Five Zodiac fountain heads reunite at Old Summer Palace after 163-year lapse
The heads of five Zodiac beasts - the ox, tiger, monkey, pig, and horse - reunite at Yuanmingyuan, the Old Summer Palace, in Beijing. (Photo: China News Service)
(ECNS) -- The heads of five Zodiac beasts - the ox, tiger, monkey, pig, and horse - are being on display at Yuanmingyuan, the Old Summer Palace, in Beijing.
This special exhibition, which will last till Oct. 29，marks the unprecedented reunification of the first four copper statues, collected by the Poly Art Museum, with the horse head after a lapse of 163 years.
The five bronze-cast heads are part of the original set of 12 sculptures ripped from the imperial water fountain in Yuanmingyuan, representing a fusion of oriental zodiac culture and Western-style architecture.
The cultural profundity, artistic eminence, aesthetic allure, and scientific-technological value embodied by these fountainheads, made of specialized red copper, speak volumes of their historical importance.
To date, seven of the heads, the tiger, cow, monkey, pig, rat, rabbit, and horse, have been returned to China.
In 2018, a lost dragon's head appeared on an auction block; the whereabouts of the snake's head, goat's head, rooster's head and dog's head remain unknown to this day.
