China Recovers Stolen Museum Relics After Auction Tip-Off
Listen to the full version
An investigation into one of China’s premier museums has exposed a decades-old scheme in which staff illegally sold off donated cultural relics, including a botched insider trading plot involving a priceless landscape scroll.
The findings, released by Jiangsu provincial authorities following a probe led by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, detailed how the Nanjing Museum lost track of five paintings donated by collector Pang Zenghe in 1959. The investigation was triggered in May 2025 after Pang’s descendant, Pang Shuling, spotted one of the missing works — the Jiangnan Spring scroll — listed for sale at a China Guardian auction.
Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.
Subscribe to both Caixin Global and The Wall Street Journal — for the price of one.
- RELATED
- DIGEST HUB
Digest Hub
Back
- An investigation revealed Nanjing Museum staff illegally sold donated relics, including five paintings gifted by Pang Zenghe, with some sold at drastically undervalued prices.
- Three missing works, including the Jiangnan Spring scroll, were recovered; a fourth was misfiled, while one remains missing.
- Twenty-four people have been punished, and the museum must improve donor management and create a public oversight committee.
- China Guardian
- China Guardian is an auction house that listed the "Jiangnan Spring scroll" for sale. The scroll, originally donated to the Nanjing Museum in 1959, was involved in a scandal where it was illegally sold off from the museum's collection. The listing at the China Guardian auction led to the investigation that uncovered the decades-old scheme.
- 1959：
- Collector Pang Zenghe donated five paintings to the Nanjing Museum.
- By July 1997：
- A museum shop employee identified as Zhang altered the price tag of Jiangnan Spring scroll and arranged for it to be sold at a much lower price using a proxy.
- 1999：
- A painting titled Imitation of Beiyuan Landscape was sold to a private collector for 14,000 yuan.
- 2000：
- A horse painting was sold to a private collector for 13,550 yuan.
- May 2025：
- Pang Shuling, descendant of Pang Zenghe, spotted the Jiangnan Spring scroll for sale at a China Guardian auction, triggering the investigation.
- After May 2025：
- Authorities investigated the Nanjing Museum and released findings, including the recovery of some missing works.
- As of the investigation’s conclusion (2025)：
- Three of the missing works were recovered, a fourth was found mislabeled, and a fifth remains missing; disciplinary reviews and punishments were initiated.
- MOST POPULAR
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook
Sign in with 财新