The Cabinet yesterday approved a Ministry of Education proposal to return to China an antique stone Buddha head donated by a local Buddhist foundation.
The Cabinet said the decision was made in line with the government's policy of preserving cultural heritage and restoring the the original splendors of historical relics.
The antique stone statue was one of the four Buddha images placed in a four-gate tower in the Shentong Temple (神通寺) in Licheng (歷城) township, Shandong Province. The tower was built in 611 during the reign of Emperor Yang in the Sui dynasty (581 to 618).
Beijing authorities declared the tower and its four stone Buddha statues as one of the valuable cultural relics which was to get special protection, but one of the Buddha heads was stolen and smuggled out of China in 1997.
A Taiwan connoisseur bought the statue on the international auction market and donated it to the Dharma Drum Mountain Cultural and Educational Foundation (法鼓山文教基金). The foundation, headed by Buddhist Master Sheng Yen (聖嚴), decided to donate the head to the Chinese temple to restore the historical tower to its original splendor.
The Cabinet praised the foundation for its decision to return the valuable statue to the Chinese temple, saying the move underlies its efforts to preserve historic relics.
Noting that the UN has designated 2002 as the year for the preservation of cultural heritages, the Cabinet said the return of the Buddha head also signifies Taiwan's support for the international campaign for cultural preservation and it is expected to help boost cultural and educational exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.
By law, exports of antique cultural items must obtain government approval in advance.
Officials from relevant government agencies, including the ministries of economic affairs and finance, the Mainland Affairs Council, the Council for Cultural Affairs and the Straits Exchange Foundation, met in mid-August to screen the case. All these agencies agreed to ask the Cabinet to green-light the application.
The Cabinet has commissioned the Straits Exchange Foundation to handle all procedures regarding the return of the statue to the Chinese temple.
RSS