Editing Opium Wars (section)

=== Cultural relics ===
[[File:Poly MGM Museum, December 24, 2024 103.jpg|thumb|Four of the original [[Old Summer Palace bronze heads]] on display in the [[Poly MGM Museum]]]]
In February 1860, the British and French imperialist authorities again appointed Elgin and Grotto as plenipotentiaries respectively, leading more than 15,000 British troops and about 7,000 French troops to expand the war against China. The British and French forces invaded Beijing, and the Qing emperor fled to Chengde. The British and French forces broke into the Old Summer Palace, looted jewelry, and burned it. Among the cultural relics that were looted were the well-known [[Old Summer Palace bronze heads]].

On the morning of 7 October, the French army broke into the Old Summer Palace and began to rob it.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 2018 |title=Internationale Studienergebnisse |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/a-0603-1331 |journal=Physiopraxis |volume=16 |issue=7/08 |pages=16–20 |doi=10.1055/a-0603-1331 |issn=1439-023X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> British soldiers who arrived in the afternoon also joined the robbery, and the most precious things in the Old Summer Palace were looted. All twelve bronze statues of animal heads began to be lost overseas.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=May 2006 |title=Health Canada has warned consumers against using Nasutra because it has been found to contain sildenafil. |url=http://link.springer.com/10.2165/00128413-200615370-00054 |journal=Inpharma Weekly |volume=1537 |language=en |issue=1537 |pages=21 |doi=10.2165/00128413-200615370-00054 |issn=1173-8324|url-access=subscription }}</ref> On 18 October, the [[Second Opium War|Old Summer Palace was burned down]] by British soldiers, and France refused to provide aid. The fire burned for three days and nights, razing the buildings of the Old Summer Palace to the ground and destroying nearby royal properties.

As of December 2020, seven of the twelve bronze statues have been found and returned to China. The whereabouts of the remaining five are still unknown.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-12-02 |title=China: Looted horse head returns to Beijing's Old Summer Palace |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55154918 |access-date=2024-05-07 |language=en-GB}}</ref>