China, 14 March 2012
Chinese archeologists have discovered 2,895 ancient Buddha statues and fragments in the Hebei province located in the north-east of China.
According to Chinese news sources, the white-marble and blue stone statuettes discovered in Yecheng in the Lin-kiang region, date from the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties (534-577). Archeologists from the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage report that certain statues were painted or gilded. Zhang Wenrui, an official working for Hebei Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage stated that the size of the statues ranged from between 20 centimeters long and the height of a person.
The archeologists currently restoring the statues for protective and research purposes have not revealed the exact value of the unearthed objects.