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After eight months of patient, indirect and difficult contact with the Dutch collector, the villagers of Yangchun in south-east China's Fujian province failed to get back the mummy Buddha statue of Patriarch Zhanggong which was stolen in 1995 from the Puzhao Temple in their village. Now the villagers have hired a group of lawyers in hope of recovering the statue they claim belongs to them.

The Buddha statue on display at the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest in March. [Photo/Xinhua]

"I feel deep regret that there hasn't been any substantial progress in the return of the statue, I understand this is the circumstantial choice, although this process will be tough, and probably last for a long, unpredictable time. But I think, under these circumstances, the Chinese side still hasn't given up the possibility of consultation with the collector, we still place high hopes on a win-win solution to the disputes concerning the Buddha statue," Li Zhen, the overseas liaison officer in Hungary of Yangchun village for the Buddha statue issue told China Daily website.

"I still prefer consultation with respect to returning the Buddha statue to China. I call for dialogue and further negotiation to reach an out-of-court settlement", Li said.

Li also stated that he has to stand for the villagers and would provide assistance if they uphold the legal steps.

"I think there are many misunderstandings among the two sides. I was shocked when I read a certain Chinese press report saying that the Dutch collector's offer is 20 million USD. The Chinese Administration never disclosed any details of their contact with Mr. Oscar van Overeem to a third party, so this information was not from authoritative sources. I really don't know how that person in the village got such wrong data and how a Chinese newspaper quoted such eye-catching news on its online edition."

In fact, this is not the first time that the Chinese media delivered incorrect information. As early as March, Chinese press reported, "the Dutch private collector is willing to return the relic to China, if the statue is proven to be stolen from China".

Is it true? No. Because both the Chinese Administration and the civil channels have proven time and time again that the statue is the stolen one, but he has still yet to return it.

According to the Dutch newspaper Het Parool's story on October 20, we noticed Mr. Oscar van Overeem still holds that the evidence China relies on only amounts to three old photos, and he does not think that the statue in the photos is the same as the one he owns.

Mr. Oscar van Overeem said he has good intentions of cooperation, but the villagers can hardly feel them, Li explained.

Instead, the villagers are completely puzzled about the incomprehensible attitude of the Dutch collector. If the condition is simply money, they don't even know how much is required. If Mr. Oscar van Overeem is concerned about the best arrangement for Patriarch Zhanggong, but he insists the statue should be moved to a strange place far from its historical home. Most importantly, even today, as mentioned above, Oscar van Overeem still holds that the statue is not the same one the Chinese side claims.

So, the local people are trying to take back the statue despite all the difficulties, to put it back in their clan temple and worship it as a traditional God? I think the key of all good intentions should be the recognition of facts, that is the statue is genuinely the Patriarch Zhanggong of Yangchun village.

Since negotiations are at a standstill now, the local villagers have decided to take legal measures to recover the statue. They hired lawyers to bring the case to a Dutch court.

The reason why Mr. Oscar van Overeem still turns a blind eye to the evidence is uncertain. Dutch researchers have conducted scientific research on this Buddha statue, studied enterocoelia, bones and teeth of the mummified body with modern apparatus, and very accurately measured the age of mummified body and cushion. As for the identity of the mummified body, on the basis of the characters on the cushion, Dutch researchers think that his name is Zhang Liuquan.

"We believe that a true and complete scientific research on this Buddha statue requires textual researches on cultural and historical information and literature, in addition to the use of modern apparatuses and devices," Li said.

"Characters on the cushion have clearly identified the mummified body as Patriarch Zhanggong housed in Puzhao Temple. Liuquan is not his name, but means the integrity of his trunk, head and four limbs. In Chinese characters, we can call him Patriarch Zhanggong for short. Puzhao Temple is located in Wushan Township, Datian County, Fujian Province, China. Only the natives of this township throughout China believe in and worship Patriarch Zhanggong. There is no ancestral hall or temple elsewhere in China for enshrining the Buddha statue of Patriarch Zhanggong. "

On the back of the Buddha statue, the handwritten Chinese characters "JIA FAN" are legible, though damaged, which is obviously the name of someone, a name clearly recorded in the family tree of Yangchun Village.

"In early April this year, I delivered a report containing the facts revealed by the records and information of characters on the cushion and the back to Mr. Oscar van Overeem through Drents Museum," said Li.

"Why does he only mention old photos? We believe the Buddha statue in the photos is identical in all aspects to the one he holds, and obviously they are the same one. For the purpose of carrying out real and serious scientific research and discovering the truth on the identity of the Buddha statue, Mr. Oscar van Overeem absolutely can carefully treat these characters and information provided by us, but he fails to do so, or at any rate fails to confess in public, he just says China only has old photos. "

"Millions of Chinese historical and cultural relics are kept abroad at museums or in private collections, and the foreign ownership came from wars, stealing, and illegal trade during chaotic times in history. But the Buddha statue of Patriarch Zhanggong was stolen in contemporary society, whether it's a relic or not, it is a private item owned by the local Chinese village. Therefore, just considering the right of property, a stolen item should be returned to its original owner without the influence of the so-called limitation of prosecution, this reason is simple enough. In my opinion, any transaction of this stolen statue is a part of illegal trade chain, even today. China has the right to recover it unconditionally and start international investigation into the smuggling and reselling."

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