China bristles as British auction house puts stolen Ying water vessel on the block
Beijing — China on Tuesday condemned the British auction of a rare bronze water vessel seized by a British soldier from Beijing’s ransacked Imperial Gardens in the 19th century, calling for a boycott. The auction is due to take place on Wednesday, organised by Kent-based Canterbury Auction Galleries. The elaborately adorned water vessel and cover, referred to as a Tiger Ying because of the tiger decorations, was made between 1100 and 771 BCE during the Western Zhou Dynasty. It has an estimated value of up to £160,000, the auction house said on its website. It said the vessel was taken by a British soldier during the "capture" of what is now called the Old Summer Palace in 1860, towards the end of the Second Opium War. The Imperial Gardens were an architectural wonder of Western-style palaces and gardens that were destroyed and looted by British and French troops in 1860. The ruins of the palace still lie where they fell, a popular tourist site covering an area of 865 acres and a rem...
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