fǎ guó法国tōng guò通过xīn新fǎ àn法案：jiāng将guī huán归还bù yì zhī cái不义之财，ràng让zhōng guó中国wén wù文物huí jiā回家
On April 13, 2026, local time, France delivered news that drew worldwide attention.
The French National Assembly unanimously passed a very important bill with 170 votes in favor and 0 against.
The main purpose of the bill is to simplify the procedure for returning cultural relics and prepare to send back relics illegally taken in the past to their countries of origin, including China.
Between 1815 and 1972, France had many colonies around the world.
During that period, France used war and other means to take a large number of valuable cultural relics from countries such as China and Egypt.
After these relics were brought back to France, most of them were placed in museums and became part of France’s “collection.”
In the past, it was very difficult to return these relics.
Under France’s previous laws, once a relic entered the national collection, it could not be given away casually.
If it was to be returned, a separate law had to be made for each relic, making the process very complicated and often taking many years.
This new bill greatly simplifies these steps and shortens the road for relics to go home.
In addition, the bill requires the government to publish a list every year so that everyone can see clearly which relics were obtained illegally.
At the voting session, a French lawmaker emotionally mentioned the famous writer Victor Hugo.
More than 100 years ago, Hugo said that he hoped one day France would wake up and return the stolen property to China.
The lawmaker said with emotion, “That day has finally come.”
Many Chinese people still remember that a large number of imperial treasures from the Old Summer Palace were lost to France, and this has always been a pain in people’s hearts.
Although this bill still needs final review by the Senate, France’s current attitude has already taken an important step forward.
France’s move sets an example for the world.
Compared with some countries that still refuse to return cultural relics, France has shown the courage to face history honestly.
Returning cultural relics is not only about giving back an object, but also about respecting history.
It is hoped that in the near future, those “Chinese treasures” that have been lost overseas can all return to their homeland as soon as possible.