Eshin Direct

In the recent Jackie Chan film, The Myth, he makes a lovely little speech about how artifacts belong in the originating nation’s museums and to the people of that country. He sneers at the term “safekeeping”. A thinly vieled criticism of, say, the British Museum. Sure, with Chinese nationalism on the rise again, the comment is sure to go down a treat. And with Chinese progress proceding at the way it has, I’m sure they have facilities to take care of them now.

Sure, the British Museum was the recipient of Britain’s plunder from the rest of world. But safekeeping, whether they intended it or not, is what they did. Many of the world’s artifacts would have been lost had they not been looted to the British Museum.

I’m not suggesting these slighted cultures bend over with gratitude, but if you ask nicely (and have the adequate means to preserve these national treasures), you can probably have them back given the current socio-climate. Alternatively, you can do what mankind has always done and just go to war to retrieve them.