China calls for return of art treasures from abroad

BEIJING  – China has ratcheted up pressure for imperial treasures to be repatriated, condemning overseas auctions of its relics and demanding they come home.
China is particularly eager to get back a series of bronze animal heads looted in 1860 by British and French soldiers when they burned down the Qing emperors’ summer palace in Beijing.
China’s drive to recover the heads has alarmed Western museums and auction houses, who are also sparring with Greece and other nations over the return of [...]