• Date:
  • Category: Culture

On the afternoon of October 28, 2026 (local time), China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration formally received two lost Chinese cultural relics from the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. The handover ceremony was attended by Tang Wei, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration; Liu Jinsong, Chinese Ambassador to Australia; and Nick Mitzevich, director of the National Gallery of Australia, along with representatives from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the federal arts ministry.

The two returned items are limestone heads from stone statues at Northern Song Dynasty imperial mausoleums in Gongyi, Henan Province: the head of a civil official statue from Yongchang Mausoleum and the head of a military official statue from Yongyu Mausoleum. According to the gallery’s collection records, the military official head is 68 cm tall and weighs 132 kg, while the civil official head is 70 cm tall and weighs 223 kg.

China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration, together with public security and cultural relics authorities in Henan Province, conducted investigations and submitted a formal memorandum to the National Gallery of Australia in 2025 to initiate the repatriation process. The return was carried out under the framework of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and based on the 2009 bilateral memorandum of understanding between China and Australia on the protection of cultural heritage.

Both sides described the handover as an important outcome of China-Australia cooperation in protecting cultural heritage. The Chinese side emphasized that returning lost cultural relics to their countries of origin is a just act that safeguards cultural security, respects cultural rights and national sentiment, and helps preserve the achievements of human civilization. The Australian side stated that the return reflects respect for cultural heritage, responsibility, and international partnership, and will help deepen friendly relations and promote continued cooperation in cultural heritage protection.