Homeward-bound Buddhas

A Buddha-head collector in Taiwan has donated all his trophies to the Chinese mainland. This is the third time that such religious cultural relics are returning home. Han Bingbin traces the history.

Thirty years ago on a Taipei street known for antique sales, Andy Yeh had his epiphany moment when he saw the rain had tarnished the sacred face of a stone-carved Buddha head among the items on the roadside. It was a scene that Yeh, a Buddhist, immediately interpreted as "Buddha is suffering a catastrophe". He bought the head, kicking off his decades-long collection of Buddha statues to "save them from suffering".

During his visits to the Chinese mainland in the past few years, Yeh, who is the central advisory committee member of the Kuo-mintang party, has felt sad that many Buddha statues remain missing, with a majority scattered overseas. He says nothing is worse than being homeless. He decided to donate all his collections to the mainland, hoping his action would bring about the repatriation of more cultural relics.