This volume the catalog of an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London celebrates the 1996 discovery of a hoard of Buddhist stone statues at the Longxing temple site in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, China. As archaeological treasures, these statues which caused much excitement at their first showing in Beijing in 1999 stand as magnificent cultural relics of immense significance for the study of Chinese Buddhist history, archaeology, and art.

The 35 superbly carved works shown here were selected from the more than 400 statues unearthed, the majority sculpted in limestone. Their unique characteristics reveal the outstanding achievements in the development of stone carving in China during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Qingzhou is named after one of the nine provinces that appear in the Yu Gong geography chapter of the classic Book of Documents composed during the Warring States period of Chinese history (403 BC - 221 BC). The history of this centuries old city dates back to ancient times twenty two centuries ago when it was part of the Dongyi area.