Chapter 0855 – Belonging (II)

National Geographic is the official magazine of the National Geographic Society of the United States, and has become one of the most successful and widely known magazines in the world since its creation in 1888. This also makes the magazine, become photo journalists from all over the world, dream of publishing their own photos of the place, Zhuang Rui also do not think, can be in this kind of place to serve as a reporter, can be the chest type of brainless?

“Damn, the old son digging is not your American treasure, what do you care?”

Zhuang Rui is extremely dissatisfied with the style of the world police in the old United States, this blonde-eyed, blue-haired, beautiful female reporter seems to have asked a very casual question, but it gave Zhuang Rui a set, making it difficult for him to answer.

As the world’s most serious loss of cultural relics of a country, in recent years, China’s relevant departments, has been in consultation with the cultural relics department of each country, to recover the loss of cultural relics in the century ago.

So this reporter raised this question at this time, its intention has become very sinister, if Zhuang Rui said agree to return, that is a basket of water, the Egyptian government will only thank the American reporter.

But if Zhuang Rui said do not agree, they can also make a big fuss, saying that the Chinese people are not willing to return the national treasures of other countries, and in the future the relevant domestic departments to recover the cultural relics of the time, surely other people will use this as a pretext.

“This young lady, I heard that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the United States is a famous museum that is on par with the British Museum in London, England, the Louvre in Paris, France, and St. Petersburg, Russia, I wonder if it’s true?”

Zhuang Rui first didn’t answer the question, but asked a question to that reporter.

“This is of course, our Metropolitan Museum of Art, that’s the place where precious artworks from all over the world are coalesced, but Mr. Zhuang, there is no direct relationship between this and the attribution of this golden mask of yours, right?”

Pretty reporter is not a vase, immediately guessed Zhuang Rui’s intention, at that moment pulled the topic back.

“Oh, no, no, I heard that the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s town treasure, is a whole 2460 years ago Egyptian tomb, I do not know I this gold mask compared to it, in the end which is a little more important? In addition, the works of ancient artists such as Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, Li Gonglin, Zhao Mengfu, Dong Qichang, Fu Shan, and so on, are quite a few in your Metropolitan Museum of Art, right? I would like to ask, where did they come from? And do you …… have any intention of repaying them?”

Zhuang Rui’s voice was originally very gentle, but the tone of his words became higher and higher at the back, posing a completely questioning tone.

See that female reporter still want to speak, Zhuang Rui and then said: “In addition that has a history of 2500 years of Euphronios vase, it seems that you get is not very honorable it? May I ask what qualifications such a country has to accuse other countries of problems? Right, digress, I have not answered the lady’s question, I would like to say, if your country can Egyptian tombs, Chinese calligraphy and painting, as well as other non-normal means of obtaining the return of precious works of art, as a private person, I am very happy to return this gold mask to the Egyptian government free of charge.”

Zhuang Rui said here paused for a moment, glanced at the female reporter, seemingly smiling, said: “friends here can serve as witnesses, what I said in my lifetime, are valid.”

The Euphronios pottery vase that Zhuang Rui was talking about was a precious ancient Greek antique that was obtained by the Metropolitan Museum of Art by informal means in 1972. Its price was a mere 100 dollars, and the seller was Robert Hector, who was wanted by the Italian police. During these thirty years, the Italian side had always demanded that the Metropolitan Museum return this stolen artifact, while the Metropolitan Museum had always shrugged it off and had not returned it until now, and it had an extremely bad reputation in the international art world.

The meaning of Zhuang Rui’s words is very obvious, as a private person, I am willing to endure the loss and return the valuable and precious works of art, then as a questioning party, are you willing to return the precious cultural relics looted from various countries by illegal means?

Zhuang Rui is tantamount to backpedaling this reporter, not to mention that she is not qualified to make a decision, that is, those who have this qualification, but also dare not call mouth with Zhuang Rui again.

As a country with only a few hundred years of history, the United States simply does not have its own history and culture, and the collections in their museums are almost all obtained by improper means.

If the Metropolitan Museum of Art is willing to return those artifacts, I’m afraid that this museum, will soon be faced with the situation of closing down.

Zhuang Rui’s words let the meeting room completely quiet down, China is the most ancient cultural relics loss of the country, these people here belong to the national museum, which museum does not have illegally obtained Chinese cultural relics?

If in accordance with Zhuang Rui’s thinking, then I’m afraid that year’s Eight-Power Allied Forces, and now Britain, France, Germany, Tsarist Russia, the United States, Japan, Italy, Austria-Hungary (now Austria and Hungary), the museums of these countries, will become empty.

Of course, some small countries do not have Chinese cultural relics, but they and Zhuang Rui also have no conflict of interest, naturally, will not come forward to speak.

Is a reporter from Egypt, also did not speak, after all, empty words to let people return something, there is no persuasive power, Zhuang Rui a sentence can be blocked back, Egypt lost in the British and American museums of antiquities, how do not see you go to ask ah?

The female reporter was said by Zhuang Rui words full of red face, but also can not speak out to refute, Americans have always used their own eyes to ask others, never look at their own ass is clean, this time is considered to be Zhuang Rui completely humiliated.

“Well, I think this young lady, for Mr. Zhuang’s reply is very satisfied, you can first go back and the head of government for talks, if it can be in accordance with what Mr. Zhuang said, we will certainly in the first time, let all of you know that we have returned the golden mask to the Egyptian government news.”

Although Huangfu Yun had been working in the United States for many years, he was still very unimpressed with the United States in his bones, and after a moment of silence in the arena, he stomped on that very hurt female reporter, and then stomped on her hard.

“This gentleman, please ask a question ……,” Huangfu Yun ordered another reporter.

“I am a reporter from the British newspaper The Times, I would like to ask Mr. Zhuang, at the beginning of the fourteenth century, it was our joint fleet of Britain and Germany that captured the pirate king Klaus, that is to say, Klaus’s loot, should be distributed by Britain and Germany, I wonder how Mr. Zhuang sees this problem?”

The tall thin reporter wearing glasses is more ruthless, directly began to question the attribution of these treasures to the problem, to say that these do reporter’s skin is really thick, actually take this to say things, have the ability to you guys back then on the treasure to find out ah?

“Shit, you can not find some Chinese reporters to ask questions?”

Zhuang Rui side face looked at Huangfu Yun, he is very dissatisfied with these two questions, this is not to see buddies out of the limelight upset obviously to nitpick?

But the question still has to be answered, after Zhuang Rui thought for a while, he said, “I think that if Klaus is still alive in England right now, this batch of treasure I will definitely hand it back to you.”

Zhuang Rui’s words caused laughter, he was mocking this reporter, things have passed more than six hundred years, even if Klaus was not captured by Britain and Germany, now it has long been turned into dust, his treasure will still fall into the hands of the descendants, and the United Kingdom has nothing to do with ah?

Zhuang Rui coughed twice, such as the following quiet down, then said: “We are now in the pattern of the world, to put it mildly, is changed by the pirates. The people who discovered and opened up new land in the early days were actually pirates, and the motivation for these acts was nothing more than wanting to divide the benefits and gain wealth, which was certainly accompanied by the advancement of civilization, but also accompanied by dirty and brutal killing and looting.”

“Because pirates are all private acts, not like some countries aggressively plundering the wealth of other countries, so I personally believe that the legacy of pirates, belongs to the world’s civilization. In my museum, there will be a pirate pavilion where all these pirate treasures belonging to the world civilization will be displayed, so that the people of the world can understand the history of piracy, to condemn those countries and behaviors that plunder the wealth of other countries through the sea.”

Zhuang Rui was pointing out and cursing the early colonial countries such as Spain, Portugal and Britain. The behavior of these countries at that time, and the pirates are no difference at all, many countries in Africa, the natives were killed by them, the wealth was emptied by them, these are ironclad facts, is undeniable.

Zhuang Rui’s words made the scene silent, but then the applause rang out, on this planet, not invaded by colonial countries, is too little, Zhuang Rui’s words are also considered to be a great success. Only from the British Spain and other colonial countries of the reporter, at the moment face embarrassed and can not refute, because in those times, many pirates and even is the army of these countries posing as.

“Mr. Zhuang, I am the executive director of the World Adventurers Association, may I ask if you can explain in detail the process when obtaining this pirate treasure? In addition, everyone is curious to know where exactly this batch of treasure was unearthed?”

Having seen Zhuang Rui’s eloquence, this reporter at the back didn’t dwell on the issue of the treasure’s attribution anymore.

“There’s no problem, I can publish the coordinates of the deserted island that hid the Claus Treasure. And I personally suspect that the Klaus treasure is not only these, I still have two treasure maps in my hand, which can also be put up for public auction.”

Zhuang Rui’s words were like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, making the venue, which had just quieted down, become boiling again.