Why has the British Museum come to this? The original intention behind its more than 8 million collections has disappeared!

You must have heard

“The best cultural relics in China are not in China.

At the British Museum"

(Please slide to view the special exhibition of the Late Qing Dynasty. All exhibits are on loan from other museums. Photographers: @闫廷钰&吴越)

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Not just China

Most of Egypt’s best artifacts are not in Egypt

At the British Museum

(Statue of Ramses II, drawing by @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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In fact

The best Greek artifacts are not in Greece

At the British Museum

(Parthenon sculpture, drawing @Niu Dun/Planet Institute)

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here it is

Collection of all countries in the world

All civilizations in history

With more than 8 million collections

Ranked first in the world

British Museum

(Please view the British Museum's collection distribution in horizontal mode, compared to the Palace Museum, which has 1.86 million pieces. Map by @Song Nan/Planetary Research Institute)

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People criticize its collections as being from the colonial period

Stolen, robbed, illegally plundered

So why is the British Museum doing this?

Doesn't it have a conscience?

In fact

Behind their violent acts

Hiding a story of lost original intention

01

Explore the World

When the British first started collecting

They don't realize they have inadvertently triggered

A series of unstoppable waves

It all started in Jamaica

Jamaica is located in the Caribbean Sea

Since the late 15th century, European countries have discovered this place

They rushed to divide up the land, develop plantations, and sell slaves.

Opened the infamous

Colonial era

Among them, Britain is a small island country

Seized a colony that was a hundred times larger than their own

(Please view the North American colonies in horizontal mode. Map by @Song Nan/Planetary Research Institute)

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The UK continues to import domestically produced industrial products

Sold to the colonies to make a fortune

The bigger the colony, the bigger the market, and the higher the chance of getting rich.

So people started from sewing needles and weaving cloth

Upgrade to foot-operated loom weaving

Then it was upgraded to use steam engine to make the loom weave itself

The Industrial Revolution began

Behind this revolution

There is also a big change in thinking

Christians in Britain believe

Humans can understand God’s truth through reason

From here we begin to observe the laws of nature

An Enlightenment movement that puts rationality first swept across the country

(Well-known British scientist, map @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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This is England in the 18th century

The various major historical changes that appeared in your textbooks

Concentrate on the outbreak at this time

Changes are like heavy rain that washes away the ignorance of the past

People have opened up new horizons after enlightenment

Finding that ordinary things around you suddenly become novel and interesting

Curiosity is gradually awakened

in

A doctor named Sir Hans Sloane

Traveled to Jamaica with the colonial fleet

Here he discovered plants and insects that he had never seen in England.

Collect them out of curiosity

The specimen was taken back to the UK

(Blue Mountains of Jamaica, in the 18th century, Europe was influenced by the Enlightenment and a natural history craze arose. Image source: @alamy)

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In addition to collecting specimens

Sloan also has a lot of toys from India

The colonial movement allowed the British to see new geographical space

They not only went to North America

They are also looking for new opportunities in India and Southeast Asia.

Many of Sloan's patients were businessmen traveling to and from India and ambassadors stationed abroad.

Brought back all kinds of novelty items

(Mumbai Municipal Building, which was established as a trading base after the British arrived in India in the 17th century and established the East India Company. Image source: Visual China)

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In the long run

Sloan's London villa is filled with

Butterflies, corals, animal heads and other rare toys from around the world

It has become a treasure house filled with treasures.

This is the beginning of the British collection

The wave has just begun

If it's curiosity

Inspired Sloan to pick up a fruit, a leaf

Rational thinking drove Sloan to study

He hired a group of assistants in linguistics and natural sciences

Classify and catalogue the collections

Compile a living encyclopedia

(Natural science manuscripts collected by Sir Sloane, who compiled the "Jamaica Natural History" in his later years, drawn by @Niu Dun/Planetary Research Institute)

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Many curious people heard about Sloan's collection

Many people came to visit

So Sloan made a will in his later years

Donate all the more than 70,000 pieces of collections to the country

Request the state to preserve all the collections

It cannot be destroyed, discarded, or reduced in any way.

and must be open to the public

Codicil to Sloane's Will, 1751

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Strive to satisfy your curiosity and desire for knowledge

Improve everyone's knowledge and understanding

(At that time, the society already had the trend of collecting and visiting, and the Ashmolean Museum, the first public museum in the UK, came into being. Image source: @wikimedia commons)

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Sloane died in 1753

Parliament passes the British Museums Act 1753

According to Sloan's terms, all his collections were collected

Merged with the libraries of two other noble families

British Museum established

Its name carries the vibrant political vision of the time:

England and Scotland united

Becomes the Kingdom of Great Britain

Named "British Museum"

(British Museum)

Located in the capital London

It shows the surging atmosphere of this emerging kingdom

(Please view the center of London in horizontal mode, image source: Visual China)

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Sloan's specimen

Placed together with tens of thousands of books

This is what the British Museum originally looked like

The brutal antiquities looting spree had not yet occurred.

It mainly displays books, specimens, coins and badges.

Like a reading room

Encourage people to read and observe objects at the same time

Stimulate your curiosity

To discover the connection between “text” and “objects”

Curiosity is the most simple original intention of the British Museum

The rational and empirical spirit of Britain has a carrier entity due to its emergence

(The original site of the British Museum was Montagu House (pictured below), source: Visual China)

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Late 18th century

The prosperity brought by industry made ocean exploration possible

British navigators under the kingdom's expansion blueprint

Arrived in the Arctic and Australia successively

The Ocean Opens Up a Colorful and Different New World

then

The protagonist of Robinson Crusoe aims to travel around the world

The captain of Gulliver's Travels opened the nautical map from time to time

The deserted island in Shakespeare's The Tempest is no longer a fantasy

Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" praises the west wind that propels sailboats forward

The ocean has become a spiritual symbol of an era

In that era, the ocean was the future

(The British arrived at the North Pole to open up the Northwest Passage. The picture shows an island within the Arctic Circle. Photographer: @Su Tie)

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1771

A fleet exploring the South Pacific returns

The rare and precious objects brought back were placed in the British Museum

Its collections range from the known geographical area

Jump into a wider unknown world

If knowledge is an ocean

The British Museum is a small boat

Carrying people towards an unknown future

At that time, people's expectations were simple and plain:

The world is still big

We're going to go see

02

Collection World

19th century

If your country has no museums

Then your country might be smashed and moved into another country's museum

This is a lesson from Egypt.

Centuries ago

Europeans break free from religious shackles

Tracing the roots of civilization back to the ancient Greek and Roman eras

It is famous in history

Renaissance

A trend of collecting emerged in European society

A number of museums focusing on private collections have emerged

But this is a crisis for Egypt

(Luxor Temple in Egypt, image source: Visual China)

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At this time Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire

This is an era of empires

Ottoman Empire on the Eastern Mediterranean Coast

The area north of the Black Sea was ruled by Tsarist Russia

Napoleon single-handedly dominated Western Europe

The UK is relatively small

But with hundreds of warships in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans

Weaving an invisible transportation network

Napoleon's continued expansion

The situation in Europe and Asia is on the verge of breaking out

(Distribution of Eurasian power during the Napoleonic Empire, map by @Song Nan/Planet Research Institute)

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Red Sea east of Egypt

It is a "shortcut" connecting the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean

Napoleon invaded Egypt to block Britain's transportation network

Britain and France then went to war in Egypt

The British Museum initially accepted donations of its collections.

In 1799, the British navy defeated the French off the coast of Egypt

Ancient Egyptian artifacts looted by the latter during their garrison

All of it belonged to Britain as spoils of war

The British Museum has thus opened a new collection channel:

win

That is, as a victorious country, we should take the property of the defeated.

(Rosetta Stone, later became the key artifact for deciphering hieroglyphics, map @牛汤/Planetary Research Institute)

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The Ottomans watched as Britain and France fought in their territory

It has no collection atmosphere.

I have no interest in ancient civilizations.

Open up Egypt to calm the situation

European scholars, ambassadors, thieves, speculators

Take away ancient Egyptian mummies, buildings, and statues

The Rape of the Nile

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European museums ready to move entire tombs

The trend of collecting turned into a frenzy of looting artifacts

Sweeping the Mediterranean

The Englishman Elgin came to Greece with the acquiescence of the Ottomans

The Parthenon, a masterpiece of ancient Greek architecture

Knocked open, blasted, cut open, packed into 200 boxes and shipped back to the UK

(Please slide to view the sculptures of the Parthenon. This Sir Elgin is the father of Sir Elgin who ordered the burning of the Old Summer Palace. Map by @牛敦/星球研究院)

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Hearing that the Parthenon reliefs have arrived in the UK

Royal families and museum directors in other countries understand its artistic value

Come and bid to buy

The UK has never paid a penny for the collection before.

In the fierce bidding

The UK took the initiative and bought it at a record price of £35,000

The British Museum has added a new collection channel:

purchase

Acquisition from wealthy collectors

Or ask the nobles to donate and then give gifts in return

(Affected by the Renaissance, most of the items purchased at this time were ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. Please scroll to view. Map by @牛汤/星球研究院)

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The Ottomans' opening of Egypt was like inviting a wolf into the house

Britain took advantage of the situation to infiltrate its military forces

Funding a scientific expedition team consisting of diplomats and geographers

Entering the heart of the Middle East, long closed off by the Ottomans

The earliest civilization in the world - Mesopotamian civilization

Discovered for the first time from a scientific perspective

Archaeological awareness sprouted in this undercurrent situation

The British Museum has added another collection channel:

Discover

That is, to collect cultural relics unearthed by scientific expedition teams in other countries without authorization

(Assyrian exhibition hall of the British Museum, a large number of Assyrian cultural relics are entering the museum at this time, photographer @陈阳)

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Britain encroached on the Ottoman Empire

On the one hand, it restricted the expansion of Tsarist Russia from the Black Sea to the north

Russia concentrated its military power in Europe

Britain has long since turned its attention to the vast Eurasian continent.

It is based in India

The British Army expanded

British scholars are exploring

They crossed the Pamir Plateau and arrived in Kashgar

Cross the Taklimakan Desert and meet Dunhuang

At this time, the sovereignty awareness of countries over cultural relics had not yet sprouted

Britain realized the value of cultural relics early on

Buy it from the locals by tricking them into buying it

(Please watch the exhibition hall of the late Qing Dynasty in horizontal mode, picture source: Visual China)

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"Want to know what other Chinese cultural relics are in the British Museum? See the end of the article for the method!"

First half of the 19th century

Britain leads the way

Use a flexible maritime transportation network to block the forces of various countries on land

The scientific expedition team traveled through the African jungle where wild beasts roamed

Climb the world's highest Himalayas

Conquering the Arctic Ice

Step by step, we will open up the unknown continental hinterland of mankind

No matter where they go, as long as they reach the coast

The British Navy sails across the world's five oceans.

Escort and return home safely

In that era, whoever controlled the ocean owned the world.

(Victoria Falls on the East African Plateau. The Royal Geographical Society of the United Kingdom discovered this place in search of the source of the Nile River and named it after Queen Victoria. Image source: @Visual China)

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The British Museum's collections expanded dramatically at this time

Its scale is so huge

If time is the vertical axis

Human civilization from its origin to the present

Mesopotamia - Egypt - Greece - Rome - Middle Ages - Renaissance

The ups and downs that spanned thousands of years slowly unfolded

(Thousands of years, thousands of people, thousands of faces, map @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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If space is taken as the horizontal axis

The world no longer has the distinction between Eastern and Western civilizations

America - Europe - Africa - Asia - Oceania

The colorful creations of different people on the earth are clearly visible

(Collection of turquoise artifacts, drawn by @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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People classify and catalogue collections

The museum's management system gradually developed

At that time, cultural relics had not yet become cultural relics.

Each piece of collection is like an uncut jade

Waiting for archaeology to give it richer connotations

They are grouped in

The three major departments of Greek and Roman antiquities, coins and badges, and oriental antiquities are so novel and hazy that they constantly extend lines from points to form unexpected connections with other collections, weaving into a vast "Internet"

(Roman sculptures gaze at Assyrian stone sculptures, photographer @孙业林)

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Taking advantage of the world's sovereignty over archaeology and cultural relics

Still in a hazy, unconscious state

The British Museum relies on Britain's military strength

"Collecting" the world step by step

When Britain's powerful ships and cannons outlined the outline of the empire on which the sun never sets

The British Museum reached its peak

03

Play around the world

Mid-19th century

Wherever you are

As long as you see the sea, you can feel the presence of the British Empire

Its military has penetrated all parts of the world from the sea

The British Navy flexibly shuttles through various straits and ports around the world

Once we find out that the countries are at war

Immediately transformed into a "maritime police" to forcibly extinguish the fire

(The Bosphorus Strait, the throat of the Eurasian continent controlled by the British Army, image source @wikimedia commons)

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Its trade spreads across the world from the sea

The British Empire's "free trade"

Use gunboats to break down Europe's tariff fortresses,

Blast open China under the Qing Dynasty

Dumping of "Made in Britain" goods

Forcing the world to become a trading market for the British Empire

(The original copy of the Treaty of Nanjing in the special exhibition of the late Qing Dynasty. Britain made huge profits by smuggling opium into China. In 1840, the Qing government banned drugs and opium. Britain went to war with China under the pretext of maintaining free trade. Photographer @闫廷钰)

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Its civilization has influenced the world from the ocean

The British Empire claims to be the savior

With the mission of "spreading the seeds of civilization"

Send missionaries, doctors, and teachers to remote areas

Building churches, schools, hospitals

James Stuart:

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Transform lazy, low-class people into moral activists of society

Forcibly "transforming" the world based on British civilization

(Folk customs of Papua New Guinea, this country was successively divided by Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, picture source @Visual China)

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This is the famous

The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets

It has penetrated all parts of the world with its invisible tentacles

Every day the sun rises

The gears of time start turning in the UK

Sunlight shines east of the prime meridian

British businessmen and missionaries who traveled around the world started their day

Sunset

British Navy stationed in the dark night

The British Empire used its overwhelming military authority to

Arrogantly plays with the world in the palm of your hand

(Please watch the horizontal screen to see the changes in the British Empire's territory. Map by @松楠/Planetary Research Institute)

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The British Museum also expanded its collection through the reach of the empire

The situation in Europe was once tense.

Today, all nations are oppressed by the military might of the British Empire.

The British Empire turns its attention to Western Europe

Send scholars to explore the roots of British civilization

A large number of Western European collections were incorporated into the collection at this time

(Collection of Western European cultural relics, drawn by @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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Markets around the world are being forced open

A large number of local cultural relics began to flow overseas

In the market

There is no meaningful difference between “cultural relics” and “commodities”

Only the price is different

So whether it was the spoils of the burning of the Old Summer Palace,

Cultural relics unearthed by archaeological teams from other countries without authorization,

Or the royal collection that was resold to auction houses by the Qing dynasty's remaining ministers

In the name of trade, it flows into the European and American markets from all over the world

Within everyone’s reach

The British Museum acquired a large number of oriental artifacts at this time

(Please slide to view oriental cultural relics. European society has set off a wave of "Oriental fever", keen to purchase tea, prints, and porcelain from the East. Map by @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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The British Empire is becoming more and more powerful

The British Museum's collection journey is becoming easier

Mid-19th century

The world is a playground for the British

Many people no longer stick to their homeland

Instead, they moved overseas

They invested in shipping, insurance, and built refineries, railways, etc.

Develop the local economy and make a fortune

People began to collect local small items

Various novel collections are included in the collection

(Javan Wayang dolls. Java was one of the trading bases of the British East India Company. In 1816, the British Empire conquered Java by force and replaced the Dutch colonization of Indonesia. Map by @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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Collections from all over the world come together at the British Museum

People began to discover

Indian Buddha statues are so similar to Greek statues

China's papermaking technology is actually the same as Samarkand

The spread, integration and intersection of civilizations around the world for thousands of years

Like a magnificent picture, it suddenly appeared

The British Museum thus opened up a broader perspective:

turn out to be

Civilization has no borders

Beyond time and space

Then museums should also break national boundaries

To completely "protect" world civilization

(British Museum Enlightenment Hall, photo source @Unsplash)

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Second half of the 19th century

The British Empire saw “protecting world civilization” as its mission

On the one hand, through military aggression, looting collections

While acquiring collections through free trade

More and more collections

The British Museum also built a new building to expand its collection space

In 1857, the new museum was officially completed

Its facade imitates Greek architecture and consists of 44 columns.

This is the entrance we see now.

There are two halls in the east and west dedicated to displaying large collections

The center is a spacious dome reading room

Enter the hall

Look up as if you were looking up at the sky

(Circular reading room, image source: @Visual China)

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here it is

Heart of the Empire

The British Empire funded the purchase, maintenance and management of the collection from top to bottom

Free and open to the public

The public also responded enthusiastically, not only visiting the museum

He also actively donated his collection

Two-way investment has led to a rapid expansion of the British Museum’s collection

Due to the large number of

Nurtured

National Gallery

National Library

Geological Museum, etc.

Direct descendants

(National Gallery in the UK. Each gallery was established at different times. The National Gallery is the earliest one. Photographer: @姚璐)

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When the museum was first built, Sloan's natural specimens were also moved away.

Also a natural history museum

However

Sloan's collection left the museum

It's like my original intention has been taken away

From the Age of Enlightenment to Imperial Hegemony

Britain grew from a young lion to a lion that dominates the world

But forgot

There is more than one predator in this world

(Please view the Natural History Museum in London in horizontal mode, image source: @Visual China)

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Late 19th century

The world's first generator appeared in Germany

First barrel of dynamite exploded in Sweden

The first airplane takes off in the United States

A number of industry upstarts are catching up

In order to protect their nascent industries, these industrial countries

Re-closing the tariff fortress that was knocked open by the British Empire

(Munich New Town Hall, Germany led the second industrial revolution, picture source @Visual China)

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Emerging industrial powers are competing for markets and raw materials

Competing to carve up Africa and Asia

The British Empire was drawn into the fight to retain its power

The conflict has reached a fever pitch

Escalation to World War I

The false image of peace maintained by the British Empire through hegemony was shattered

The true face of violence is also exposed

(Cultural relics wall in Benin, West Africa. Benin civilization was destroyed by British aggression. Image source: @Visual China)

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The British Museum as the Heart of the Empire

Collected a lot of bloody spoils during the war

After the war, the museum was restored and reopened.

Maintaining the majesty of the empire

However, the power of the British Empire gradually declined under the consumption of war.

The strength can never return to the past

(Archaeological activities were suspended during the war and resumed immediately after the war. This is a replica of the Sutton Hoo helmet that entered the museum after the war. Image source: Visual China)

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1939, World War II begins

The British Museum's dome collapsed in a bombing

The elegant palace turned into a wasteland

After the war

Some people began to reflect on the evils of imperial colonialism

Some people still have hopes of rebuilding the empire

The British Museum's Majesty

Gradually, there was a gap between the real predicament of the empire

With the disintegration of the British Empire after the war

Where is the British Museum going?

04

Drifting World

21st century

There are more than 90,000 museums in the world.

The British Museum was founded early, is famous, and has a large collection of

Sit firmly on the throne of the founding ancestor

However, after World War II

The dignity of the elders is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain

Running a veteran museum

Funding required

Britain was billions of dollars in debt after World War II

It would be difficult to restore the pre-war level of spending at the British Museum

(At the entrance of the British Museum, photographer @颜绘锦)

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Running a veteran museum

Still need space

The British Museum is located in a prime location in London

For the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, etc.

Surrounded by political, economic and cultural landmarks

It is no longer realistic to expand the new museum here.

(Central London, the picture shows the Shard and Tower Bridge, picture source: @图虫创意)

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There are 1,800 museums in the UK today.

The British Museum is one of dozens of other institutions that rely on government funding.

Too many people and too little money

They need to seek additional corporate sponsorship

Organizing exhibitions to enhance competitiveness

And a lot of publicity to attract tourists

The British Museum as a Veteran

Still need to compete with many up-and-coming companies

(Victoria and Albert Museum is the second largest national museum in the UK. The British Museum still insists on free admission. Image source: @alamy)

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External competition is needed

Internally, the British Museum still has complex management issues

The heart of the former empire

Many citizens regard it as a permanent "home of collections"

They continue to donate their collections

Some donated books and paintings

Some donated cigarette cards, flints, and souvenirs.

These precious, ordinary, inconspicuous collections

Together they form part of a collection of 8 million objects

But not all collections are suitable for display

(Shipwreck Cross, Map by @Niu Dun/Planet Research Institute)

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The British Museum cannot refuse donations

Due to the continuous revision of

British Museums Act 1963

Among them, Sloan's rules: retain all and do not divide

Can't throw it away at will

This leads to the dilemma of uncontrolled expansion.

A huge amount of collections fills the British Museum.

It floats heavily on the sea

dilemma

Unexpectedly, the wind direction began to change

(The Waddesdon bequest donated by a noble, requires a separate exhibition hall for display when entering the museum, map @Niu Dun/Planetary Research Institute)

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In 1954, after the Nazis ravaged the world

Gradually developing awareness of cultural relics protection

Many countries jointly signed the Hague Convention

During the war

Forcibly taking cultural relics away from their location

Illegal looting

(Sculptures of the Old Summer Palace in the special exhibition of the late Qing Dynasty, photographer @脉影)

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Entering the 21st century

The world is freeing itself from colonial rule

Building a nation-state

With the awakening of national sovereignty consciousness

Countries have begun to trace the roots of their own civilizations

Reflect on and criticize past colonial atrocities

Emphasize that cultural relics should belong to the country where they are located

Ask the former colonists

Return of cultural relics

(Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece was the first to claim cultural relics from Britain. In 1989, a new museum was specially built to wait for the cultural relics to return home. Image source: Visual China)

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Strong winds blow, waves rise

The anti-colonial wave is rising vigorously around the world

The illusion of "equality" has been exposed

Colonial crimes were also put on trial

The British Museum is hard to turn around in

If it follows the trend, return the cultural relics

It is equivalent to denying one's past achievements.

So it followed Sloan's rules:

All rights reserved and shall not be divided

As a shield

While moving Sloan's statue to the colonial history exhibition hall

To reflect

(Sloan statue, photographer @Sun Yelin)

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So, in addition to reflection

Has the British Museum taken action?

The British Museum issued the Human Remains Act in 2004

Returning human remains used for archaeological purposes to their relatives

This is the first time the British Museum has returned an artifact

Then in 2009

UK Parliament passes Holocaust Repatriation Act

Return some artifacts acquired during the Holocaust

(Egyptian Hall, mummies are ancient Egyptian coffins, most of which contain remains, picture source @Visual China)

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However

The British Museum has not returned artifacts acquired during the Empire

Even for countries around the world

That was an illegal acquisition in the name of trade.

In its view, it is a commodity

Rather than cultural relics from other countries

(Please view the David Porcelain Room in horizontal mode, which is on long-term loan from the David Foundation to the British Museum. Photographer: Sun Yelin)

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The British Museum has not returned it.

Opium Wars

The Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China

and aggression

India, Burma, Malaya

South Africa, New Zealand, Canada

Artifacts obtained

Even for countries around the world, it is illegal looting

In its eyes, it is a trophy.

Rather than cultural relics from other countries

(Swedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the Konbaung Dynasty of Myanmar was destroyed in 1885 after three Anglo-Burmese wars, picture source @alamy)

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The British Museum certainly did not return it.

Cultural relics obtained by the scientific expedition team in the 19th century

Even for countries around the world

That is taking advantage of modern archaeological awareness and cultural relics sovereignty awareness.

Before development

Illegal excavation without respect for national sovereignty

In its view, that was the result of Britain's superior research.

Rather than cultural relics from other countries

(Please slide to see the collection that Stein took away from Dunhuang, map by @Niu Dun/Planetary Research Institute)

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Its glory is another's disaster

Its achievements are destructive to others.

The British Museum is losing its way amidst the conflict

The times are moving forward

The British Museum is looking back

When the anti-colonial voices illuminated the darkness of the past like the rising sun

Facing the Sun

The shadow behind it stretches

It is the era of empire that has ended.

The war era is over

The era of expansion is over

(Please view the gable of the main entrance of the British Museum in horizontal mode. The reliefs transition from animal images to gods, symbolizing the transition of mankind from ignorance to civilization. Image source: @wikimedia commons)

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The End of the Shadow

The Age of Enlightenment has long since ended.

More than two hundred years ago

Before the outbreak of the imperial war

Before the craze of looting cultural relics began

Sloan's first curiosity-driven trip to Jamaica

Picked up the first fruit

Picked the first leaf

The first natural specimen was made

These most simple initial intentions

They're gone.

This article was created by

Written by : Athena

Image : Liu Yude

Design : Niu Dun Map: Song Nan

Proofreading: Ding Ding & Yue Fan & Xin Tian

Cover source: Yao Lu & Yan Miaojin & Visual China

Audit Expert

Li Zenghong, professor of the School of History, Culture and Tourism of Liaocheng University

Jiang Hong, associate researcher at Sichuan University

Note:

[1] The cultural relics information in this article is from the official website of the British Museum.

[2] The “Hague Convention” mentioned in this article is an abbreviation for the “Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict” signed by many countries in The Hague in 1954, as well as its “Protocol” and “Regulations for its Implementation”.

【References】

[1] James Hamilton, The British Museum: The Birth of the First Public Museum[M]. Beijing: Beijing Yanshan Publishing House, 2020.5.

[2] James Lawrence, The Rise and Decline of the British Empire, translated by Zhang Ziyue and Xie Yongchun. Beijing: China Friendship Publishing Company, November 2018.

[3] Understanding the British Museum[J]. Sanlian Life Weekly, Issue 2, 2018 (Issue 970).

[4] Delbourgo, J. (2017). Collecting the World: The Life and Curiosity of Hans Sloane. United Kingdom: Penguin Books Limited.

[5] Wu Hao. Sea of ​​Glory: British Naval Strategy and Imperial Hegemony in the 19th Century[M]. Beijing: Ocean Press, 2017.

[6] Brian Fagan, The Raiding of the Nile: Tomb Robbers and Archaeologists in Egypt[M]. Gezhi Press, 2020.5.

[7] Francis Henry Taylor (USA); translated by Wang Qiong, Hong Jie, and Zhao Songyu. The Taste of Angels: A History of Art Collecting[M]. Huaxia Publishing House, 2014.

[8] Xie Xiaoqin. The British Museum: The Construction of an Imperial Cultural Space (1800-1857) [D] Graduate Thesis, Nanjing University, 2011.

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