The bronze statue of the horse's head in the Old Summer Palace is one of the bronze statues of the head of the zodiac animal that was designed by the Italian Lang Shining during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, guided by the French priest Jiang Youren, and made by the palace craftsmen, once decorated on the fountain outside the Haiyan Hall of the Old Summer Palace, every noon, it will spray water together with the bronze statue of the head of the beast with eleven other statues, the scene is spectacular. However, in 1860 and 1900, the British and French forces and the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing first, burning the Old Summer Palace, and the bronze statue of the horse's head was also lost overseas, becoming a painful loss for the Chinese nation.
Fortunately, after many efforts, the bronze statue of the horse's head was auctioned by Mr. Stanley Ho, a patriot from Hong Kong and Macao, for 69.1 million Hong Kong dollars in 2007, and donated to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage free of charge, and the donation ceremony was held at the National Museum of China on November 13, 2019, and officially returned to the Old Summer Palace on December 1, 2020, reuniting with the other six bronze statues of animal heads that have returned, drawing a successful end to the centennial dream.
The return of the bronze statue of the horse's head is not only a symbol of the cultural self-confidence of the Chinese nation and the rise of the country, but also an opportunity to re-understand and study the history and art of the Old Summer Palace. It is reported that experts conducted X-ray testing on the bronze statue of the horse's head and found some unexpected secrets.
First of all, the casting process of the bronze statue of the horse's head is very amazing, except for a small part of the head and neck where rivets are used, the rest of the parts are made in one go using the lost wax method, this technology is very advanced at the time, which can ensure the integrity of the bronze statue and the refinement of the details. The bronze statue of the horse's head is lifelike, the hair is full of hair, the color is deep and heavy, it has gone through a hundred years of wind and rain without rust, showing a very high level of craftsmanship, and it is an extraordinary ancient Chinese artwork.
Secondly, the bronze statue of the horse's head has the scars of the invaders, which are the confirmation of the humiliating history of those years, and also a warning and encouragement to the Chinese nation. Experts found that there was a significant groove on the right ear of the bronze statue of the horse's head, as if it had been smashed by the butt of a gun, a slight scratch on the left eye, as if it had been cut by a knife, and some small spots on the mouth of the horse's head, as if it had been burned by fire. These are most likely the "masterpieces" of the Western powers of those years, and they are all evidence of the atrocities and insults to the Old Summer Palace.
The return of the bronze statue of the horse's head makes us remember history more, work harder, cherish peace more, promote culture more, forge ahead in unity, and make unremitting efforts to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.