An investigation into the Nanjing Museum, one in all China’s premier state-run cultural establishments, discovered that a long time of systemic mismanagement and corruption enabled the key sale of nationwide treasures into the non-public artwork market.
In response to the South China Morning Post, the scandal erupted final September after the museum was accused of promoting donated work, prompting an investigation by Chinese language authorities that has since targeted on a former director. The publication reported that 5 work from a 137-work assortment donated in 1959 by the household of collector Pang Laichen have been discovered lacking throughout a court-ordered stock final June performed on the request of Pang’s heirs.
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One of many works, the Ming dynasty portray Spring in Jiangnan, by Qiu Ying, was noticed in early 2025 at an public sale valued at 88 million yuan ($12.7 million). Alarmed by the itemizing, Pang’s great-granddaughter, Pang Shuling, alerted authorities and demanded that the museum produce documentation of the work’s possession historical past. Because the controversy mounted, the portray was pulled from the sale.
The controversy escalated right into a full-blown scandal in December, when it made nationwide headlines and public belief within the establishment soured—at a second, as SCMP famous, when Beijing has been working to raise the nation’s international cultural profile. Within the guaranteeing probe, investigators performed greater than 1,100 interviews and reviewed 65,000 archival paperwork, finally concluding that a number of of the 5 disputed works had been illicitly faraway from the museum’s assortment, both offered or misplaced over a long time. Jiangsu provincial authorities launched their full findings in a report issued Monday in collaboration with the Nationwide Cultural Heritage Administration.
In response to the report, starting within the Nineties, then vice-director Xu Huping violated museum procedures to authorize the switch of donated work to the state-run Jiangsu provincial cultural relics retailer on the market. Spring in Jiangnan was reappraised by a retailer worker from 25,000 yuan to 2,500 yuan, then offered to an confederate for two,250 yuan, who later organized a secondary sale—together with two different work—for 120,000 yuan to a non-public collector.
The portray reportedly handed by way of a number of non-public homeowners earlier than resurfacing at public sale in 2025. By December, three of the 5 works had been recovered and returned to the Nanjing Museum; one other was discovered to have been miscataloged within the museum’s assortment beneath a distinct title; whereas the ultimate piece stays lacking.
Investigators accused Xu of “critical duty-related violations,” citing his function within the unlawful switch, failure to uphold relic administration requirements, and broader lapses in oversight. SCMP experiences that Xu is now beneath formal disciplinary and supervisory assessment. The shop worker, recognized as Zhang, can also be beneath investigation. In complete, 24 officers from the provincial tradition and relics division, in addition to the museum and relics retailer face disciplinary motion, with some circumstances pending further judicial assessment.
Nanjing Museum has “suffered from systemic deficiencies and chaotic administration”, the report acknowledged. “Particularly, the administration of donated objects was not strictly regulated, insurance policies and rules have been poorly enforced, and a few employees members lacked consciousness of self-discipline and the rule of regulation. In consequence, state property have been misplaced, damaging the credibility of state-owned museums.”
Jiangsu authorities have ordered reforms to the museum’s donation oversight and launched a province-wide security assessment of all state-run museums, libraries, and galleries. On Monday, the Nanjing Museum apologized publicly to the Pang household, saying it had “betrayed the donors’ belief.”
