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Bronze animal head sculptures are on display at Yuanmingyuan in Beijing, October 20, 2023. /CFP
On October 18, the 163rd anniversary of the tragic events at the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan), four bronze animal heads collected by the Poly Art Museum were reunited for the first time after 163 years. Along with the horse head, the ox, tiger, monkey and pig bronze animal head sculptures are now on display at special exhibition.
A visitor takes a photo of the bronze pig head sculpture displayed at Yuanmingyuan, Beijing, October 20, 2023. /CFP
The five animal head sculptures were part of the twelve zodiac animal heads originally set at the water clock fountain in front of Haiyan Hall in Yuanmingyuan. This fountain represented the fusion of zodiac culture and Western fountain architecture. The animal heads are made of special red copper material and are known for their exquisite craftsmanship and clever structural design. They hold immense cultural significance, artistic value, aesthetic appeal, and technological value, both in their original time and even today.
After Yuanmingyuan was looted and destroyed by the British and French troops in 1860, many precious artifacts, including the twelve zodiac head sculptures, were ruthlessly burned, and illegally plundered, marking the beginning of a long and arduous journey to recover these lost relics.
The bronze horse head sculpture is on display at Yuanmingyuan, Beijing, China. October 20, 2023. /CFP
In 2000, the bronze sculptures of the ox, monkey, and tiger heads were returned. In 2003, the pig head sculpture was returned. In 2013, the bronze rat and rabbit heads were returned, and in 2019, the bronze horse head was returned.
In 2018, an item resembling the lost dragon head sculpture appeared in an auction. However, the whereabouts of the bronze snake, goat, rooster, and dog heads remain unknown.
The exhibition of the five bronze animal heads runs until October 29, 2023.
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Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466