On November 13, the Ministry of culture and tourism and the State Administration of cultural relics solemnly held a donation ceremony of horse head bronze statue in the Yuanmingyuan at the National Museum of China.

The bronze statue of horse head in Yuanmingyuan is one of the main components of the twelve animal head fountains outside Haiyan hall, the western building complex of Changchun Garden in the Qing Dynasty. In 1860, the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing, and the Old Summer Palace was looted and burned. The bronze statues of horse heads and 11 other bronze statues of beast heads were lost overseas. The bronze statue of horse head was designed by the Italian Lang shining. It is a combination of eastern and Western art concepts and design styles. It was made by the palace craftsman during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It is made of refined red copper with deep and thick colors. It was cast and shaped by the lost wax method. It has lifelike appearance and perfect hair. It has experienced a hundred years of wind and rain without rusting. It shows a very high level of technology. It is an extraordinary ancient China works of art.

In September 2007, Mr. ho Hongshen invested money to rescue the lost cultural relics, ending the wandering of the bronze statue of horse head for more than 100 years. Under the coordination of the State Administration of cultural heritage, in November 2019, Mr. ho Hongshen decided to donate the bronze statue of horse head to the State Administration of cultural heritage to present to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the people's Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of Macao's return. Over the years, with the joint efforts of the State Administration of cultural heritage and all sectors of society, six lost bronze statues in the Old Summer Palace, including cattle head, monkey head, tiger head, pig head, rat head and rabbit head, have returned to the motherland in different ways, among which the pig head bronze statues were purchased by Mr. ho Hongshen in 2003 and sent back to the country.

Source: State Administration of cultural relics

Date: 2019.11.13