雅思新闻|失窃一个世纪的马首铜像重回圆明园

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A horse head sculpture looted from China’s Old Summer Palace 160 years ago has become the first of its kind to be restored to its original home. It is one of 12 famous bronze animal head sculptures stolen from Beijing when British and French troops invaded China during the Second Opium War. More than half of the pieces have already been found and returned to China, but are currently on display in other museums. Five sculptures are still missing. The horse head was donated by the late Macau tycoon② Stanley Ho, who bought the artefact③ for US$8.9m (£6.63m) at a Sotheby’s auction④ in Hong Kong in 2007 and later donated it to the Chinese government in 2019. “There is international consensus on returning lost cultural relics to their original homes, and China’s efforts to bring relics⑤ home in recent years have enhanced that consensus,” He Yan, of the Beijing Urban Planning Society told Xinhua. (BBC)

160年前从圆明园被劫掠走的马首铜像，如今成为了同类文物中第一件回归故里的重要文物。第二次鸦片战争中，英法联军入侵中国时从北京掠夺了包括马首在内的12座著名兽首铜像。如今，一半以上的兽首铜像已被找到并重返中国，但目前陈列展示在其他博物馆中。仍有五尊兽首铜像下落不明。马首铜像由已故澳门富豪何鸿燊先生捐赠，他于2007年在香港苏富比拍卖会上以890万美元（663万英镑）的价格购得这一文物，而后于2019年将其捐献给了中国政府。北京城市规划学会的贺艳在接受新华社采访时说：“流失文物回归原属地是国际共识，中国近年来推动‘文物回家’有力深化了这一共识。”

【注释】

① loot: [luːt] v. to steal things from shops or buildings after a riot, fire, etc. （暴乱、火灾等后）掠夺，抢劫（财物）

② tycoon: [taɪˈkuːn] n. a person who is successful in business or industry and has become rich and powerful 大亨，巨头，大实业家

③ artefact: [ˈɑːtɪfækt] n. an object that is made by a person, especially something of historical or cultural interest （尤指具有历史或文化价值的）手工制品，手工艺品

④ auction: [ˈɔːkʃn] n. a public sale in which things are sold to the person who offers the most money for them 拍卖

⑤ relic: [ˈrelɪk] n. an object, a tradition, a system, etc. that has survived from the past 遗物， 遗迹

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