Skip to content

azibaza's blog

Last news about Asian antiques and Buddha images

cropped-logo-zibaza-bruno.png
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • Uncategorized
  • Two precious Ming Dynasty Buddha statues recovered from outside the Chinese mainland

Two precious Ming Dynasty Buddha statues recovered from outside the Chinese mainland

azibaza2 2023-06-07

The Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the Beijing Customs has successfully recovered two valuable Buddhist statues from the Ming Dynasty that were illicitly taken out of the Chinese mainland, media learned from the Beijing customs on Tuesday.

Officers from the Beijing Customs Anti-Smuggling Bureau, Daxing Airport Customs, and the Beijing People’s Procuratorate participated in a handover ceremony for the recovered smuggled cultural relics, which took place at the terminal of Daxing International Airport.

In December 2020, the Beijing Customs Anti-Smuggling Bureau discovered after preliminary investigations that two Buddhist statues were illegally smuggled out of the Chinese mainland through Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province and taken to Hong Kong.

According to the expert appraisal, the two Buddhist statues are identified as a gilded bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and a gilded bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha wearing a crown. Both statues are confirmed to be cultural relics from the Ming Dynasty.

The two Buddhist statues, combining the artistic styles of Tibetan Buddhism and Han Chinese sculpture, serve as objects of worship. They possess distinct characteristics of their time and hold significant value for Buddhist research, and both statues are classified as cultural relics prohibited from being taken out of the Chinese mainland.

In recent years, Beijing Customs has actively conducted special operations to combat the smuggling of cultural relics and has reminded the public that any act of smuggling out of the country is illegal.

According to the Criminal Law of China, those involved in the smuggling of cultural relics can face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if the circumstances are particularly severe, the Beijing Customs reminded, adding that the smuggling case of the two Buddhist statues from the Ming Dynasty is under further investigation.

About the Author

azibaza2

Administrator

View All Posts

Post navigation

Previous: 2,300-year-old Buddhist elephant statue from India is one of the oldest known
Next: Mulbekh Monastery and its 30 ft tall Buddha statue, Ladakh’s unexplored gem

Related Stories

495153136_996805862656301_140892882256145548_n

Thailand. Nong Nooch Garden Unveils Global Buddhist Learning Space

azibaza2 2025-09-17
Encircle-Photos

Luang Prabang, Laos, Prepares for Sacred That Chomsi Ceremony in October

azibaza2 2025-09-16
2025091413531131924_1757825590

Sejong’s 16th-Century Buddha Statue Set for National Honour

azibaza2 2025-09-15

You may have missed

495153136_996805862656301_140892882256145548_n

Thailand. Nong Nooch Garden Unveils Global Buddhist Learning Space

azibaza2 2025-09-17
Encircle-Photos

Luang Prabang, Laos, Prepares for Sacred That Chomsi Ceremony in October

azibaza2 2025-09-16
2025091413531131924_1757825590

Sejong’s 16th-Century Buddha Statue Set for National Honour

azibaza2 2025-09-15
529288824_736063795973893_2854529486324293819_n

Cambodia’s new $2 billion airport opens with nature-themed architecture and a giant golden Buddha statue

azibaza2 2025-09-14
Copyright © All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.