China News Agency, Beijing, December 1st (Reporter Ying Ni) "The Transferring Ceremony of the Bronze Horse Head Statue of Yuanmingyuan to Tibet" was held on the 1st at Zhengjue Temple of Yuanmingyuan.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China officially transferred the bronze statue of the horse head of the Old Summer Palace to the collection of the Old Summer Palace Administration Office in Haidian District, Beijing.
"A Hundred Years of Dreams: The Return of the Bronze Statue of the Horse Head in the Old Summer Palace" was held simultaneously.
The bronze statue of the horse head, which has been floating outside for more than a hundred years, finally returned to the long-lost "home"-Old Summer Palace on December 1.
This is also in line with the practice of the world's archaeological community "It is best for cultural relics to return to their parent body".
In 1860, the British and French forces broke into Beijing, looted and burned the Old Summer Palace.
The 12 animal heads of the Chinese zodiac have been lost overseas.
In 2007, Macau businessman Stanley Ho spent HK$69.1 million to purchase the bronze statue of the horse head in Yuanmingyuan and announced a donation to the country.
Since then, the bronze statue of the horse head has been publicly displayed in Hong Kong and Macau, which has played a positive role in enhancing the understanding of the motherland’s culture of the Hong Kong and Macau compatriots and promoting the spirit of patriotism.
Under the coordination of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, in November 2019, Stanley Ho decided to formally donate the bronze statue of the horse head to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage to present the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of the return of Macao.
At the entrance ceremony on the 1st, the bronze statue of the horse head finally returned to his homeland.
The reporter saw that the horse head of the Old Summer Palace was placed in the middle of the Manjusri Hall of Zhengjue Temple in the Old Summer Palace.
Through the implementation of the exhibition promotion and security renovation project, Zhengjue Temple has the conditions for cultural relics safety and exhibition, reaching the museum-level security.
"The horse head home brought together the majestic strength of the party and government, Hong Kong and Macao compatriots, and all walks of life. It conforms to the ardent expectations of the people and interprets the profound truth of'weak nationalities will lead to loss of cultural relics, and strong national destiny leads to cultural prosperity' A successful example of the return of lost cultural relics in the new era." said Liu Yuzhu, director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
He pointed out that the horse head returned to the park, showing a new direction for cultural relics.
Historically, cultural relics lost due to war looting, cultural plunder, and illegal trade, such as the loss of cultural relics from the Old Summer Palace, still lack the legal basis and general consensus in the international community, and the road to return is particularly difficult and long.
The Chinese government firmly implements the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and firmly supports the return of illegally lost cultural relics to their countries of origin.
At the same time, the return of the horse head is no longer a royal possession, but a cultural heritage belonging to all the people.
Liu Yuzhu said that returning is not the end. The second half of the article on how to make good use of cultural relics has just broken the topic.
The "Hundred Years of Dreams Round-The Return of the Horse Head Bronze Statue in Old Summer Palace" was launched on the same day, with the return of the horse head as the main line, divided into three units: About 100 components will continue to be displayed as the basic display of Zhengjue Temple, and will be open to the public today. (Finish)