Li Yaoshen, head of the policy and regulation bureau of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in China, is taking measures to impose greater supervision over the Chinese market for “cultural relics,” according to China Daily.
A recent case involved a jade furniture set—a dresser and a stool—claimed to date back to the Han Dynasty. After being sold at auction for 220 million yuan ($34.87m) last year, an Internet user wrote a post alleging the jade wares were counterfeit and made by a craftsman surnamed Zhao inn Jiangsu province, and said the true value was about 500,000 yuan.
Although Zhao admitted that he was the maker of the jade furniture later in an interview with Xinhua, the expert who authenticated the object denied that the antique was a fake.
According to Li, the administration will set up a system to manage and regulate authentication certificates of cultural relics and adopt stricter approval procedures for relics auctions by spelling out more concrete and specific requirements on the introduction of the auction items and the responsibilities of auction professionals.
China Vows to Regulate Forgery-Filled Relics Market (ChinaDaily)