Authorities in Jiangsu province have established a high-level investigative team to examine the Nanjing Museum’s management practices regarding donated cultural relics and broader collection security concerns. This decisive action follows the unexpected appearance of a celebrated painting from the museum’s collection at a public auction, which sparked widespread public attention and scrutiny.
The investigation, announced through state media CCTV, brings together expertise from multiple disciplinary bodies including the commission for discipline inspection, supervisory commission, and departments of publicity, political and legal affairs, public security, culture and tourism, and cultural relics management.
In response to the developing situation, the Nanjing Museum issued an official statement revealing it had initiated an internal review in November 2024 after receiving court documents related to a “gift contract dispute” lawsuit filed by Pang Shuling. According to museum records, the institution accepted 137 donated paintings from Pang Zenghe (Pang Shuling’s father) in January 1959.
The museum disclosed that five of these donated works, including those currently under dispute, were determined to be forgeries following two separate appraisals conducted in the early 1960s. These artworks were subsequently disposed of during the 1990s in accordance with museum collection regulations then in effect.
The Nanjing Museum has committed to full cooperation with legal proceedings and pledged to work with relevant authorities should any illegal or non-compliant actions be discovered during the investigation into their disposal practices.
Concurrently, the National Cultural Heritage Administration has formed its own working group that has already arrived in Nanjing to conduct parallel investigations into the museum’s relic management protocols.
Provincial authorities have emphasized that any identified illegal activities or regulatory non-compliance will face strict legal measures without tolerance. The investigation results and subsequent actions will be made publicly transparent upon completion.