Many cultural relics of the Palace Museum－China's former imperial palace in Beijing, which is also known as the Forbidden City－and some ancient books in the collection of the National Library of China are in the two institutions due to the efforts of Zheng Zhenduo (1898-1958).

Zheng, a pioneer in cultural-relic protection in New China, was honored by the museum and library in Beijing on Wednesday. The day marked the 120th anniversary of his birth. Zheng was the first director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration after 1949.

When he took the position, the country had just started reconstruction after the civil war. Zheng immediately began his endeavor to bring some lost treasures home.

Boyuan Tie (letter to Boyuan) and Zhongqiu Tie (letter about Mid-Autumn Festival)－top calligraphy works from the fourth century－were once beloved by emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). But they were lost after the monarchy fell.

Zheng's coordination enabled their return from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland for 350,000 HK dollars in 1950. Zheng also persuaded art guru Zhang Daqian to sell Night Revels of Han Xizai, a 10th-century scroll painting, from his private collection to the country's cultural institutions at "a low price".