Hit Chinese TikTok series stokes calls for British Museum to return artefacts

Escape from the British Museum tells the tale of a jade teapot becoming human and finding its way back to China. - SCREENGRAB FROM @ESCAPEBM/YOUTUBE

BEIJING (The Straits Times): A short video series about a jade teapot finding its way back to China has gone viral on the mainland, stoking calls for the British Museum to return its Chinese artefacts.

Titled Escape from the British Museum, the three-part series created by two Chinese influencers follows a homesick teapot as she assumes human form and attempts a jailbreak out of the UK’s most controversial museum.

The teapot, played by a woman, is helped by a Chinese journalist she meets on the streets of London.

The runaway success of the series comes at a time of mounting pressure for the museum after 2,000 items under its care were reported to be “missing, stolen or damaged” last month, reported the BBC.

The scandal has drawn the ire of many countries and reignited demands for the repatriation of looted treasures.

The teapot is based on a real work made in 2011 by a Chinese artist who specialises in intricate jade carvings.

Though a relatively recent addition to the British Museum, the difficult technique used in the making of the pot is unique to China, which seems to have galvanised the Chinese public, reported the BBC.

Since its launch on Aug 27, the series has amassed 270 million views on China’s version of TikTok, Douyin, and won its creators more than five million new followers in less than a week. It has also sparked a trend of influencers dressing up as figures from ancient Chinese art.

Chinese state media has been quick to endorse the series. State broadcaster CCTV chimed in this week, saying: “We are very pleased to see Chinese young people are passionate about history and tradition... We are also looking forward to the early return of Chinese artefacts that have been displaced overseas.”

While the viral success of the series seems to have baffled traditional media, social media users attribute it to the relatable message of “homecoming”, reported the BBC.

“Maybe the Chinese cultural relics in the British Museum are also missing home right now. But they can only be squeezed into the crowded booths. Will they be thinking ‘Bring me home’ when they see Chinese faces there?” read one top-liked comment on Douyin.

“Eventually, there will be a day when (the items) come home in a dignified way,” said another comment on Weibo.

Cultural heritage and ownership have become tetchy subjects for the Chinese public amid rising nationalist sentiment under President Xi Jinping, reported the BBC. Xi has been pushing for a strong Chinese identity in the face of growing tensions with the West.

Last year, French Maison Dior was accused of “culturally appropriating” a traditional Chinese design, leading to backlash online and protests at their stores.

And earlier this year, a video of a Chinese influencer calling the artefacts in a museum homesick went viral on Douyin. A comment suggesting an animation about the escape of the treasures reportedly inspired the latest series, said BBC.

The series’ release comes at a time of intense pressure for the British Museum, triggered by the theft scandal.

Last week, Chinese nationalist tabloid The Global Times published an editorial asking the museum to return its entire Chinese collection.

“We formally request the British Museum to return all Chinese cultural relics acquired through improper channels to China free of charge,” said the piece.

China’s calls for repatriation echo the cries of other countries, including Sudan, Nigeria, and most famously, Greece.

Egypt has long campaigned for the return of the Rosetta Stone, which was forcibly taken by the British empire in 1801. Greece has also been asking for the return of its Parthenon marbles, also known as the Elgin marbles.

The British Museum has long defended its refusal to return looted treasures by arguing that it is best placed to protect them, but critics say the latest thefts seriously undermine this argument.

The museum holds about eight million objects from six continents, though only one per cent of the total collection are on display at any given time.