用英语讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音

Mark:用英语讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音~ 《The Return of The Horse Head》（演讲稿） by Shunnie The 12 Chinese zodiac animals once topped a water clock in the royal garden of the Old Summer Palace. The sculptures of the twelve zodiac animals represented the 24 hours of the day, and each bronze statue would sprinkle water at a different hour to report the time. Also known as Yuanmingyuan, the Old Summer Palace was built in the 1700s and has been described as the country's most beautiful palace. However, the massive palace grounds and its buildings were looted and burned down during the second Opium War in 1860 by British and French troops. Although more than half of the zodiac pieces which are currently on displays in museum have already been found and returned to China. Only one of the pieces, the horse head, has been returned to its original home at the Summer palace from where it was taken 160 years ago. The return of the zodiac pieces is not only the result of the return, but also reflects the importance of a country and nation to its own culture and cultural heritage, and shows the determination of a country or government to fulfill the responsibility of protecting cultural heritage. 小姐姐这次选了马首回归的故事，源于08年参观的一次兽首展，对火烧圆明园的历史事件印象深刻。多年以来，包括圆明园十二兽首在内的我国流失文物陆续现身海外。其中七尊兽首铜像通过不同的方式回归祖国。每一尊兽首回家之路，都凝聚着无数人的默默付出。流失海外的中国文物是中华文化遗产不可分割的重要组成部分，承载着历史记忆与民族情感。还有五尊铜像仍下落不明，希望全国人民与世界各国人民共同努力，让圆明园流散的文物早日回归故土，在原址展示其风貌。