BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two pottery figurines dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) have been returned to China from overseas, to be placed in the Shanghai Museum's collection.

A ceremony to mark the event was held Tuesday by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Ms. Suzanne Fratus from the United Sates donated the figurines through the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco in April.

"It is not through money or politics that these figures have come home to you. They were returned through the power of love and respect for you the Chinese people," Fratus said.

The figurines were identified as funerary objects with important collection value. Enditem