Summer Palace loses its marble

The Summer Palace admitted Thursday that it knew part of a marble pillar from a balustrade had been removed or stolen in mid-January, but said it is still investigating if the artifact is a cultural relic and if it has been stolen.

Cultural relics experts told the Global Times that they are under no doubt the pillar was stolen, and that it should be considered a cultural relic.

The pillar is part of a balustrade on Nanhu Island, a small island in the middle of Kunming Lake, reached by crossing the Seventeen-Arch Bridge. Relatively few tourists visit the island, so the missing pillar was not noticed until February 22, when a member of the public saw it and posted a picture to Tinder Lamp, a forum for people to discuss Beijing's history and culture.

"According to a preliminary assessment of an expert from Beijing stone carving art museum, it is sure that it's not from the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), so it could only be from the late Qing Dynasty," said Li Kun, media officer of the Summer Palace Thursday.

"The expert told us that even if it is a cultural relic, it is not of great value," she told the Global Times.

In an earlier press release Wednesday, the Summer Palace said that according to preliminary estimates, the pillar dated back to before the 1960s. The area was renovated in the 1950s.

Li said the pillar is one of 60 engraved with dragon and cloud motifs. It is 50 centimeters high with a diameter of 25 centimeters. She confirmed it disappeared in mid-January.

"We started to investigate the incident, strengthened management and patrols, and prepared for repairs to the balustrade immediately after that. Whether it was in fact a robbery is still under investigation," she said.

"We will replace it with the same material soon, white marble, and try our best to make it look the same. The new one can be removed so we can replace it again if we can make a better copy with improved technology in the future, or when the lost one is found," said Li. She added she would check if there is surveillance camera footage which could confirm how it disappeared.

Wu Xiaoping, a member of Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Association, who went to inspect the site on Tuesday morning, strongly disagrees with the Summer Palace's interpretation of events.

"How ridiculous that the palace says it's still unsure whether it is a relic; I can tell that with only one look," said Wu.

"Judging from the degree of wind erosion and the carving techniques, it must be old enough to be a cultural relic. As it has a dragon and cloud design, the carving is more difficult and more high-class than those simple balustrades," he said.

Wu has lived next to the Summer Palace since 1955 and has been taking pictures and doing research there for years.

"It's probably from the Qianlong period (1711-1799), as the palace's phoenix and cloud balustrades exhibit almost the same carving techniques and they are from the Qianlong period," Wu said.

"The cut surface is fresh, so it couldn't be natural erosion. And the lost part was not on the ground. It must have been stolen. It weighs around 25 kilograms, and in mid-January, Kunming Lake is frozen, so it would be easy to slide it away," he noted.

Liu Zheng, a member of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, said that the pillar could fetch a high price on the black market.

"It's because it's rare. Much rarer than porcelain artifacts as it's not easy to move, and you don't find such heavy decorations nowadays," he said.

This incident should serve as a wake-up call to the palace to pay attention to stone relics as well as interior collections, which has always been a weak link, especially as the Summer Palace covers 270 hectares, said Liu.

"This lost pillar itself is not of great significance, but it should be an alarm call for the palace's management system. They need to beef up their management, like adding personnel or surveillance cameras," he said.