In recent years, the media frequently reported that the treasure of Yuanmingyuan was found and returned. In the spring auction of Beijing Hanhai Auction Company in 2007, an overseas fine product-Gan Long pastel heavyweight-Gan Long official kiln "blue and white gold pastel bottle" appeared, which attracted the attention of porcelain experts all over the world. This treasure was originally collected in Yuanmingyuan, looted and exiled overseas, and later collected by famous American collectors. After hard work, it was collected and auctioned in China, with an estimated value of10 million yuan.
In recent years, the voice of the people demanding to recover the lost treasures at all costs is growing. On July 5, 2003, the China Special Fund for Saving Lost Overseas Cultural Relics started the National Treasure Project, and put forward three ways to return cultural relics: repurchase; Feedback; Ask for it. Among the plundered and lost treasures in Yuanmingyuan, the recent flow of animal heads in Yuanmingyuan is particularly eye-catching. The animal heads of Yuanmingyuan, also known as "bronze statues of the animal heads of the 12 Zodiacs in Yuanmingyuan", are placed on both sides of the big fountain in front of Haiyan Hall in a figure of eight. The animal heads of the 12 Zodiacs spray water in turn day and night, commonly known as "hydraulic clock". The bronze statue of the zodiac is made of stone, and the head of the animal is made of copper refined by the Qing court at that time. Fine casting, beautiful color, stainless for a hundred years. In 2007, Stanley Ho, member of the Standing Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, bought the bronze statue of the horse's head of the 12 Zodiac "Hydraulic Clock" fountain for HK$ 6,965,438+10,000 and donated it to the country. Previously, in 2002, he had bought a bronze statue of pig's head and donated it to the country. At present, five of the bronze statues of the animal heads of the zodiac in Yuanmingyuan have returned, while the other five bronze statues of John Lone, the head of a snake, the head of a sheep, the head of a chicken and the head of a dog have never been found.
At the end of 2008, a piece of news attracted people's attention. It is reported that Christie's, an international art auction giant, announced that it will hold a special auction of "Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Beijing's Treasures" at the Grand Palais in Paris, France from February 23 to 25, 2009. The auction items include 1860 bronze statues of rat heads and rabbit heads looted by British and French allied forces from Yuanmingyuan for many years. Both auctions were evaluated. To this end, China actively conducted multi-party communication and mediation, trying to recover the two treasures. But as of February this year 19, there is still no good progress in this matter. A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said at a news conference last week that the two bronze statues of animal heads should be returned to China because they were taken away by the "invaders". She also pointed out: "As we all know, the relevant cultural relics are China's precious cultural relics plundered by the British and French allied forces during the Second Opium War and lost overseas for many years. China has unquestionable ownership of it and these cultural relics should be returned to China. "