At the Royal Academy from 26 April—14 July. This exhibition shows 35 of the best-preserved figures, carved from limestone (around 550—577 AD) out of the 400 or more Buddhist sculptures found in 1996 in a field in the Shandong province in eastern China.

According to early written sources the area in which the sculptures were found once formed part of Longxing Temple, a name that means 'Dragon Spring'. The figures show the sculptural styles that developed as Buddhism spread along the trade routes across central Asia, mixing foreign with Chinese qualities. Among the statues uncovered are beautiful examples of Buddhas, bodhisattvas (attendants of the Buddha) and triads, in which a Buddha, flanked by two bodhisattvas, stands against a leaf-shaped nimbus.

Experts wonder why were so many figures of Buddha were buried during the twelfth century in a carefully constructed pit within the precincts of a monastery. Whatever the reason, the discovery of a Buddhist treasury at the former temple site confirms the important role that Longxing played as a centre of Buddhist culture in the Qingzhou region during the sixth century.

Thanks to Kevin Brackley from London for spotting this!