China relics buyer refuses to pay

中国文物买家拒绝付款      圆明园十二生肖铜兽首铜像欣赏双语

A Chinese man who won a high profile auction for two bronze artworks claimed by China says he will not pay for them.

竞得两件据称是中国青铜艺术品的中国男人声称他不会付费给它们.

The sculptures, which sold for 15m euros ($19m; ??13m) each in Paris last week, were originally looted from Beijing in 1860.

各以1亿5千万欧元拍出的这两件雕塑品,源于1860年从北京劫得.

Cai Mingchao, who has identified himself as the bidder, is an adviser to China's National Treasures Fund, which seeks to retrieve looted treasures.

声称自己就是成功竞拍者的蔡明朝(音译),是中国国际宝藏基金会的顾问,该组织致力于找回被劫的宝藏.

He said his decision to bid for the bronzes had been a "patriotic" act. "What I want to stress is that this money cannot be paid," Mr Cai told a news conference. "I believe that any Chinese person would stand up at this time... I am making an effort to fulfil my own responsibilities," he said in a statement released by the Fund. "But I must stress that I do not have the money to pay for this," he said.

他说他去竞拍这两件青铜宝物的决定是一种爱国行为."我想强调的是,这些钱是不可能被支付的,"蔡先生在记者招待会上说,"我相信任何一个中国人都会在此时站起来..我是出于我的职责而做的努力,"他的言辞间洋溢着该基金组织带给他的激动."但我必须强调,我没有钱去支付它们,"他说.圆明园十二生肖铜兽首铜像欣赏双语

Legal questions The two bronzes, in the shape of the heads of a rabbit and a rat, were auctioned by Christie's auction house in Paris last week as part of the estate of the late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner.

法律问题 上周在巴黎由CHRISTIE拍卖行拍卖的两具兔首鼠首青铜器,是近代法国时装设计师Yves Saint Laurent及其搭档的遗产.

China says the bronzes were taken abroad illegally 150 years ago

中国声称这两件青铜器是150年前被非法带到国外的.

They had been originally taken by British and French troops from the imperial Summer Palace in October 1860, towards the end of the Second Opium War.

它们最早由英法联军在1860年10月从圆明园劫走,时值第二次鸦片战争末.

China had tried to stop the sale, and later threatened the business of Christie's in China for having gone ahead. But Christie's said the sale was legal, a position backed by a French court. Correspondents say the sale has further soured relations between China and France, following a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader.

中方曾试图阻止这场拍卖,并曾威胁CHRISTIE拍卖行将来在中国的业务.但CHRISTIE拍卖行说该拍卖是合法的,并得到法国法院的支持. 记者说此次拍卖将是法国总统接见西藏流亡达赖后另一件对中法关系产生深远影响的事件.