Ancient Korean Buddha statue found in China

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- An ancient Buddha statue, believed to have been created by a craftsman of Korea's Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-935 A.D.), has been found in China, local archeologists said Tuesday.

It is the first such Korean Buddha statue to have been found in the neighboring
country.
A team of Korean archeologists, led by Prof. Choi Eung-cheon of Dongguk
University, came across the statue during their research trip to the Chinese city
of Ningbo earlier this month. The statue, believed to have been created during
the unified Silla period (668-935), was displayed at the Ningbo City Museum, Choi
said.
"We believe the statue was excavated in 1982 by the Chinese government along with
several Chinese articles. The museum began to display the statue in January,"
Choi said in a press release. "The statue has been preserved well and is
considered one of the masterpieces of the Silla Kingdom."
The 21 centimeter-tall Buddha statue, which is sculpted with delicate facial and
clothing detail is also proof of the two countries' close cultural ties during
the 8th century, Prof. Choi added.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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