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UK PM Sunak Rules Out Law Change for Return of Parthenon Marbles

An employee poses as he views a horse's head which forms part of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters)
An employee poses as he views a horse's head which forms part of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters)
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UK PM Sunak Rules Out Law Change for Return of Parthenon Marbles

An employee poses as he views a horse's head which forms part of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters)
An employee poses as he views a horse's head which forms part of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. (Reuters)

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ruled out changing a law which prohibits the British Museum handing the Parthenon marbles permanently back to Greece.

Sunak said there are no plans to amend the legislation, which states the museum can only dispose of objects within its collection in limited circumstances. However, the museum could still arrange a loan of the sculptures.

Since independence in 1832, Greece has repeatedly called for the return of the sculptures - known in Britain as the Elgin Marbles - that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in Athens in the early 19th century, when Greece was under Ottoman rule.

Sunak is unlikely to break with the stances of his two predecessors who were both against any kind of loan of the marbles to Greece.

"The UK has cared for the Elgin Marbles for generations. Our galleries and museums are funded by taxpayers because they are a huge asset to this country," Sunak told reporters on his plane as he flew to the United States.

"We share their treasures with the world, and the world comes to the UK to see them. The collection of the British Museum is protected by law, and we have no plans to change it."

The former finance minister George Osborne, the chair of the British Museum, has been working on a new arrangement with Greece through which the sculptures could be seen both in London and in Athens.

The Parthenon Project, which has been backed by British politicians from different political parties to settle the issue, said on Sunday the British Museum's Parthenon collection could be returned to Greece under a long-term cultural partnership agreement.

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China's Gen Z Women Embrace Centuries-old Script

Nushu, meaning "women's script", emerged around 400 years ago. Jade GAO / AFP
Nushu, meaning "women's script", emerged around 400 years ago. Jade GAO / AFP
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China's Gen Z Women Embrace Centuries-old Script

Nushu, meaning "women's script", emerged around 400 years ago. Jade GAO / AFP
Nushu, meaning "women's script", emerged around 400 years ago. Jade GAO / AFP

At a studio in central China's Hunan province, a teacher grips an ink brush, gently writing characters of a secret script created by women centuries ago and now being embraced by a new generation.

Nushu, meaning "women's script", emerged around 400 years ago. Barred from attending school, the women secretly learned Chinese characters and adapted them into Nushu, using the script to communicate with each other through letters, song and embroidery.

Passed down through generations of women in the remote and idyllic county of Jiangyong, it is now gaining popularity nationwide among Chinese women who view it as a symbol of strength.

Student Pan Shengwen said Nushu offered a safe way for women to communicate with each other.

"It essentially creates a sanctuary for us," the 21-year-old told AFP.

"We can express our thoughts, confide in our sisters and talk about anything."

Compared to Chinese characters, Nushu words are less boxy, more slender and shaped like willow leaves.

"When writing... your breathing must be calm, and only then can your brush be steady," Pan said.

Student He Jingying told AFP she had been enrolled in a Nushu class by her mother and that writing it brought her "a deep sense of calm".

"It feels like when the brush touches the paper, a kind of strength flows into you."

Against 'injustice'

Nushu is more than just a writing system -- it represents the lived experiences of rural women from the county, Zhao Liming, a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua University, told AFP.

"It was a society dominated by men," said Zhao, who has been studying Nushu for four decades.

"Their works cried out against this injustice," she said.

The words are read in the local dialect, making it challenging for native Chinese speakers not from the region to learn it.

Teacher He Yuejuan said the writing is drawing more attention because of its elegance and rarity.

"It seems to be quite highly regarded, especially among many students in the arts," He told AFP outside her gallery, which sells colorful merchandise, including earrings and shawls with Nushu prints.

As a Jiangyong native, He said Nushu was "part of everyday life" growing up.

After passing strict exams, she became one of 12 government-designated "inheritors" of Nushu and is now qualified to teach it.

'Really special'

An hour's drive away, around a hundred Nushu learners packed into a hotel room to attend a week-long workshop organized by local authorities trying to promote the script.

Zou Kexin, one of the many participants, told AFP she had read about Nushu online and wanted to "experience it in person".

"It's a unique writing system belonging to women, which makes it really special," said Zou, 22, who attends a university in southwestern Sichuan province.

Animation student Tao Yuxi, 23, one of the handful of men attending the workshop, told AFP he was learning Nushu to gain inspiration for his creative work.

He said his aunt was initially confused about why he was learning Nushu, as it is not typically associated with men.

As it represents part of China's cultural heritage, Nushu has to be passed down, he said.

"It's something that everyone should work to preserve -- regardless of whether they are women or men."