Core Points - Nigeria and the Netherlands held a ceremony to return 119 Benin bronzes, fulfilling a commitment made in February [1][2] - The returned artifacts include a king's head, an ivory sculpture, and two animal-shaped bronzes, with the rest going to the traditional ruler of the Benin Kingdom [1] - The return of these artifacts is seen as a step towards restoring national pride and dignity for Nigeria [1] Summary by Sections Artifact Return - The 119 artifacts returned include 113 from the Leiden Museum in the Netherlands, which were acquired through violent means [2] - The Benin bronzes date back to the 16th to 18th centuries and represent the art of the Benin Kingdom [2] Cultural Diplomacy - Nigeria's Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy emphasized the country's right to reclaim its historical heritage [1] - The return is viewed as a model for other Western countries to follow in returning colonial-era looted artifacts [1] International Agreements - Germany has signed an agreement to return over 1,000 Benin bronzes to Nigeria, indicating a growing sense of historical responsibility in the international community [1][2]

Group 1 - A piece of Yungang Grottoes Buddha eye from the Liao-Jin period has been donated back to its original location in Shanxi Province [1][2] - The Buddha eye was originally donated to the Yungang Grottoes Museum in 1985 by the director of the Nelson Museum in the United States, marking the first piece of Yungang Grottoes artifacts to return from overseas [1][2] - The current donor, Tian Yijun, discovered the Buddha eye approximately 20 years ago at an antique market and later recognized its significance after reading an article about Yungang Grottoes [1][2] Group 2 - The donated artifact weighs 0.514 kilograms, stands 7 centimeters tall, and has a diameter of 10 centimeters at its larger end, characterized by a coarse sandy texture and dark red color [2] - Experts from Shanxi Province conducted evaluations and confirmed that the artifact is indeed a Buddha eye from the Yungang Grottoes, dating back to the Liao-Jin period [2] - The chairman of the Shanxi Lingyan Yungang Grottoes Protection Foundation expressed optimism about using digital technology for future research and identification of similar artifacts [2]