One of the replicas of 12 animal sculptures from Yuan Mingyuan, dragon. Photo taken at Ji Guge on Sep 13. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.COM]

Twelve animal sculptures from Yuan Mingyuan (also called the Old Summer Palace), which were taken out of China by the Anglo-French Allied Forces during the Second Opium War in 1860 have been successfully replicated by Ji Guge, an old brand workshop doing repairs, processing and reproduction of cultural relics in Beijing .

The twelve animal sculptures are the greatest representation of the blend of Eastern and Western cultures. They are on the banks of Hai Yantang, one of the most famous sites in Yuanming Yuan.These sculptures are hollow with water pipes reaching out to the mouths of animals, projecting water every two hours. They are of the body of human being carved out of stone and head of the animals made of bronze.

From 2000 to 2003, four of the sculptures, the ox, tiger, monkey and the pig were purchased back from various auctions for a total of 37 million Yuan ( or $4,805,194 ) and brought back to China. The whereabouts of the remaining ones are either unknown or have been collected by foreign museums and individuals.

In order to share the past splendor and artistic achievements with the public, Ji Guge produced the replicas of these 12 animal sculptures based on extensive research from historical records.