Many lost Chinese cultural relics are collected by the museums of the U.K., United States and France. Taking the British Museum as an example, it has in its collection more than 23000 Chinese cultural relics at present.

According to the statistics released by UNESCO in 2006, the loss of Chinese cultural relics sees as many as 1640,000 pieces, most of which are collected by 47 museums across the world with the British Museum in possession of the most.

China's Lost Treasures in U.K. and U.S.

The Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies, a Handscroll Painting Attributed to Gu Kaizhi Collected by the British Museum

The Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies was originally painted by Gu Kaizhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). Boasting high artistic value, it has long been held among the precious collections of the royal court of different dynasties since it came into being. With the passage of the time none of Gu Kaizhi's original works has survived, this painting only has two imitations in the world; one is in the Palace Museum, the other in the British Museum.

The imitation in the British Museum was copied in the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581-907). It has 12 sections in total, but only 9 of them survived. This painting illustrates the court instructress who guides the ladies of the imperial harem on correct behavior.

This painting has been executed in a fine linear style that is typical of fourth-century figure painting. It is thought of as the representative work of ancient Chinese painting by western art circles.

This painting is a milestone in the history of Chinese art since it is not only the earliest and finest work of Gu Kaizhi but also the earliest silk painting found in China. It is precious in the study of art, history as well as society of that time.

Portraits of the Past Thirteen Emperors Collected by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA

The Top Level of Figure Painting in Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Painted in the Tang Dynasty, the 'Portraits of the Past Thirteen Emperors' is a work of the famous painter Yan Liben. It is a figure painting illustrating the life of 13 emperors from Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) to Sui Dynasty (581-618).

With the posthumous title, name and reigning period of each emperor written above their portraits, it displays the dignity and imposing manner of the emperors through the vivid portrayal to the 13 emperors and their servants.

Thanks to Yan's superb skill in the use of color, the Portraits of the Past Thirteen Emperors is at the peak of Tang Dynasty portrait painting. Its artistic and historic values are invaluable.

Yong Le Da Dian --The First Set of Encyclopedia in the World

Collected by the British Museum, the British Library, the Library at the University of Cambridge, the Library at the University of Oxford and the University of London

Completed in 1408, Yong Le Da dian or Great Encyclopedia of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, is the earliest and greatest Encyclopedia in the world, which includes 22877 volumes of texts and 60 volumes of catalogues, totaling 370 million characters and 40 cubic meters in bulk. It has systematically filed traditional culture such as ancient books and records. Yong Le Da Dian plays an important role in making history understood by the modern people.