The Twelve Old Summer Palace bronze heads are a collection of bronze fountainheads in the shape of the Chinese zodiac animals that were part of a

water clock A water clock or clepsydra (; ; ) is a timepiece by which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into (inflow type) or out from (outflow type) a vessel, and where the amount is then measured. Water clocks are one of the oldest time- ...

fountain in front of the Haiyantang () building of the

Xiyang Lou Xiyang Lou (), are ruins of 18th-century European-style imperial buildings on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. They are located in the northern part of the ''Changchun Yuan'' (Garden of Eternal Spring), one of the three ga ...

(Western style mansions) area of the

Old Summer Palace The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan () or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens (), and sometimes called the Winter Palace, was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District, Beijing, China. I ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Believed to have been designed by the Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione for the Qianlong Emperor, the statues would spout out water from their mouths to tell the time.CSmonitor.com.
CSmonitor.com
" ''China protests Christie's auction in Paris of relics.'' Retrieved on 2009-02-20.BBC News: Chinese zodiac statues' origins
/ref> The bronze-cast heads of the stone statues were among the treasures looted during the destruction of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and French expeditionary forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War.Wtop.com.
Wtop.com
" ''French judges allows auction of Chinese artifacts.'' Retrieved on 2009-02-20. Since then, they have been among the most visible examples of attempts to

repatriate Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

Chinese art and cultural artifacts. Two of the heads, the rat and the rabbit, were formerly held by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and were the subject of an international scandal ( 2009 auction of Old Summer Palace bronze heads). The Poly Museum (

New Beijing Poly Plaza The New Beijing Poly Plaza is a building complex in Beijing, China. Completed in 2007 for the China Poly Group Corporation, it houses the company headquarters, other office space, retail, restaurants, and the Poly Museum. The New Beijing Poly P ...

), a museum in Beijing owned and operated by

China Poly Group Corporation China Poly Group Corporation () is a state owned Chinese business group among 102 central state owned enterprises under the supervision of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). It is both prim ...

, a state-owned Chinese business group enterprise, is filled with repatriated artworks, including several of the animal fountainheads. China Poly bought the tiger, monkey, and ox through auction houses in Hong Kong in 2000, while the pig’s head was recovered in New York by

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

casino magnate Stanley Ho, who in turn donated it to the Poly Museum. The CEO of Poly Culture (an offshoot of China Poly Group focused on art-repatriation and antiquities), Jiang Yingchun, has been quoted as saying: "The heads represent our feelings for the entire nation; we love them and we weep for them. We can try many ways to get the heads back. The auction is just one method. We can't ignore that the art was taken illegally,” even if it was being well cared for, he said. “If you kidnapped my children and then treated them well, the crime is still not forgiven."

Current status

In culture

Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...

in 2010 created his own interpretation of 12 heads "The Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads", where 5 were recreated. It exists in bronze and gold versions. Sold for $4.4 million.Ai Weiwei’s Zodiac Heads Hit $4.4 Million at $26.9 Million Phillips London Contemporary Art Evening Sale // ArtNet
/ref> *''

CZ12 ''CZ12'' (), also known as ''Chinese Zodiac'', is a 2012 Hong Kong action-adventure comedy film co-written, co-produced and directed by Jackie Chan, who also starred as the main character in the film. ''CZ12'' is the third film of a franchise t ...

'' (2012) - Jackie Chan's movie about treasure hunting.

References

External links

International Herald Tribute, ''Auction Houses Add Insult to Injury'', May 6, 2000

Press Release: ''Bronze animals heads from Summer Palace go on display'', Hong Kong, Heritage Museum Friday, January 9, 2004

* ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7911691.stm BBC report of February 2009 auction
BBC report/photographs of 4 of 5 bronze heads recovered prior to 2009 auction

report/photograph of the Haiyantang Horse head statute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haiyantang Art and cultural repatriation Demolished buildings and structures in China Qing dynasty Chinese astrology Chinese architectural history Old Summer Palace

Current status

In culture

See also

References

External links