China's national cultural heritage authorities have today (28th) officially received two Chinese lost cultural relics from Australia at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. The artifacts are the head of a military official from Yong Chang Tomb and the head of a civil official from Yong Yu Tomb during the Northern Song Dynasty. Both are limestone carvings with significant historical and artistic value. The head of the military official is 68 cm high and weighs 132 kg, while the head of the civil official is 70 cm tall and weighs 223 kg. Over a millennium, these stone figures stood alone in a wheat field in Gao Yi, Henan Province, like "keepers of the wheat field," witnessing each planting and harvest. However, in the early 20th century, the heads of these two figures were unfortunately sawn off by tomb robbers, after which they were lost overseas and came into the collection of the National Gallery of Australia. China and Australia have been working closely to recover lost cultural treasures. The Song Dynasty tombs of Yong Chang and Yong Yu, where these heads originated, are part of the most extensive and well-preserved collection of Northern Song Dynasty stone figures in China, known as the "open-air stone carving art museum." Despite historical damages by Jin troops, the puppet state of the Jurchen, and tomb robbers, these relics have been scattered abroad, with many still lost overseas. Both China and Australia, as signatories to the 1970 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, have been cooperating on recovering lost cultural items. In 2023, Australia returned five important cultural artifacts to China, including a painted terracotta figure astride a horse. The successful return of the Northern Song Dynasty tomb officials' heads highlights the significance of recovering lost relics and reunifying national historical memories. China's recently revised and effective from March 2025, "People's Republic of China Cultural Relics Protection Law" explicitly stipulates that the state has the right to recover lost cultural artifacts that were stolen or illegally exported, and this right is not time-limited. Thus, the smooth return of these artifacts from the Northern Song Dynasty tombs is a valuable precedent for future cultural heritage recovery efforts.