Bronze animal heads attract 50,000 visitors a day   

鼠首兔首國(guó)內(nèi)首次展出火爆 每日接待約5萬(wàn)觀(guān)眾

圓明園鼠首兔首自7月18日首次在國(guó)家博物館亮相以來(lái)，引發(fā)了眾多游客的關(guān)注。記者21日在國(guó)家博物館看到，鼠首兔首的展柜被團(tuán)團(tuán)圍住，游客爭(zhēng)相拍照留念。現(xiàn)場(chǎng)的工作人員透露，每日觀(guān)看鼠首兔首的觀(guān)眾大約有四、五萬(wàn)。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) -- The bronze rat and rabbit heads on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing have attracted nearly 50,000 visitors every day since last Thursday, according to the museum.

The relics were among 12 animal head sculptures that formed a zodiac water clock that once stood at Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, in northwest Beijing. The heads were lost for over a century after being looted by Anglo-French Allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860, but were returned by the wealthy Pinault family of France in April this year.

There has been some public concern about the authenticity of the statues, but workers at the museum denied the possibility of forgery.

The museum has also taken measures to protect the relics from the massive number of visitors, such as forbidding the use of flash photography.