By Deng Jingyin and Zhu Shanshan

A Chinese man who donated valuable calligraphy works to the public in northwest Shannxi Province in the 1980s has alleged that authorities now illegally possess the works that he estimates are worth some 40 million yuan ($5.8 million).

Zhuo Deng, 62, handed a total of 122 pieces of a renowned calligrapher's works to the local committee of the country's political advisory body in Xianyang city in 1986, in the belief that they would be assured better preservation.

Zhuo inherited the works from his father, who served as chief security guard of Yu Youren, a renowned calligraphist and writer, and who left the 122 calligraphy works to Zhuo's father before moving to Taiwan in 1945.

In a seperate case, in an auction held in Beijing by the China Guardian Auction Corporation last month, another 138 items of Yu's calligraphy works were sold for around 45 million yuan, a reminder for Zhuo of how valuable the works are.

"I estimated my donation would be worth some 40 million yuan," Zhuo told the Global Times Sunday.

"Many of Yu's items were damaged during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), and the 122 pieces he donated include a well-known 'thousand-word calligraphy work,' and which were saved because they were well kept in a secret cabinet in my mother's home," Zhuo said.

Despite a certificate of donation with details of each of the calligraphy works he donated, Zhuo claims that the whereabouts of the items were not clear, as he was informed that the authorities had taken the works away.

A former staff member of the Xianyang committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), speaking on con-dition of anonymity, told the Global Times Sunday that she could confirm Zhuo's donation.

She said the items had been brought to Shenzhen in southern China for public exhibition.

She was told the calligraphy works were kept at a cultural center in Sanyuan county, administered by Xianyang city.

Lu Hua, 77, former secretary-general of the Xianyang committee of the CPPCC, also witnessed the donation, according to the Beijing News.

Lu told the paper that some of the works were taken home by staff members and that some suggested he also take some of the items home, but he refused to.

Lu retired in 1992 and had no idea of the relics' whereabouts, and he heard there were only about 10 pieces left in the possession of the Xianyang Committee.

Jin Zhizhong, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Collectors, told the Global Times that there are no specific laws or rules governing the donation of cultural relics by individuals.

"The most important thing is to identify the source of the donations in order to determine whether they are obtained legally," he said.

If the items were not unearthed by the donator himself and came from where he claimed them to have come from, then these donations are legal and valid, he said.

The Xianyang committee promised to return 10 calligraphy scripts to Zhuo - but so far, Zhuo said, he hasn't received any. Soon after the donation, Zhuo was offered a job at the committee.

Jin said the recipient of the donation has the responsibility to register the number of donations, appraise and verify the items, valuate donations and issue a certificate to the donor, including the list of donations if they are genuine.

However, Zhuo said none of the above had been carried out by the Xianyang committee, except that he was given a list of the donations he made.

The current chairman of Xiangyang committee, Li Xiaomin, said that since he was newly appointed, he had no idea of the whereabouts of relics donated.

"The authority has attached importance to this issue, which is investigating this case now," he told the Beijing News on Friday.

China has witnessed a craze for antique collecting in recent years. Television programs on antique collections are also gaining audiences.

More than 900 collections were auctioned off, with the total transaction worth 1.09 billion yuan, at a three-day Beijing Council Spring 2010 auction, which ended June 6.

Song Shengxia contributed to this story