Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the return of Chinese cultural heritage taken from the First Opium War to the end of the Japanese Occupation (1840–1945). It examines all the relevant laws that may form a basis for the return of wrongfully removed heritage. The book focuses on the specially affected states to argue that there is an increasing endorsement of the proposed customary rule. It provides some suggestions on how museums, art collectors and auction houses should buy and accept foreign art, in case of getting embroiled in a dispute with a foreign government. Furthermore, from the perspective of cultural heritage law, the book is also structured on three categories of cultural heritage: heritage looted during armed conflicts; heritage stolen, illegally excavated, or illegally exported in peacetime; and historically taken heritage.