New Zealander returns looted treasures

Three special guests from New Zealand have arrived at Yuanmingyuan. They've brought back two stolen vases and an apology.

Mary Kempson and her two sons arrived in Beijing on Sunday. They will attend a special ceremony at Yuanmingyuan, to return the two porcelain vases, looted by Major John William Kempson about 150 years ago.

The family has already visited the exhibition at Yuanmingyuan and apologized to the Chinese people.

Mary Kempson, New Zealand Guest, said, " I would like to apologize for ,,,,,,"

The restoration has taken 21 long, hard years.

In 1979, Mary received the vases from her mother-in-law as a Christmas present, with a card reading, "These vases were looted from the Imperial Palace, Peking."

Mary's curiosity was piqued and she researched her husband's family line. The family first migrated to Australia from Britain, and then to New Zealand in 1927. The vases were taken by William Kempson, who served in Britain's 99th Regiment through the China War.

Thus began Mary's quest to get the vases home.

In 2000, she met a Chinese diplomat at the embassy in New Zealand and formally proposed the idea to return the treasures to Yuanmingyuan.