荷兰藏家愿归还肉身佛

The Dutch private collector who now owns the 1,000-year-old Buddha statue with a mummified monk inside is willing to return the relic to China, if the statue is proven to be stolen from China, according to Amsterdam-based newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

阿姆斯特丹《新鹿特丹商业》报道，荷兰私人收藏家拥有的这尊肉身坐佛是一个有1000年历史的佛像，且佛像中包含一位僧人的肉身。收藏家表示，如果事实证明这尊佛像确为中国被盗文物，他愿意物归原主。

According to the report, the current owner, who works as an architect in Amsterdam, purchased the statue for 40,000 guilders ($19,786) in 1995, the same year a Buddha statue was reported stolen from China.

报道称，这位收藏者是阿姆斯特丹一名建筑师，1995年，他花4万荷兰盾（19786美元）将佛像买到手。正是在那年，中国的一尊佛像被盗。

Jin Ruiguo, an official with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), said in a statement that based on photos, local archives and witness statements, SACH can confirm that this Buddha statue was stolen from a temple in Yangchun village in east China's Fujian province in 1995.

中国国家文物局工作人员金瑞国，在综合分析了文物图片，村庄档案，以及目击者的描述后称，这尊肉身坐佛就是1995年福建省阳春村(位于中国东南部）的被盗文物。

The collector said the statue is indeed similar to the one in photos of the Buddha stolen from China. However, the Chinese reports say the Buddha was stolen in October, 1995 by the lunar calendar (which corresponds to the period from end of November to mid December, 1995 by the solar calendar), but the collector can prove that the statue was already in the Netherlands in mid 1995, hence it is uncertain whether the two Buddha statues are the same one.

收藏者说，从照片上看，这尊佛像确实与中国被盗文物颇为相似。但是，根据中国的报道，佛像是在1995年农历十月（大约在1995年11月到12月之间）被盗的，而他能够证明在1995年年中，这尊佛像就已经在荷兰了，因此，不能肯定它就是中国那尊被盗佛像。

The owner is willing to invest more, including in DNA testing technologies, to further verify the identity of the Buddha. The SACH is also gathering more evidence and working with other departments to secure the statue's return, Jin said.

收藏者表示，他愿意配合深入调查，包括用DNA检验法来核实佛像身份。而中方人员表示，中国国家文物局也在继续收集证据，并会与其它部门合作，确保佛像顺利回国。

The statue attracted attention after a CT scan last year found it contained a mummy of a 12th century Buddhist monk. The monk sits on a pillow that is around 300 years older.

去年，人们在CT扫描后发现，这个佛像中有一个12世纪的僧人肉身，从而引起了广泛关注。佛像中的僧人坐在一个比他还老300年的坐垫上。

Chinese characters are written on the side of the pillow, which say the monk's name was Zhang Liuquan.

坐垫一侧写有汉字，表明这位僧人名字叫章六全。

The Buddha statue was included in a "Mummy World" exhibition at the Hungarian Natural History Museum, which opened in October last year. It was originally scheduled to be on display until May 17.

去年十月，匈牙利自然历史博物馆举办的“木乃伊世界”主题展，展出了这尊佛像，按照原计划，该展览会持续到5月17日。

The Hungarian Natural History Museum borrowed the statue from the Drents Museumin Assen, the Netherlands. On March 20, the Dutch owner withdrew the statue from the exhibition in order to "calmly and critically evaluate the unexpected situation," said a statement sent to Xinhua by the owner's spokesman.

这尊佛像是匈牙利自然历史博物馆向荷兰的德伦特博物馆借的。3月20日，收藏者将该佛像从展览中撤走，他的发言人在一份声明中表示，此举是为了“ 冷静客观地处理这个突发状况。”

According to Yangchun archives, a monk, living in the village in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), helped cure people with his knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine. When he died, his body was mummified and local people made a statue to hold his body.

根据阳春村的档案记录，在宋朝（960-1279），村子里有一位僧人，他精通中医，在村子里治病救人。他圆寂后坐化成佛，当地人筑了尊佛像保存其肉身。

The statue was worshipped as an icon.

这尊肉身坐佛曾被当做圣像膜拜。

The collector was once offered 10 million euro for the statue, but declined to sell it despite the impressive sum. If the statue is indeed the one stolen from China, the collector is willing to return the statue, but wishes that it would return to the village where it was originally worshipped, instead of to showcases at museums.

曾有人出1千万欧元的高价购买佛像，收藏者也没有出售。他表示如果这尊佛像正是中国被盗文物，他愿意归还，但希望佛像能回到原本所属的村庄，而不是进入博物馆展览。

Vocabulary:

lunar calendar: 阴历，农历

solar calendar: 阳历，公历

icon: 偶像，圣像