Ancient bronze vessel looted from Old Summer Palace in 1860 returned to China

The 3,000-year-old relic was sold at auction in Britain for US$515,000 in April but the buyer decided to donate it to the Chinese government

It was taken by a British Royal Marines captain and had been in the possession of his descendants. Now it’s on display at a museum in Beijing

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The ceremonial vessel dates back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BC) and has miniature tigers on its spout, handle and lid. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:02pm, 12 Dec 2018Updated: 9:16pm, 12 Dec 2018

A 3,000-year-old bronze vessel that was taken from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing has been returned to China after more than a century overseas, according to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

On Tuesday, it was formally placed on display at the National Museum of China in the capital, where it is now part of the permanent collection.

The ancient relic was sold at auction in Britain for £410,000 (US$515,000) on April 11, but was donated to the Chinese government with no strings attached on April 28 after the unknown buyer had a change of heart.

A representative from Canterbury Auction Galleries, which sold and helped to return the item, told news site Thepaper.cn the buyer had recognised the deep significance of lost artefacts for Chinese.

After it was donated, the vessel was kept at the Chinese embassy in London before it was formally handed back to the cultural heritage administration on September 21.

Sun Ji, honorary chairman of the National Museum of China’s research institute, tells the story of the returned bronze vessel on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

The ceremonial vessel dates back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BC) and is decorated with miniature tigers on its spout, handle and lid. It is believed to be one of only seven such vessels, five of which are held in museums.