1500 years old stolen Buddha head of white jade returned

CCTV May 23, 2015

An ancient jade Buddha statue has been reunited with its stolen head after an 18-year separation. A reunion ceremony was held at the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. After the ceremony and an exhibition in Taiwan, the statue will be sent back to the mainland.

 

Highlights:
* Made of white jade, the sculpture dates back to the North Qi of the South and North Dynasties, between 550 AD and 557 AD.
* It was originally worshipped in North China’s Hebei Province, where the Buddha’s head was stolen in 1996.
* Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan, received a donation of a White Jade Buddha head in May 2014.
* To celebrate the reunion of the head and the body, an art exhibition of Buddhist statues from Hebei province is being held in Foguangshan.

 CCTV’S Ian Mickanau filed this report.