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--FILE-- View of the ruins of the Old Summer Palace, known as the Winter Palace, Yuanmingyuan or Yuan Ming Yuan, in Beijing, April 2, 2008. The Chinese government formally demanded cancellation of the auction in Paris of two historic bronze sculptures claimed by China, after a previous effort by a cultural group was rejected by a French court. The sculptures, of a rat and a rabbit head, are part of an art collection from the estate of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, which went on sale at a Christies auction that started in Paris on Monday (February 23, 2009). China claims ownership of the heads that were taken from Beijings Old Summer Palace when it was razed by invading French and British forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War. (KEYSTONE/CHINAIMAGES/Yin xi)