Bronze Statue of the Twelve Zodiac Beasts in Yuanmingyuan - Ox Head

Originally part of the fountain outside the Haiyan Hall of the Yuanmingyuan. The bronze statue of the ox head represents the hour of ugliness (1 to 3 o'clock) 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. Each animal capital has its unique symbolic meaning, with the cow's head representing diligence and resilience. In 1860, the Anglo French coalition invaded China and set fire to the Yuanmingyuan, causing the loss of bronze statues of the twelve zodiac animals, including the ox head, overseas. After wandering overseas for many years, he was finally purchased by Dr. Ho Hung shen, a patriot, in 2000 and donated to Poly Art Museum for collection, so that he could return to the motherland.