一名中国男子表示，他就是上星期在巴黎拍卖会上拍得两件圆明园铜像的人，但是他不想为这两件文物付款。蔡铭超是中国一个找回被掠夺文物基金会的顾问。他星期一在北京对记者说，他以每件文物两千万美元的投标价赢得拍卖是爱国行为。
佳士得拍卖公司说，该公司已经得知蔡铭超的言论，但出于政策考虑，不会对买主的身份以及公司今后对此事采取得步骤发表评论。
第二次鸦片战争1860年结束时，英法联军烧毁并洗劫了北京皇家夏宫的的圆明园，12件生肖兽首也被掠走，包括巴黎拍卖的那两件。只有五件归还了中国。
A Chinese man says he was the winning bidder for two bronze sculptures at a Paris auction last week, but he has no intention of paying for the items. Cai Mingchao, an adviser to a foundation in China that seeks to retrieve looted treasures, told reporters in Beijing Monday that his winning bid of $20 million for each of the sculptures was a patriotic act.
Christie’s auction house said it was aware of Cai’s remarks, but as a matter of policy would not comment on the identity of the buyer or the next steps it might take in this case.
The sculptures were among 12 zodiac animal heads taken when French and British troops razed and looted Beijing’s imperial Summer Palace buildings in 1860 at the end of the second Opium War. Only five have been returned to China.