Sino-Sleuths R Us!

Have you heard? There's a new Mainland Chinese reality show wherein 12 History Professors zoom all around the world chasing down the treasures looted from the Emperor's Old Summer Palace.

Rocks, la?

You know all about the looting of the Summer Palace, yes? Wikipedia is currently doing this weird thing where they won't let you insert links, so, until they give up this mean-spirited venture, I have to tell you myself.

Happened back in 1860, after a delegation of European diplomats sashayed up to Beijing to ask if they could officially trade with China. Because the Emperor had them all tortured and killed, in retaliation, the French and British Armies whizzed in and sacked the Emperor's "Gardens of Perfect Brightness", looting more than 1.5 million infinitely precious items - silks, jades, porcelain, carvings, paintings, furniture, fittings etc - before setting the Palace alight. Took three days to burn to the ground.

Anyway, after the entire population of China got all caught up in the Christie's Yves St Laurent's rat and rabbit heads sale earlier this year, China TV realised there was a big audience for this sort of thing with the result: "The Jiannanchun Baiju Rice Wine Company presents: "Where are they now?"

Little bit suss that The Jiannanchun Baiju Rice Wine Company is currently setting up one of China's first non-Government-sponsored museums, yes? But let's not be so cynical.

And, apart from the French Museums, which are spitting red-hot fury wrapped up with icy disdain (only the French seem capable of this feat) at the project, the rest of the world is refusing to be cynical too and The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum are now saying they'd love to be part of the show ... after carefully pointing to the relevant international laws dealing with the non-return of items stolen before a certain date ... and are already cataloging those objects they think could have originally come from the "House of Perfect Brightness"

Sounds like the greatest fun show ever, la? It's only the second time ever when I've wished they'd translate a Mainland Chinese show, which are, from what I've seen, invariably ghastly, (go here to see) and run it on HK's only-two remaining English Channels. The other time was that amazing series "What the Great Nations of the World Can Teach China.". (I wonder if I'd be able to find the letter I wrote about that series when it was on air.)

Would LOVE to be able to watch this show, and I think there are many others who'd love it as well, so, pretty please, if there's some English-language TV Company out there who'd like to buy the rights to both of these shows, oh boy, I'd be so grateful.