Photo/Li He (Xinhua)

A bronze horse head sculpture, a treasure of China's Old Summer Palace that went missing after an Anglo-French allied forces' looting 160 years ago, returned to its original palace home Tuesday.

It is the first time that a lost important cultural relic from the Old Summer Palace, or "Yuanmingyuan," has been returned to and housed at its original location after being repatriated from overseas.

Twelve animal head sculptures once formed a zodiac water clock in Beijing's Yuanmingyuan, built by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The originals were looted from the royal garden by Anglo-French allied forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War (1856-1860).

The horse head, designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Castiglione and crafted by royal craftsmen, is an artistic blend of East and West.

Macao billionaire Stanley Ho bought the bronze horse head and decided to donate it to the National Cultural Heritage Administration and return it to its original home. 

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn