China: Land of Dragons and Emperors: The Fascinating Culture and History of China

by Adeline Yen Mah

A year later, a French scholar arrived and carted away 3000 scrolls to France. Japanese, Russian and American collectors soon followed, each intent on getting his own slice of the pie. The American Langdon Warner (a Harvard professor whose life inspired Hollywood to create Indiana Jones) used glued tapes to peel off 26 of the most beautiful Dunhuang murals and transported them back to America. They are now in the Fogg Art Museum in Boston. Stein donated his haul to the British Library and the British Museum, and was knighted for his contribution to archaeology. Sadly, no Chinese dared to protest the wholesale plunder of China’s most precious library.