The State Administration of Cultural Heritage guides and encourages the return of overseas cultural relics and provides exhibition services to the society

Beijing, December 30 (Reporter Song Xue) In recent years, the topic of "overseas cultural relics" has attracted much attention. A few days ago, when talking about the policy of promoting the return of overseas cultural relics, a spokesman for the State Administration of Cultural Relics pointed out that China is one of the countries with the most serious loss of cultural relics in history, especially in the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a large number of cultural relics were displaced due to war plunder, cultural plunder, and illegal trade. For a long time, China has promoted the return of overseas cultural relics through various means such as government recourse, overseas donations, and participation of social forces.

Beijing, the ancient capital with rich historical and cultural heritage, is an important window for international cultural relics and artwork exchanges, as well as an important port for the return of overseas cultural relics. According to the "Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Museum Business Development Plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan Period", Beijing will continue to give full play to the advantages of the "two districts" construction policy, promote the adjustment of the tax policy for the return of overseas cultural relics, and promote the construction of an important base for the return of overseas cultural relics in the Shunyi Tianzhu Comprehensive Free Trade Zone, the Daxing Group of the High-end Industrial Area of the Beijing Pilot Free Trade Zone, and the Chaoyang Jinzhan International Cooperation Service Zone.

Source: CFP

Recently, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Management of Cultural Relics in Folk Collections and Promoting the Orderly Development of the Cultural Relics Market", which put forward encouraging policies for promoting the return of overseas cultural relics, clarified the pilot registration of cultural relics, actively studied and adjusted the tax policy for promoting the return of overseas cultural relics, optimized the temporary entry and exit management of cultural relics and trade facilitation services, and gave full play to the advantages of the pilot free trade zone, the comprehensive pilot demonstration of the expansion and opening up of the national service industry, the comprehensive bonded zone, the import expo and other key platforms. Guide and encourage the return of overseas cultural relics and provide public welfare services such as exhibitions to the society.

The spokesman said that the State Administration of Cultural Heritage actively communicated and consulted with the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation, the General Administration of Customs and other departments to study tax policies to promote the return of overseas cultural relics. In particular, from 2020 onwards, the 5 duty-free sales policies for cultural relics exhibits will be piloted at the Expo, which is highly anticipated by collectors. In 2021, the fourth CIIE set up a cultural relics and artworks section for the first time, attracting 20 institutions from 11 countries and regions such as the United Kingdom and Spain to participate in the exhibition, and finally sold 41 pieces, with a turnover of 760 million yuan, including many Chinese artists such as Fu Baoshi, Qi Baishi, Chang Yu, Wu Guan, etc.

In order to better play the social benefits brought about by preferential tax policies, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has introduced measures to encourage cultural relics exhibits that enjoy tax exemption policies to carry out public welfare display services for no less than three years in state-owned cultural relics collection units, so that commodities can become exhibits and let more people see the real face.

In addition, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has also piloted the facilitation measures for the review and approval of cultural relics entering and leaving the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and the "June ×N" system for the temporary entry of cultural relics, so as to promote the return of overseas cultural relics through optimized management and services. In the next step, we will work with relevant departments to further deepen reform, study and adjust relevant policies and facilitation measures, guide and encourage the return of overseas cultural relics and provide public welfare services to the society.