Window component returned to complete Qing imperial bronze pavilion

The bronze window core returns to the Baoyun Bronze Pavilion. Photo: Courtesy of National Cultural Heritage Administration

A lost core portion of a window that was once part of one of China's biggest bronze structures inside an imperial garden from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) has returned home following a donation.

The bronze window core from the Baoyun Bronze Pavilion in the Summer Palace was returned by three contributors on Wednesday. This holds crucial significance in restoring the original appearance of the historical building and enriches Beijing's ancient unmovable cultural heritage.

The Baoyun Pavilion in Beijing was used to serve as a place for the Qing Dynasty emperors and empresses to chant scriptures and worship the Buddha.

Cast over 270 years ago, the returned diamond-shaped component measures 105.2 centimeters in length and 19.8 centimeters in width. According to Du Juan, deputy director of the Summer Palace on Wednesday, the recently returned bronze window core "is identical in shape and structure to the existing ones in the Baoyun Pavilion and matches photographs taken by Scottish photographer John Thomson in 1871.

"The Baoyun Pavilion stands as one of the most intricate and large-scale bronze castings in Chinese craftsmanship. Its casting techniques hold a significant place in China's long history of bronze culture," Zeng Qiang, a Beijing-based historian, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

According to The Summer Palace, the original Baoyun Pavilion had 12 bronze doors, 20 bronze windows, and a total of 70 diamond-shaped bronze window cores on its four sides.

However, during the turmoil of the late 19th century and early 20th century in China, a total of 31 of the window cores and 10 bronze windows on the building were lost.

The repatriation of this cultural relics marks another philanthropic act following the National Cultural Heritage Administration's (NCHA) facilitation of the return of bronze windows and window cores to the Summer Palace in 1993 and 1995.

In 1993, the American International Group purchased 10 bronze windows and 20 window cores, and donated them to the NCHA. In 1995, another bronze window core was donated by a then-retired French cultural relic appraisal expert.

In addition to these contributions, the Summer Palace has replicated the remaining bronze window cores, installing them alongside the existing ones to restore this exquisite bronze structure, built in the 20th year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign (1755).