Lost relic returns home in time for Spring Festival

The relic was confirmed as a lost Buddha head from the No 8 Cave of Tianlongshan, after an appraisal by an expert panel jointly composed of scholars from Peking University, Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which referred to old pictures taken in the cave in 1922 and 1923.

The No 8 Cave was the largest Buddhist grotto in Tianlongshan, and the only one with a specific date of construction (AD 584).

According to the National Cultural Heritage Administration, this smiling Buddha with typical artistic features of its time stands for extraordinary craftsmanship and high academic values. It has been temporarily rated as a Level-1 cultural relic, the highest rating in China.

After being unveiled via the Spring Festival Gala, the Buddha head statue will be displayed in Beijing Lu Xun Museum starting Thursday, the first day of the Lunar New Year, until Mar 14, along with many virtually exhibited Tianlongshan "relics".

In November, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released the first national-level and long-term guideline specifically for the protection and study of grotto temples, and much work has been done to highlight their precious heritage.