Chinese police recover 3,000-year-old bronze wares stolen and sold overseas
By Hu Chao
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Two bronze wares dating back to some 3,000 years ago have been returned to China. The first-level national relics are on display at a museum in north China's Shanxi Province.

The items were stolen by tomb raiders several years ago.

Named "Yifangyi" and "Yizun," the relics were made in the early Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-771 B.C.).

Their inscriptions show they were ritual vessels made for the father of an official named Yi after he was rewarded by the monarch.

Experts say the two relics offer great help for archaeological and historical studies.

(Pei Dawei and Kang Xiaoyu also contributed to the story.)