Australia returns ancient stone heads to China after more than 30 years

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Australia has returned two stone heads from the Northern Song dynasty to China after more than 30 years abroad. The sculptures, believed to have been removed from imperial mausoleums in Henan, had been donated to the National Gallery of Australia by a private collector.

Australia has returned two stone sculptures to China after more than 30 years abroad. The statues, showing the heads of a military official and civil servant, had been given to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra by a private collector and date back to the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration received the heads on Wednesday, according to the state broadcaster CCTV. They are thought to have been removed from two imperial mausoleums in Henan...