Not only is the horse head the first of the 12 animal-head sculptures to be returned to Yuanmingyuan, but it is also the first important cultural relic from the Old Summer Palace to be returned to and housed at its original site after being repatriated from overseas, Xinhua News Agency reported.

It was bought by the late Macao business magnate and philanthropist Stanley Ho Hung-sun in 2007 and was donated to the National Cultural Heritage Administration in November 2019. It was recently transferred to the authorities responsible for the Yuanmingyuan ruins, also echoing Ho's wishes.

"The loss and return of this object tells us that the destiny of cultural relics is closely connected with that of the nation," Liu Yuzhu, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said at Tuesday's handover ceremony at Yuanmingyuan Park.