A 1,000-year-old Buddha statue, stolen from a Fujian temple in 1995, was found in the Netherlands
Experts believe Liuquan underwent a decade-long self-mummification process
Despite a 2020 Chinese court ruling ordering the statue’s return to its rightful owners
The story of the 1,000-year-old Buddha statue, containing the mummified remains of a revered monk, is one of mystery, ancient rituals, international disputes, and cultural heritage reclamation. The statue, known as Zhanggong Zushi, holds the preserved body of a Buddhist monk believed to have lived nearly a millennium ago during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). Stolen from a temple in China in 1995 and later displayed in Europe, the relic has been at the center of scientific intrigue and a prolonged legal battle for its return.
In 2014, researchers in the Netherlands conducted medical imaging on the gold-painted Buddha statue, which had been on loan to the Drents Museum for its “Mummy World” exhibition. At the Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoort, a CT scan and endoscopic examination revealed an astonishing secret inside the statue: the mummified remains of a Buddhist monk seated in a lotus position. The organs had been removed and replaced with scraps of paper inscribed with ancient Chinese characters.
Vincent van Vilsteren, an archaeology curator at Drents Museum, described the unexpected findings, saying, “We thought it would be lung tissue, but instead we found little scraps of paper covered with Chinese characters.” The monk was identified as Liuquan, a Buddhist master of the Chinese Meditation School who died around A.D. 1100. This discovery made the statue one of the most extraordinary archaeological finds in recent decades, as it is believed to be the only known example of a mummy preserved inside a Buddha statue.
Experts believe the monk underwent the rare and grueling process of self-mummification, a ritual intended to achieve the state of a “living Buddha.” According to historical records and accounts in Ken Jeremiah’s book Living Buddhas, the process involved a decade-long strict diet of nuts, berries, tree bark, and poisonous sap. This diet reduced body fat and moisture while infusing toxins into the body to repel insects after death.
When close to death, the monk would enter an underground chamber, sealed alive while meditating through a bamboo tube used for breathing. Followers would listen for a bell he rang daily; once it ceased, the tomb was sealed permanently. After three years, the tomb was reopened to check for successful mummification. If preserved, the monk’s body was enshrined and venerated in temples. Researchers suspect Liuquan’s body was first displayed openly for about 200 years before being encased in the Buddha statue in the 14th century.
The statue originally belonged to Puzhao Temple, jointly owned by Yangchun and Dongpu villages in China’s Fujian Province. It was stolen on December 14, 1995, sparking grief and anger among villagers who had worshipped it for centuries as their ancestral patriarch, Zhanggong Zushi. The statue resurfaced in Europe in 1996, acquired by Dutch art collector Oscar van Overeem, who claimed he purchased it legally in Amsterdam but failed to provide documentation of ownership.
For nearly two decades, the statue remained in private hands before being exhibited publicly, leading to its identification by the Chinese villages in 2015. However, van Overeem disputed their claim, arguing that the artifact was different from the one stolen in China.
The dispute quickly escalated into an international legal battle. The Chinese villages filed lawsuits in Dutch and Chinese courts in 2015, seeking repatriation of their sacred relic. In 2018, a Dutch court dismissed the case, ruling that the villages lacked legal standing to sue. Despite this, the Sanming Intermediate People's Court in China ordered the statue to be returned to its original owners- Yangchun and Dongpu village committees - in December 2020, affirming their right to reclaim stolen cultural relics.
On December 4, 2020, the Sanming Intermediate People's Court in Fujian ordered the Dutch defendants to return the statue of Zhanggong Zushi to its rightful owners—the Yangchun and Dongpu village committees—within 30 days of the verdict taking effect. The ruling was later upheld, marking a significant victory for China in its efforts to repatriate looted cultural heritage through legal channels. Experts hailed the decision as a key precedent, demonstrating how international law, including the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, can aid nations in reclaiming stolen artifacts and preserving their cultural legacy.
Yet, van Overeem added a new twist to the saga, claiming in court that he no longer possessed the statue, having allegedly traded it to a Chinese businessman in exchange for other sculptures. The current whereabouts of Zhanggong Zushi remain unknown, further complicating efforts to reunite the relic with its rightful custodians.
Beyond the legal dispute, the statue holds immense historical, spiritual, and scientific value. It provides a rare glimpse into ancient Buddhist mortuary practices and the controversial tradition of self-mummification. Researchers hope pending DNA analysis of Liuquan’s remains will help trace his origins and provide further insight into his life and ritualistic preservation. [Rh/VP]