Head of Buddha statue from Tang Dynasty returns home

[Photo by Zhang Renlei/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Located in Shanxi Province, Wanfodong Zhenrong Temple is a wooden building being reconstructed in the Tang Dynasty style. Work is still underway.

The original temple was first built in the dynasty's Zhenyuan era (785-804), yet it suffered complete destruction due to religious persecution by Emperor Wuzong of Tang starting in 842. Before World War II, the temple underwent a restoration, during which around 10,000 Buddha statues hidden from Wuzong were found, giving the temple the name Wanfo Cave (wanfodong in Chinese). After that, the temple gradually declined and only the cave, where more than 10,000 Buddha statues were found, and a five-story hexagonal pagoda remain. This Wanfodong Zhenrong Temple started reconstruction on that site, closely abiding by ancient Chinese construction rules.