Buddhist legacy

Workers at a school construction site in Qingzhou, Shandong province, unveiled a long-hidden treasure trove of an ancient Buddhist center in 1996, which would amaze the world. The discovery led to archaeologists uncovering the site of Longxing Temple, built around the fifth century, and more than 400 statues that had been buried. These exemplify the past glories of Qingzhou as a pioneer of exchanges on Buddhism. Selected examples from this historic excavation are now on show at Smiling for a Thousand Years, running at Suzhou Museum through to Oct 8. The statues span more than five centuries, although most belong to the sixth century. The intricate raised patterns, colors and gilding capture the fine sculpting techniques at the time and Qingzhou's vitality as a Buddhist center. Many of the sculptures have a high back screen, a distinctive feature that is known as the "Qingzhou style". Since being excavated, Qingzhou's figures have been exhibited at home and abroad. The discovery was ranked among the top 10 national archaeological findings that year. In 2021, it was named among the top 100 archaeological discoveries of China over the past century.

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