Returned zodiac heads on show at national museum

4. A set of green jade zodiacs:

Housed in the Palace Museum, the 12 Chinese zodiacs surround a square jade box and sit inside a rosewood box. They wear different and facial expressions and hold various poses — holding books, waving a feather fan and clenching their fists.

File photo of jade zodiac figurine housed in the Palace Museum. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The rosewood box features a poem by Qing Emperor Qianlong in official script. Each zodiac would have acted as a seal, although former the contents of the box itself are unknown.

5. A set of standing figures:

The standing zodiacs of the Tang Dynasty are half animal and half human, wear long gowns and fold their hands. They are the collections of Shanghai Museum.

Liao Mei (intern) contributed to this story.