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A stolen Chinese calligraphy scroll worth millions was found in Hong Kong, cut in half.
The thieves stole a scroll from the home of an art collector by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong in a burglary last month.
They then sold it at a fraction of its price. It was clearly truncated because the 2.8-meter (9-foot) scroll was considered too long to display, Hong Kong police said.
The original owner says the value of the artwork is “definitely affected”.
Big character
The scroll, which includes columns of poetry written by the founder of the People’s Republic of China, is estimated to cost about 300m (m 230m) by its owner.
It was stolen on September 10, during a heavy voyage, when three men broke into the home of Fu Chunxiao, a well-known collector of stamps and revolutionary art.
They also kept ancient stamps, copper coins and other pieces of calligraphy by Mao. At the time of the burglary in mainland China, according to Mr Funa, the total value of the hack was estimated at HKB 5 billion (45,645 million, £ 500m).
The thieves sold a piece of it to another art collector for only HK $ 500 ($ 64, £ 50) to a buyer who, according to the South China Morning Post, considered the artwork to be fake.
The buyer then saw a public appeal by police and surrendered himself on September 22 with both pieces of the scroll.
It is not clear who exactly cut the artwork. Hong Kong Police Senior Superintendent Tony Hoe said: “Someone thought the calligraphy was too long … and difficult to show and display. That’s why I cut it in half.”
“It was heartbreaking to see him torn in two,” Mr Fue told the Post. “It will definitely affect its price but the effect remains to be seen.”
Police later arrested the 49-year-old buyer on suspicion of handling the stolen property, although he has now been released on bail.
A suspected burglar has also been arrested, but the other two burglars who broke into Mr Funa’s home are still on a large scale.
