3,000-year-old looted relics back in China

Two bronze relics dating back to the early Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 B.C.- 771 B.C.) have been retrieved by Shanxi police from overseas.

The bronze ware "Yifangyi" is seen being placed at the Shanxi Bronze Ware Museum in Taiyuan city, Shanxi Province on July 8, 2019. [Photo: IC]

The two wares, called "Yifangyi" and "Yizun," were stolen from a tomb in the city of Yuncheng several years ago and sold overseas. With efforts of the police from Shanxi Province, the relics are back home.

Yizun is an open-mouthed bronze ware inscribed with 23 characters. Yifangyi is a cuboid container used as drinking vessel in ancient times, with beast-face patterns and inscriptions on it.

The bronze ware "Yizun" is seen being placed at the Shanxi Bronze Ware Museum in Taiyuan city, Shanxi Province on July 8, 2019. [Photo: IC]

The two retrieved wares will be on display with others bronze pieces at the Shanxi Bronze Ware Museum in Taiyuan City, which will open to the public later this month.

(Story includes material sourced from Xinhua News Agency.)