Dutch collector willing to return Buddha

荷蘭藏家愿歸還肉身佛

Dutch collector willing to return Buddha

The Dutch private collector who now owns the 1,000-year-old Buddha statue with a mummified monk inside is willing to return the relic to China, if the statue is proven to be stolen from China, according to Amsterdam-based newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

阿姆斯特丹《新鹿特丹商業(yè)》報道,荷蘭私人收藏家擁有的這尊肉身坐佛是一個有1000年歷史的佛像,且佛像中包含一位僧人的肉身.收藏家表示,如果事實證明這尊佛像確為中國被盜文物,他愿意物歸原主.

According to the report, the current owner, who works as an architect in Amsterdam, purchased the statue for 40,000 guilders ($19,786) in 1995, the same year a Buddha statue was reported stolen from China.

報道稱,這位收藏者是阿姆斯特丹一名建筑師,1995年,他花4萬荷蘭盾（19786美元）將佛像買到手.正是在那年,中國的一尊佛像被盜.

Jin Ruiguo, an official with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), said in a statement that based on photos, local archives and witness statements, SACH can confirm that this Buddha statue was stolen from a temple in Yangchun village in east China's Fujian province in 1995.

中國國家文物局工作人員金瑞國,在綜合分析了文物圖片,村莊檔案,以及目擊者的描述后稱,這尊肉身坐佛就是1995年福建省陽春村(位于中國東南部）的被盜文物.

The collector said the statue is indeed similar to the one in photos of the Buddha stolen from China. However, the Chinese reports say the Buddha was stolen in October, 1995 by the lunar calendar (which corresponds to the period from end of November to mid December, 1995 by the solar calendar), but the collector can prove that the statue was already in the Netherlands in mid 1995, hence it is uncertain whether the two Buddha statues are the same one.

收藏者說,從照片上看,這尊佛像確實與中國被盜文物頗為相似.但是,根據(jù)中國的報道,佛像是在1995年農(nóng)歷十月（大約在1995年11月到12月之間）被盜的,而他能夠證明在1995年年中,這尊佛像就已經(jīng)在荷蘭了,因此,不能肯定它就是中國那尊被盜佛像.

The owner is willing to invest more, including in DNA testing technologies, to further verify the identity of the Buddha. The SACH is also gathering more evidence and working with other departments to secure the statue's return, Jin said.

收藏者表示,他愿意配合深入調(diào)查,包括用DNA檢驗法來核實佛像身份.而中方人員表示,中國國家文物局也在繼續(xù)收集證據(jù),并會與其它部門合作,確保佛像順利回國.

The statue attracted attention after a CT scan last year found it contained a mummy of a 12th century Buddhist monk. The monk sits on a pillow that is around 300 years older.

去年,人們在CT掃描后發(fā)現(xiàn),這個佛像中有一個12世紀(jì)的僧人肉身,從而引起了廣泛關(guān)注.佛像中的僧人坐在一個比他還老300年的坐墊上.