CRI听力:Authority Launches Campaign to Retrieve Lost Buddha

Chinese officials believe the Buddhist statue that has recently been on display in Hungary has been stolen from China.

The statue and the mummified remains of a Buddhist monk disappeared from a village in Fujian in 1995.

Television images of the relic have sparked speculation the mummy is the same one which disappeared 20-years ago.

Wang Yongping with the Fujian Cultural Relics Appraisal Center says their work has led them to believe the relic is the same one which disappeared from the village of Yangchun 20-years ago.

"It's been confirmed this Buddha was stolen from Datian County. We're basing this on an investigation of photos sent from Hungary, on top of historical records and research."

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage has begun working with other ministries in an effort to try to retrieve the item.

Huo Zhengxin is a professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law.

He says international conventions and Dutch law connected to heritage and trafficking might be in the Chinese side's favor.

"We will follow international conventions when it comes to the investigations. We will follow the codes laid out in the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. But at the same time, we're also able to use Dutch law to address the issues of heritage conservation and illegal trafficking."

Chinese observers say negotiations are also a possibility.

Zheng Guozhen used to head the Fujian Cultural Heritage Bureau.

"The statue contains human remains. It's not just a cultural relic. There is an issue of morality when it comes to human remains. I feel that from this point of view, human remains should be repatriated. I feel this issue can be settled through friendly negotiations."

The Buddhist statue first appeared in an art exhibit at the Hungarian Natural History Museum in October.

The current owner of the relic says he obtained it in 1994 from "a sincere Chinese friend in the art circles."

For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.