanghai, Shenzhen, Changsha and Hong Kong came to consult with him about building the museum in their localities. But he says he prefers to set up the museum in Beijing, the cultural center of China. He believes the establishment of the museum in Beijing will in turn help promote Beijing’s image as an international cultural center.