The 3rd China (Hunan) International Mineral & Gem Show was opened in Chenzhou City on May 21, 2015. The most precious treasures of Poly Art Museum- four animal heads of pig, ox, monkey and tiger of the Old Summer Palace are being exhibited there. Some more world’s top level treasures exhibited in the mineral show attracted a large number of visitors.

Bronze ox head of the Old Summer Palace

Bronze pig head of the Old Summer Palace

Bronze tiger head of the Old Summer Palace

Bronze monkey head of the Old Summer Palace

The four bronze animal heads attracted many visitors

It was introduced that bronze animal heads of the Old Summer Palace is also called as bronze heads of twelve Chinese zodiac signs or bronze human body and animal head of twelve Chinese zodiac signs. They were designed by Lang Shining- one of the clerics from Italy, supervised by a Frenchman Jiang Youren and manufactured by royal craftsmen of Qing Dynasty, so they are art treasures which can best show the integration of Chinese and Western culture.

It is realistic style for the animal heads with elaborate engineering that even the drapes and villus on the animal heads are vivid. Furthermore, they are made of the refined red bronze produced by imperial court of Qing Dynasty that no corrosion for over one hundred years.

All the bronze animal heads of twelve Chinese zodiac signs were set in the 12 stone platforms of a fan-shaped pool in Hall of National Peace in the Old Summer Palace. But in October 1860, the Ango-French Allied Forces robbed the Old Summer Palace, and all the bronze animal heads were lost abroad. They became symbolizes of the overseas lost cultural relics of the Old Summer Palace. Till 2014, 7 bronze animal heads as ox head, monkey head, tiger head, pig head, horse head, mouse head and rabbit head have been returned to China. Ox head, tiger head, monkey head, pig head and horse head were rescued by some patriotic personages in 2000, 2003 and 2007 and are collected in Poly Art Museum now.