At the end of April 2000, the Hong Kong Antiquities Auction suddenly announced that it had acquired the heads of oxen, monkey and tiger in the Old Summer Palace plundered by the British and French forces in the Second Opium War. Upon learning of this, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China immediately sent a letter requesting the return of the three cultural relics. However, in the face of interests, the auction organizers did not give in, but openly put the three cultural relics on auction. In this game of business interests and patriotic feelings, a patriotic businessman named He Ping came to the fore.
He Ping is the third in the family and the youngest son. Growing up, he was pampered by his parents and older brothers, and despite being mischievous, paying attention to his parents' history became the only way for him to calm down. Born in a traditional military family, He Ping's father, He Biao, is an old revolutionary soldier, and his family education is full of patriotism. This allowed He Ping to listen to his father's revolutionary deeds at the same time, cultivate deep patriotic feelings, and have the belief of serving the motherland in adulthood.
He Ping worked hard in his studies and was admitted to the Harbin Military Engineering Institute after graduating from junior high school. In order to prove himself, he imparted knowledge in the countryside, and although he was uncomfortable at first, he gradually experienced the joy of it. In rural life, he began to study Xi seriously. Later, through Lu Tongyan's introduction, he established contact with Deng Rong, the daughter of ***. The letters between the two were filled with a desire to contribute to the country, and this pure relationship eventually developed into marriage.
After the reform and opening up, He Ping chose to go into business and became the chairman of Poly Group in the 90s. In 2004, two auctions in Hong Kong claimed to be auctioning a number of rarities, including the heads of the ox, monkey and tiger of the 12 zodiac signs of the Old Summer Palace. Despite numerous Chinese demands for the return of these artefacts, the Hong Kong auction still resisted. He Ping decided to make a move and successfully auctioned the three animal heads for more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars, and then donated them to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
These three national treasures are currently on display in the Beijing Poly Museum and have become a proud cultural heritage of the Chinese people. Although He Ping did not enter politics, he made outstanding contributions to the country through his own efforts. Like his father, he guards the treasures of the country and passes on this responsibility.