Ming dynasty statue returns to China from Australia
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Leon Deschamps and Shayne Thomson, two prospectors in Western Australia, handed a Ming dynasty bronze buddha statue to Chinese consular officials in Denham after discovering it in the Shark Bay region in 2018.
The men initially found the 15-centimetre statue while testing prospecting equipment and determined it indicated the presence of metal. They then spent years researching the statue and decided to return it to China as a gesture of goodwill.
The prospectors also honoured their friend, Malgana man Nick Pedrocchi, to whom they promised to ensure the statue’s safe return. They shared a story of Pedrocchi experiencing goosebumps when he first held the statue, highlighting the spiritual connection they felt to the object. Along with the statue, red dirt from Shark Bay and a golden pearl shell will accompany it back to China.
Simon Wu, president of the Australia China Friendship Society WA, described the repatriation as a generous act demonstrating respect and fostering friendship between the two countries. Asian art expert Lee Young dated the statue to the Ming dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644, noting that similar statues were used in ceremonies celebrating Buddha’s birthday.
While the prospectors explored theories about the statue’s origins, they believe it likely connects to the early Chinese pearling industry in Shark Bay, where Chinese labourers worked from the 1850s. Deschamps and Thomson are now advocating for a memorial in the region to commemorate Shark Bay’s role in the pearling industry.
