A controversy has erupted in China after a claim that promotional text from electronics maker TCL was found on a national cultural relic, a Buddha statue on display at the China National Arts and Crafts Museum. The museum, the provincial cultural heritage authority, and the company have all drawn a line, saying the matter has "nothing to do with advertising or sponsorship."
According to local media including The Paper on Tuesday, the controversy arose after a visitor reported that text appearing to read "TCL" could be seen at the bottom of a gilt-bronze statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva from the reign of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty when viewed from a certain angle. The statue is on display at the special exhibition "Light of the Plateau Silk Road and Qutan" held at the China National Arts and Crafts Museum.
As the controversy grew, the museum explained that "it has indeed been confirmed that the text is visible through the display glass, but this appears to be printed paper rather than an advertisement," adding that "the actual authority to open and inspect the exhibit lies with the Qinghai Provincial Museum, which organized this exhibition."
An official from the Qinghai Provincial Museum also denied any advertising or sponsorship claims, saying that "the part in question is newspaper used during past storage, inserted to reinforce the bottom of the cultural relic," and that "the Buddha statue has not had its interior reopened since it was transferred from Qutan Temple around 2000." The official explained that "zhuangzang," the practice of filling the interior of a Buddha statue, is a type of Buddhist ritual that gives symbolic meaning by placing scriptures or relics inside a statue or pagoda, and that in periods when preservation conditions were insufficient, materials such as newspaper were sometimes used as temporary reinforcement.
As the controversy spread, TCL also issued an official statement. The company said, "We have not been involved in any advertising sponsorship, cooperation, or brand exposure related to this exhibition," adding, "We conducted an internal full-scale investigation, and no connection to the exhibition was confirmed in any of our business divisions." The company stressed, "We strictly comply with laws and regulations related to cultural heritage protection, and commercial activities using cultural relics are not permitted under any circumstances."
Meanwhile, Qinghai provincial authorities are reported to have dispatched experts and technical personnel to verify the situation on-site. The results of the investigation are expected to be announced officially at a later date.
