How were the twelve zodiac heads in the Old Summer Palace bought back?

As of 2014, of the twelve animal heads in the Old Summer Palace, only the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, horse, monkey and pig heads have been bought back to the mainland. The dragon head is in Taiwan, and the snake and sheep heads are in Taiwan. The whereabouts of the heads, chicken heads and dog heads are unknown. The details are as follows:

1. The bronze statues of the twelve zodiac animal heads in Yuanmingyuan, the rat head and the rabbit head, were donated.

At 11 a.m. on April 26, 2013, Song Xinchao, Deputy Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and Duan Yong, Director of the Department of Museums and Social Cultural Relics, met with Francois Fran?ois, Chairman and CEO of the French PPR Group, in Beijing Mr. Val-Henri Pinault. On behalf of the Pinault family, Mr. Pinault expressed that he would donate to the Chinese government the bronze rat heads and rabbit heads from the Twelve Water Laws of the Old Summer Palace that were lost overseas.

2. The bronze statue of the twelve zodiac animal heads in Yuanmingyuan, the ox head, was photographed by Poly Group.

In an auction in Hong Kong in 2000, the Poly Group bought the cow head for HK$7 million, and it is now placed in the Poly Art Museum in Beijing under Poly for public viewing.

3. The bronze statue of the twelve zodiac animal heads in Yuanmingyuan - the horse head, photographed by Dr. Stanley Ho.

Dr. Stanley Ho, consultant for the National Treasure Project, purchased the bronze horse head statue for HK$69.1 million before the auction on September 20 and announced that he would donate it to the country.

4. The pig head bronze statue of the twelve zodiac animals in Yuanmingyuan is the only one to return for charity.

In early 2003, the China Special Fund to Rescue Lost Overseas Cultural Relics searched for the whereabouts of the pig head in the United States. After hard work, the American collector agreed to transfer the pig head to the fund.

In September 2003, Stanley Ho donated more than 6 million yuan to the fund to buy back the pig head bronze statue. It was later donated to the Poly Group and stored in the Poly Art Museum in Beijing for public viewing.

5. The bronze statue of the twelve zodiac animal heads in Yuanmingyuan, the tiger head, was photographed by Poly Group.

In 2000, it was auctioned in Hong Kong and Poly Group won it for HK$14 million, three times higher than the reserve price. It is now displayed in the Poly Art Museum in Beijing for public viewing.

6. The bronze statue of the twelve zodiac animal heads in Yuanmingyuan, the monkey head, was photographed by Poly Group.

In an auction in Hong Kong in 2000, the Poly Group bought it for HK$7.4 million, and it is now on display at the Poly Art Museum in Beijing for public viewing.

People's Daily Online - The whereabouts of the twelve animal heads in the Old Summer Palace make the Chinese people feel sad