As the custodian of an extensive assortment of cultural artifacts from around the world, the British Museum has found itself at the center of a contentious debate concerning the repatriation of looted artifacts to their countries of origin. Most of the eight million objects in the British Museum's collection come from other countries. It now has the largest collection of Chinese artifacts in the Western world, with some 23,000 objects, ranging from bronzeware and porcelain to jade, calligraphy and paintings.