On September 12, leaders of Cua Lo Ward People's Committee (Nghe An) said that the locality is verifying the origin of the wooden statue discovered by people on the beach.
Previously, on the morning of September 11, people discovered a statue lying on a sandbar in Nghi Thu block, Cua Lo ward. Near this area, a ceramic vase was also discovered drifting ashore.
Mr. Duong Duc Nghia (26 years old, residing in Thu Thuy block, Cua Lo ward) - one of the people who discovered the statue - said that at the time of being found, the statue was lying on the sand, facing Lanzhou Island.
According to Mr. Nghia, the statue is about 60cm high, with a lot of mud clinging to the body. The outer paint layer has peeled off quite a lot, possibly due to being soaked in water for a long time. Some positions in the mouth, chin and ears still have paint layers.
The statue is carved with the image of a man dressed like an ancient mandarin, wearing a hat, sitting on a wooden platform, with both hands placed in front of his chest and holding an object shaped like a scarf.
The noteworthy point is that the statue has large ears and three clusters of beards. The face has peeled off and damaged in many places, so the lines are no longer intact.
After the image of the statue appeared on social networks, many people expressed curiosity about the origin of the artifact. Some opinions suggest that the statue may have originated from a worship establishment and then was swept away by water into the sea; some opinions also believe that this may be a worship item that is no longer used.
However, these are just speculations. Functional agencies have not yet determined the origin, age and value of the statue.
According to some information, after being discovered, the statue was taken to restore by a resident in Cua Lo ward.
Local authorities are continuing to verify the origin as well as the process of the statue drifting to Cua Lo beach.
