Treasures of Beijing's Old Summer Palace on display in Hong Kong

For the first time ever, four of the 12 zodiac heads from Beijing's Old Summer Palace are on display in Hong Kong.

The four original pieces – bronze head sculptures of the Ox, Tiger, Monkey and Pig – are believed to have been part of a set comprising 12 traditional Chinese zodiac animals that once graced a water-clock fountain in Yuanmingyuan, the magnificent former imperial garden built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The 12 items were looted from Beijing by the Anglo-French allied forces in 1860, and now, only seven of the bronze head sculptures – the Ox, Monkey, Tiger, Pig, Horse, Rat and Rabbit – have been returned to China, while the rest remain unaccounted for.

Showcasing four of these iconic treasures from the Old Summer Palace together with dozens of other precious relics, the ongoing exhibition titled "The Grand Gathering of the Century: Zodiac Heads from the Yuanmingyuan and Important Treasures" has been dedicated to mark the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

The event is set to run until August 31 at the Indra and Harry Banga Gallery of the City University of Hong Kong and is free of charge with online reservations required.

According to its organizers, the exhibition provides a striking immersive and interactiveexperience for visitors, which they hope will arouse public interest in Chinese cultural relics that have been lost overseas.