SEOUL, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A handover ceremony for a pair of Qing Dynasty stone lion sculptures returned by South Korea to China was held here on Thursday at the Kansong Art Museum.
At the ceremony, China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) formally received the stone lions from the National Museum of Korea.
According to Chinese and South Korean experts, the marble sculptures were most likely placed at the entrance of the residences of princes or princesses during the Qing Dynasty, based on their dimensions, material, carving techniques and stylistic features.
The stone lions were purchased in 1933 by Jeon Hyeong-pil, founder of the Kansong Art Museum, at an auction held in Osaka, Japan, by the Yamanaka & Co. art dealership. Since the museum opened in 1938, the sculptures had been displayed at the entrance to Bohwagak, the original name of Kansong Art Museum.
Jeon always regarded the stone lions as Chinese cultural relics and expressed his wish that they should one day be returned to China. In December 2025, entrusted by the Kansong Art Museum, the National Museum of Korea and the NCHA launched consultations on the return, eventually reaching an agreement.
Addressing the ceremony, Rao Quan, vice minister of Culture and Tourism and head of the NCHA, said the return of the stone lions is a practical step in implementing the consensus reached by the Chinese and South Korean leaders on expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Rao said both China and South Korea have experienced the loss of cultural relics and have worked to facilitate their return. He said South Korea's move reflects its respect and goodwill toward Chinese cultural heritage and represents another example of cultural exchanges strengthening mutual understanding between the two peoples.
China is willing to take the return of the stone lions as an opportunity to further expand long-term and in-depth cooperation with South Korea in the field of cultural heritage, he added.
Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing said China-South Korea relations have entered a new stage of improvement and development under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders. He said the return of the stone lions reflects the friendship between the two countries and expressed China's willingness to work with South Korea to further advance their strategic cooperative partnership for the benefit of both peoples and to contribute to regional and global peace and prosperity.
Yu Hong-jun, director of the National Museum of Korea, Jeon In-geon, director of the Kansong Art Museum, former National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, and Lee Jae-jung, chair of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, also attended the ceremony and delivered remarks.
The South Korean side said the return was made out of deep respect for Chinese history and culture and symbolizes the strong mutual trust between the two countries. It expressed hope that it would open a new chapter in bilateral cooperation on cultural heritage, further enhance mutual trust and friendship, and inject fresh momentum into broader cooperation in economic, social and other fields. ■
