Antiques smugglers eye at Chinese market_文化教育

Antiques smugglers eye at Chinese market

文章来源：文章作者：发布时间：2007-12-26 08:17 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Chinanews, Beijing, Dec. 24 – In recent years, Chinese customs offices have tracked down a number of antiques smuggling¹ cases. The cases show that antique smuggling has displayed some new trends these days – while most antiques were taken abroad intermittently² by individual smugglers, today many of these treasures are smuggled³ out in large numbers; the composition of antiques smugglers has become more complicated; and the antiques taken out of China are mostly sold in South Korea, Japan, the United States and Britain.

Several days ago, Ningbo Customs Office seized some 20 antiques hidden among a batch⁴ of wooden furniture that was about to be exported to the United States. These antiques were made at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the beginning of the Republic of China (1912-1949) period, and came under the category of the items banned from being taken abroad. Ningbo Customs has uncovered a total of eight antique smuggling cases since the beginning of this year, with 272 antiques having been confiscated⁵.

Previously⁶, officers at Tianjin Customs Office also uncovered two smuggling cases in which the antiques were mixed with some other goods that were about to be taken abroad, with 39 antiques made in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties found. In one case, officers found 19 antiques that were prohibited from export from among some porcelain⁷ works that were about to be exported to South Korea. In another case, police detected 20 Ming-Dynasty antiques that were mixed with several batches⁸ of luggage which a Spanish tourist declared to be taken out of China.

In Shanghai, since 2004, local customs have cracked 12 fossil fuel smuggling cases, with 193 fossil fuels ferreted out. Of these, 18 are rated as second-class fossil fuels.

While China further opens to the outside world, smugglers from around the world eye at the lucrative⁹ Chinese antique market. A general manager at a furniture making company in Zhejiang once told this reporter secretly that smugglers could make high profits by selling domestic antiques abroad.

“In China, one can buy a stick of ancient furniture at the cost of 10,000 yuan. However, when this furniture is taken abroad, its selling price can be as high as 10,000 US dollars, ” he said.

At present, smugglers obtain illegal antiques from mainly three sources: the antiques are either excavated¹⁰ by grave robbers, or bought from antique markets, or they are sold to smugglers at the auction¹¹ fair. Of these three sources, grave robbing and underground antique market are the two main channels for smugglers to obtain antiques.

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收听单词发音

1 smuggling
n.走私
参考例句：
Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。 The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

2 intermittently
adv.间歇地；断断续续
参考例句：
Winston could not intermittently remember why the pain was happening. 温斯顿只能断断续续地记得为什么这么痛。来自英汉文学 The resin moves intermittently down and out of the bed. 树脂周期地向下移动和移出床层。来自辞典例句

3 smuggled
水货
参考例句：
The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。来自互联网

4 batch
n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量
参考例句：
The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。 I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

5 confiscated
没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。 The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

6 previously
adv.以前，先前（地）
参考例句：
The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。 Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 porcelain
n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的
参考例句：
These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。 The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

8 batches
一批( batch的名词复数 )；一炉；（食物、药物等的）一批生产的量；成批作业
参考例句：
The prisoners were led out in batches and shot. 这些囚犯被分批带出去枪毙了。 The stainless drum may be used to make larger batches. 不锈钢转数设备可用来加工批量大的料。

9 lucrative
adj.赚钱的，可获利的
参考例句：
He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。 It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

10 excavated
v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘
参考例句：
The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。 The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。来自《简明英汉词典》

11 auction
n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖
参考例句：
They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。 They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

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