Riding the wind of rebirth

"From a global perspective, China's taxation on cultural relics and artworks can be said to be quite high, and excessively high tax rates will, to a certain extent, hinder the return of overseas cultural relics." Lin Wanqiu frowned and said, "In fact, in order to promote the inflow of cultural and artistic works, many countries and regions have implemented tax incentives for cultural relics and artworks."

"For example, the UK only charges a 5% value-added tax on cultural relics and artworks; the US only charges an import tariff of 6.6% on artworks that are less than 100 years old, while cultural relics that are more than 100 years old are completely duty-free and exempt from value-added tax; Hong Kong and Macao are exempt from import tariffs and value-added tax on cultural relics and artworks."

"So many collectors will store their collections in these places, or in airport bonded warehouses. For auction companies, the commission is only about 10% of the transaction price. Such a high tax will make collectors feel excessive."

"There are two sides to this matter," Zhou Zhi said. "When a country formulates a system regarding cultural relics, the key is to look at the current status of cultural relics protection in that country and the country's attitude towards this matter."

"As far as my country's current situation is concerned, there is no doubt that we want to promote the return of cultural relics lost overseas, but we also need to see another aspect, that is, the illegal circulation of cultural relics in China and various smuggling loopholes that allow cultural relics to flow overseas."

"In theory, only cultural relics collected before 49 and those specially approved to the Cultural Relics General Store for foreign exchange after the founding of the People's Republic of China can be circulated in the market. It is difficult to define the origins of other cultural relics, such as those currently circulating in the cultural relics market."

"However, in order to promote market vitality, the management of this area is still very lacking. Therefore, a large number of cultural relics found in the cultural relics market are allowed to circulate, except for those that are confirmed as stolen goods in tomb robbery cases."

"This provides a way for antiquities dealers to launder their stolen goods, and through layers of transactions that are difficult to monitor, these collections are eventually legalized."

"Anyone who has collected anything knows this situation very well, so the country can only manage it through some relatively extensive measures, such as a one-size-fits-all policy, that is, cultural relics before the third generation of the Qing Dynasty are prohibited from leaving the country unless you can be sure that they have been passed down in an orderly manner."

"In other words, even if the meat is rotten, it's still in the pot. This is the minimum the country can tolerate."

"For this reason, the art auction market has become more restricted. Many cultural relics can only be circulated privately, and it is difficult for them to be auctioned openly in a high-end market."

"As the price of antiques gradually rises and domestic collections become popular, mainland artworks and antiques will gradually become insufficient to support the growing market, so overseas cultural relics have become the first choice for auction companies."

"This return flow has changed from overseas collectors bringing items back to China for auction individually in the early days to overseas buyers collecting them in an organized manner and then auctioning them in China. Most overseas cultural relics have clear circulation records, and they are the most popular commodities in the auction market."

"The country sets strict VAT barriers in order to strictly distinguish between two types of cultural relics: 'cultural relics that can be legally listed and circulated normally' and 'cultural relics that cannot be legally listed and circulated normally'."

“Even if this temporarily reduces the enthusiasm of overseas returnees and leads to the emergence of new trading models such as duty-free art warehouses, the cost is obviously relatively light compared to the harm caused by allowing a large number of ‘cultural relics that cannot be legally listed and circulated’ to be legally circulated before domestic laws are sound, further stimulating more adventurers to break the law, resulting in the loss of a large number of cultural relics and the excavation of a large number of ancient tombs.”

"Cultural relics and antiques are not simple commodities, but precious carriers of our culture. Therefore, we cannot just think about the problem from the perspective of prospering the market and promoting circulation. We should formulate countermeasures based on how to protect them more appropriately."

"So you're just going to accept these losses, Elbow?" Mai Xiaomiao smiled and took Zhou Zhi's arm, her heart filled with pride - look at this girl's taste in choosing a boyfriend, no one else has such character!

"This is not a silent loss. The main purpose of my collecting cultural relics is not to preserve the value of my assets through secondary transfers." Zhou Zhi smiled, "but to truly collect them, to observe and play with them from time to time. To do this, paying taxes and entering the customs is the only truly legal way. I am just doing things according to the law and leaving no flaws."

"But Sister Wanqiu now has the power to propose a proposal, right?" Zhou Zhi said, "In fact, we can make a suggestion to the country. For example, all state-owned cultural relics collection units that receive Chinese cultural relics donated by overseas institutions or individuals, or obtain them from overseas, can be exempted from customs duties, import value-added tax, and consumption tax when they are imported." "As long as the purpose of the return of cultural relics is to donate them and the final owner is the state collection unit, these taxes should be completely exempted."

"That makes sense." Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "I'll keep this as a proposal. It really doesn't make sense to pay import taxes before donating cultural relics."

"But let's finish the work at hand first."

"Where did this come from?" Zhou Zhi picked up a very thin pink-colored porcelain bowl.

"Spain."

“Have you done it in non-English speaking areas?”

"Well, now you know how hard I've worked, right?" Seeing Zhou Zhi starting to take over, Lin Wanqiu praised him while letting go: "I'll go make coffee for everyone."

"Have some more cookies or something." Li Lao Er added, "I haven't eaten since I came out of the Institute of Mathematics."

"I'll go and help." Mai Xiaomiao was very obedient: "By the way, I'll take a look at your collection here, Sister Wanqiu."

"All the goods here are passing goods. The good things are not in my hands." Lin Wanqiu took Mai Xiaomiao to the dining area: "The real good things are in the hands of Elbow. You have seen them in Jiuchangju, right?"

"Well, he also gave me a set of small tea sets from Hutian Kiln."

When Lin Wanqiu heard Mai Xiaomiao say this, she knew how important she was in Zhou Zhi's heart. Although that batch of Hutian Kiln porcelains were not valuable items, they were Zhou Zhi's earliest collections. Those that have survived to the present are not only the best of the best, but also have great significance to Zhou Zhi. They are usually locked in a safe warehouse and not taken out.

Ordinary people cannot enter that warehouse, but Zhou Zhi actually brought Mai Xiaomiao, a layman, in and gave her the collection. This is enough to explain the problem.

"Listen to me. Next time you go in, ask for a set of porcelain with peach blossoms on it." Lin Wanqiu gave Mai Xiaomiao some advice mischievously: "Or ask for his rouge purple Lai Fu dish."

"What's Rouge Laifou?"

"It was a small plate, purple on the outside, with bats and red carrots painted on the inside, and a longevity peach on the bottom. In the middle of the peach, the four characters 'Made in the Yongzheng Period' were written in cinnabar red, not particularly neatly."

"Eh? I bought that plate with Elbow, at the ghost market in Big Willow Tree." (End of this chapter)