Chinese Culture Minister Sun Jiazheng (L, front) and experts look at the Zilong Ding, a huge round bronze ding, or three-legged bowl, dating back more than 3,000 years, during the ceremony marking its return to China in Beijing, capital of China, on Dec. 9, 2006. The vessel, with the inscription "Zilong", is the largest of its kind from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.) ever discovered. It is believed the vessel was unearthed in Huixian County in central China's Henan Province in the 1920s and then lost to Japan in the 1940s.

 

The ceremony marking the return of four pieces of ancient cultural relics to Chinese National Museum was held in Beijing Saturday.

 

The treasures include the Zilong Ding, a wooden Guanyin sculpture made during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and two three-color Bodhisattva sculptures.

 

China's special fund for important cultural relics contributes to the return of these treasures. Since its establishment in 2002, it has collected 203 pieces of cultural relics home and abroad.

 

A man takes photos of a wooden Guanyin sculpture made during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) during the ceremony marking its return to China in Beijing on Dec. 9, 2006.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2006)