Australia returns 500-year-old Ming Buddha to China, but its arrival remains mystery

Australia hands Ming dynasty Buddha back to China amid ongoing mystery over its arrival

A bronze Buddha statue found buried beside a roadside in Australia in 2018 has been returned to China, but its route into the country remains unexplained.

The artefact is a 500-year-old Ming dynasty Buddha, and its discovery did not resolve how it came to arrive in Australia.

The 15cm (six-inch) bronze figurine was formally handed over to Chinese consular representatives during a ceremony in the coastal town of Denham in Shark Bay on Tuesday, the public broadcaster ABC reported.

The handover brings the statue back under Chinese custody while leaving unanswered questions about its history and arrival in Australia.

The statue will be taken to China for further evaluation to establish its history before it is displayed at a museum in Beijing.

That evaluation is expected to provide further information about the artefact, although the circumstances of its arrival remain a mystery.

The statue was found buried by the roadside in 2018, but no one can say how it came to arrive in the country.

The formal transfer in Denham therefore marks the next stage in the artefact’s journey: examination in China, followed by its planned display in Beijing.

Source: South China Morning Post