Korea returned to China a pair of stone lions said to date from the Qing dynasty, Huanqiu reported. At a regular briefing, China's foreign ministry responded to a related question to the effect that 'the return of cultural relics is a fine example of cultural exchange between the two countries.'

Stone lions have traditionally been placed before government offices, temples and gateways as symbols of auspiciousness and protection. They usually come as a male-female pair, with carving styles varying somewhat by era and region.

Returning cultural property involves the history of how it was held, legal procedure and bilateral consultation. The details of how this return was carried out remain to be confirmed further.

Korea and China share a long history of people-to-people and cultural exchange, and the Chinese community in Korea has long served as a living bridge for it. Exchange mediated by cultural heritage sustains ties on a plane distinct from political tension.

We see such cases as the process of an artifact finding its place again, not a frame of winning or bestowing favor. The movement of culture is an old way of connecting people across borders.