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Taiwan's National Palace Museum has admitted to breaking three valuable Ming and Qing artefacts -- two bowls and a plate that date back to the 15th and 17th centuries.
The artefacts were reportedly worth more than a combined total of US$77 million (S$109 million), The Guardian reported.
The museum, located in Taipei, houses one of the world's largest collections of prized Chinese artefacts with over 8,000 years of history.
The artefacts were broken over a course of 18 months, in three separate incidents.
How were the incidents discovered?
Chen I-shin, an opposition Kuomintang legislator told lawmakers on Oct. 28 he had received a tip-off about what happened and dubbed the undisclosed incidents as deliberate cover-ups.
The museum director Wu Mi-cha denied the accusations, saying that there was “absolutely no hidden affair” and that staff had immediately reported the incidents to the management, per standard procedure.
The museum told The Straits Times that the three items were classified under the low-level designation “general antiquities” and it was not required to report the incidents to the Ministry of Culture.
The museum stated that two of the artefacts -- a Ming Dynasty bowl with dragon motifs and a yellow Qing Dynasty bowl -- were discovered to be broken in their boxes while staff were sorting through archive collections.
It is uncertain if it was due to mishandling or improper storage methods.
The third Qing Dynasty blue and white porcelain plate was confirmed by the museum to have been broken due to negligent handling by its staff.
They had put the plate on a 1m high table, which then fell to the floor.
The staff member has since been punished accordingly.
via Taiwan National Palace Museum
via Taiwan National Palace Museum
via Taiwan National Palace Museum
Recovery service
The museum added that they would assess the damage and repair accordingly.
They also promised to improve storage practices.
Backlash
Many of the pieces in the museum were moved there from China by former Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek when his party fled from China to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war in 1949.
The presence of the the artefacts in Taiwan has remained a sore point for China over the years.
They have accused Taiwan of stealing the items, which they feel rightfully belong to China.
The Chinese government considers Taiwan a breakaway province, and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control, despite not having controlled Taiwan previously.
Since news of the damaged surfaced, the Chinese have taken to the internet to accuse the Taiwan government of deliberately damaging valuable Chinese treasures.
They also accused Taiwan of destroying their shared heritage as a result.
A post on Chinese social media platform Weibo with a hashtag related to the incident has garnered close to two million views.
One user wrote: "Do they need help with repairing these items? They can come to the motherland for help"
Chinese state media outlet Global Times slammed the museum's mishandling of such valuable treasures, saying that Taiwan's reunification with the mainland was the way forward.
The media outlet wrote: "Only under reunification can national treasures be better protected, and cultural relics can better play their role in passing on the bloodline of the Chinese civilisation."
Photos via Taiwan National Palace Museum