The photo taken on November 1, 2020 shows a visitor looks at a Buddha statue at the exhibition that displays over 100 Buddha statues of the Northern Dynasties (386-581) at China’s National Museum. Photo: CFP

A new exhibition displaying over 100 Buddha statues of the Northern Dynasties (386-581) started at China's National Museum on Wednesday, The Paper reported on Monday. 

The three-month long exhibition focuses on 119 sculptures made using gold, copper and white pottery. The statues have been unearthed at Longhua Temple, Boxing town in East China's Shandong Province, since 1983. The temple is the largest site for Northern Dynasties relics in the area.

Divided into three parts, the exhibition displays the history and artistic value of the Buddha statues, including their artistic characteristics and regional styles. It also explores the evolution of Buddha statues in the Boxing area during the Northern Dynasties.

The most famous statues are made out of gold and bronze. They were unearthed at the Longhua Temple site in 1983, and they date from the second year of the Taihe emperor in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) to the third year of the Renshou emperor in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). 

Among the 200 stone Buddha statues, the most famous is the Northern Qi (550-577) Brahmā with a spiral bun, a prominent deity in Buddhism, which is the only one of its kind in China. It has great artistic and archaeological value, according to The Paper.

The Buddha statues show the evolution of Buddhism in China, and how the ideas of people in ancient China changed under the influence of Buddhism.