A thousand-year old statue, now in the hands of a Dutch collector, was stolen from its temple home.
  Now, the villagers of Yangchun, in eastern China's Fujian Province, want the statue back. However, negotiations are proving tricky.
According to a lawyer helping the villagers, the Dutch owner suggests three conditions for returning their statue: first, that it be handed over to a large museum, rather than the temple where it was originally located. Second, that he receive assistance from China's cultural-relics department in visiting China to study stone engravings. And third, that he receive some in-kind compensation as yet not specified.
The statue is of a Buddha named Zhanggong Zushi, a local man who became a monk in his 20s and won fame for treating disease and spreading Buddhist belief.
When he died, his body was mummified and placed inside the statue, since when it was worshipped in the village temple.
After eight months of patient, indirect, and difficult contact with the Dutch collector, the villagers of Yangchun have hired a group of lawyers in hopes of recovering the statue they claim belongs to them.
For now, they still hope mediation - rather than litigation - will lead to custody of their time-honoured possession.

12-09-2015 00:17 BJT  CCTV.com   Villagers seeking return of stolen statue from Dutch holder
http://english.cntv.cn/2015/12/09/VIDE1449591364361575.shtml