Australia 2 lost cultural relics returned to China, namely the statue head of a military attache in the Yongyu Mausoleum, the Imperial Tomb of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the head of a civilian statue in the Yongchang Mausoleum, both of which came from ChinaHenan Province, a cultural relic return ceremony was held today at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) returned two lost cultural relics to China today, according to reports from the People’s Daily Online, Xinhua News Agency and other media. The cultural relics return ceremony was held on the afternoon of the 28th local time.
These two cultural relics come from Henan province of China. He is the head of the military attache statue at the Yongyu Mausoleum of the Northern Song Dynasty and the head of the civil official statue at the Yongchang Mausoleum. These are made of limestone. The heads of the military attaché and civilian statues are 68 centimeters and 70 centimeters high, respectively, and weigh 132 kilograms and 223 kilograms, respectively.
China submitted a memorandum to the National Gallery of Australia in 2025, requesting the return of cultural relics and undertaking restoration work.
China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage said that promoting the return of lost cultural relics to their countries of origin is a reasonable step to safeguard the safety of cultural relics in various countries, respect the cultural rights and national sentiments of people of all countries, and safeguard the achievements of human civilization. This cooperation is the result of China and Australia jointly implementing international conventions and protecting cultural heritage, and promoting cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties between China and Australia.
The last time Australia returned lost cultural relics to China was in 2023. The handover ceremony was held at the Chinese Embassy in Australia. At that time, China–Australia relations were warming.
