Stolen Buddhist statue returned

Photo taken on Jan. 9, 2008 shows a Buddhist statue returned by Shinji Shumeikai, a Japanese religious organization, to the Shandong Provincial Museum in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province. The 120.5-cm-tall statue, carved in ancient China's Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), is a state-level protected heritage. The statue was stolen from Boxing County of Shandong Province in 1994 and was purchased legally at the price of 2 million US dollars by Shinji Shumeikai later in 1995. After eight-month negotiation with China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Shinji Shumeikai finally promised to return this statue to China in 2007, after the 10th anniversary of its Miho Museum, where the statue was displayed.

An expert points to a Buddhist statue returned by Shinji Shumeikai, a Japanese religious organization, to the Shandong Provincial Museum in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 9, 2008. The 120.5-cm-tall statue, carved in ancient China's Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), is a state-level protected heritage. The statue was stolen from Boxing County of Shandong Province in 1994 and was purchased legally at the price of 2 million US dollars by Shinji Shumeikai later in 1995. After eight-month negotiation with China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Shinji Shumeikai finally promised to return this statue to China in 2007, after the 10th anniversary of its Miho Museum, where the statue was displayed.