China Justice Observer

中司观察

EnglishArabicChinese (Simplified)DutchFrenchGermanHindiItalianJapaneseKoreanPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedishHebrewIndonesianVietnameseThaiTurkishMalay

Final Ruling Made in China: Return of a Mummified Buddha Statue

Wed, 07 Sep 2022
Editor: Lisa Bi

On 19 July 2022, the Fujian High People's Court, as the court of the second instance, rendered the final judgment in the case of the mummified Buddha Statue of Zhanggong Zushi (章公祖师, hereinafter ‘the Statue’), upholding the trial court judgment made by Sanming Intermediate People's Court, and ruling that the defendant Oscar Van Overeem, a Dutch collector, should return the Statue back to Chinese villagers.

Related Posts:

After the death in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhanggong Zushi was mummified into a golden Buddha statue and enshrined in Puzhao Temple (普照堂), which was owned jointly by Yangchun Village and Dongpu Village in Wushan Township, Datian County. In December 2015, the Statue was found stolen by local villagers. The defendant claimed that he bought the Statue in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1996, without the relevant proof of purchase.

In March 2015, the Statue was publicly exhibited at the Hungarian Museum of Natural Science with the permission of the defendant, nearly 20 years after being stolen.

On 26 July 2018, the Sanming Intermediate People's Court of Fujian Province held a public hearing and made a ruling on 4 Dec. 2020.

The court of first instance ordered the defendant to return the Statue to the plaintiff Yangchun Villagers' Committee and Dongpu Villagers' Committee within 30 days from the effective date of the judgment. The defendant subsequently appealed to the High Court in Fujian.

The court of second instance held that the Statue is an illegally exported cultural object, and has multiple attributes of human remains, historical cultural relics and consecrated objects, which reflected the traditions and legacy of southern Fujian in China. As a long-term consecrated object worshipped by the local villagers, the Statue has been given special bonding and significance, and therefore, should be returned as stipulated by the law.

 

 

Cover Photo by Binyu Liu on Unsplash

Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team

Save as PDF

You might also like

China Amends Supervision Law to Strengthen Oversight

The newly amended Supervision Law of the People’s Republic of China, effective June 1, 2025, strengthens oversight, limits supervisory powers, and enhances protections for citizens' rights through standardized enforcement.

China Regulates Takeout Marketing to Curb Food Waste

In November 2024, China issued new guidelines restricting food delivery marketing to curb waste by prohibiting promotions that encourage overeating, setting reasonable order quantities, and optimizing discount mechanisms.

China's First Third-Party Funding Arbitration Case Named Top Ten by Beijing Court

In November 2024, the Beijing Fourth Intermediate People's Court selected China's first third-party funding-related arbitration case (Ruili Airlines Co., Ltd. et al. v. CLC Aircraft Leasing (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.(2022) Jing 04 Min Te No. 368-369 ), as one of its top ten typical cases, setting a precedent for judicial review of arbitration involving third-party funding.

SPC Publishes First Maritime Guiding Cases

In November 2024, China’s Supreme People's Court (SPC) published its first batch of maritime guiding cases, addressing key issues such as maritime cargo contracts, ship collisions, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

China Revises Anti-Money Laundering Law

China's newly revised Anti-Money Laundering Law, effective January 1, 2025, strengthens regulations on financial institutions, enhances AML obligations, and includes measures to prevent terrorist financing.