A Statue Concealing a Mummified Monk
During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), a Buddhist monk named Zhang Qisan passed away at the age of 37. After his death, his body was carefully mummified and placed inside a Buddha statue, becoming the Zhanggong Patriarch. For centuries, this statue was worshipped in Puzhao Temple in Yangchun village, Fujian province.
Vanished Without a Trace
In December 1995, the statue disappeared from the temple, leaving villagers searching for answers. Despite investigations, its whereabouts remained unknown for two decades.
A Shocking Discovery in Europe
In 2015, the missing statue was found on display at the Hungarian Natural History Museum. A CT scan revealed a hidden mummified monk inside. The discovery shocked the villagers of Yangchun, who identified it as their stolen Zhanggong Patriarch.
Legal Battles for Its Return
The statue was traced to a Dutch collector who had purchased it in 1996. Chinese villagers launched legal action to reclaim it. In 2022, a Chinese court ruled that the statue must be returned, but as of 2025, it remains outside China. Negotiations for its repatriation continue.
For centuries, a Buddha statue in a Chinese village held a secret—inside was a mummified monk. Worshipped as the Zhanggong Patriarch, it mysteriously vanished in 1995. Two decades later, it resurfaced in a European museum, where scans revealed the hidden body, igniting a dispute. pic.twitter.com/NcRRFCH65i
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) March 4, 2025