BEIJING: Seven white marble columns from a Chinese palace looted by foreign forces will soon be returned to Beijing by a Norwegian museum after a controversial property developer offered it a major donation, reports said Wednesday.
The invasion and colonisation of parts of China during the 19th century are still regularly highlighted by Communist authorities and remain enduring issues in the country, symbolised most emotively by historical treasures Beijing says were looted when British and French forces ransacked sites such as the Old Summer Palace and the Forbidden City.