Four 18th century sculptures which had been looted by British and French troops some 140 years ago from the imperial garden Yuanmingyuan in Beijing, went on display under tight security Thursday at the ongoing Shenzhen cultural fair.

The exhibition, located at the Shenzhen Broadcast, TV and Radio Building west of the China Hi-Tech Fair Exhibition Center, features four bronze national treasures _ the Pig Head, Cattle Head, Monkey Head and Tiger Head. The collection is owned by the State-owned China Poly Group.

The group bought the tiger head for HK$1.98 million from Sotheby's and the monkey and ox heads for HK$2.05 million from Christie's in auctions in Hong Kong in May 2000.

The Pig Head was donated to the group by Macao entrepreneur Stanley Ho in 2003, who bouhgt the sculpture from a U.S. art collector at a cost of 6 million yuan (about US$722,892).

The bronze heads were part of a water clock featuring the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.

The clock was a highlight of the baroque, European-style palaces that once dotted the opulent gardens of Yuan Ming Yuan, a summer pleasure ground for the imperial court built in the 1740s.

In 1860, during the second Opium War, British and French troops occupied the area, looted its treasures and set fire to the palaces.

Today, only ruins remain. A controversial rebuilding plan for the garden has been proposed by Chinese experts.

China Poly Group exhibited the treasures in Hong Kong and several other cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and Taiwan.

The exhibition in Shenzhen will last until Nov. 22. To ensure the safety of the priceless artifacts, organizers deployed a large force of security guards at the exhibition hall, with an armed policeman guarding the exhibits.

Tickets are available for 30 yuan each at branches of the Agricultural Bank of China or at the China Hi-Tech Fair Exhibition Center ticket office in Shenzhen.

(Shenzhen Daily November 19, 2004)