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 fountain in front of the Haiyantang () building of the Xiyang Lou (Western style mansions) area of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing. Believed to have been designed by the

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Giuseppe Castiglione for the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

, 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 Old Summer Palace by British and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

expeditionary forces in 1860 during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...

.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 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), a museum in Beijing owned and operated by China Poly Group Corporation, a

state-owned State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...

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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

by Hong Kong casino

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

Stanley Ho Stanley Ho Hung-sun (; 25 November 192126 May 2020) was a Hong Kong-Macau billionaire businessman. His original patrilineal surname was Bosman, which was later sinicized to 何 (Ho). He was the founder and chairman of SJM Holdings, which owns ...

, 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 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'' (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