Originally part of the fountain outside the Haiyan Hall of the Yuanmingyuan. The bronze statue of the rabbit's head represents the hour of Mao (from 5:00 to 7:00) and is one of the twelve zodiac bronze statues. It was designed by European missionary, Italian Lang Shining, supervised by French Jiang Youren, and produced by Qing court craftsmen. The copper statue with a rabbit head symbolizes agility and speed, symbolizing hope and joy. In 1860, the Anglo French coalition invaded China and set fire to the Yuanmingyuan, causing the loss of the rabbit head bronze statue overseas. On April 26, 2013, the French Pinault family announced that they would donate a rabbit head to the Chinese government without compensation. On June 28 of the same year, they officially donated a bronze statue of the rabbit head to China, which is currently housed in the National Museum of China.

Symbolizing gentleness, caution, and wit. In traditional Chinese zodiac culture, the twelve earthly branches corresponding to the rabbit are "mao", hence also known as "mao tu". With its gentle nature and agile movements, it is regarded as a symbol of harmony and beauty. In the legend of the twelve zodiac animals, rabbits have won people's love for their wit and kindness. Legend has it that in the competition for selecting zodiac animals, the rabbit, with its wit and agility, successfully overcame obstacles and obtained a position in the zodiac. In Chinese culture, it is often associated with the moon because there is a story in ancient Chinese mythology about the jade rabbit pounding medicine, which is considered an auspicious and beautiful year.