Two long lost porcelain vases have finally returned to China. They were looted from their home country more than one century ago.

Two long lost porcelain vases have finally returned to China. They were looted from their home country more than one century ago.

Escorted by their former owners, the vases traveled all the way from New Zealand and arrived at Yuanmingyuan on Monday.

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.

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.

Mary Kempson

(CNTV.cn October 19, 2010)