I was speaking with someone who thinks that the negative effects of the cultural revolution are overblown, and his question to me was "Can you actually name any important artifacts that were destroyed?"

I couldn't really though I have to admit Chinese history is not a large topic of interest of mine, but even with further research the most important thing I could identify was some desecration of Confucius' family tomb - which while unfortunate seems quite marginal in the grand scheme of all historical artifacts. The lesson I was taught in school was that in an effort to get rid of "traditional" culture and emerge as a true socialist state, Red Guards destroyed lots of historical buildings and artifacts.

So my questions are - is the reputation of the Cultural Revolution as being destructive to Chinese cultural history exaggerated? Or if not, is there any significant knowledge that is permanently lost due to the events during the Cultural Revolution?