China’s Fake Buddhist Relics
China’s use of fabricated Buddhist relics as tools of soft power and geopolitical influence has once again come into the spotlight. The recent controversy surrounding the so-called Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic sent to Thailand highlights the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) deep-rooted strategy of manipulating religious symbols to serve its political interests. This move, rather than being a gesture of spiritual reverence, is an extension of China’s broader campaign to dominate the Buddhist world while erasing the authentic legacy of Tibetan Buddhism and its spiritual leaders.
The Buddha Tooth Relic Deception
From December 5, 2024, to February 14, 2025, China has arranged for a purported Buddha Tooth Relic from Mount Wutai, Shanxi province, to be enshrined at Sanam Luang in Thailand. However, historical and religious scrutiny casts serious doubt on the authenticity of this relic.
Mahayana Buddhist traditions recognize only four genuine Buddha tooth relics, which were recovered from the funeral pyre of Buddha in Kushinagar, India. One of these relics is enshrined in Beijing’s Lingguang Temple, a site often questioned for its credibility. Yet, China claims to possess 17 such relics, of which 16 are believed to be nothing more than animal teeth. The tooth relic sent to Thailand is allegedly a cow’s lower third molar, a blatant attempt to deceive the Thai Buddhist community. Shockingly, China has also charged Thailand approximately 40 million Thai Baht (1.15 million USD) for this fraudulent relic, exploiting faith for financial and political gain.
The Fake Panchen Lama’s Role in the Charade
Accompanying the relic to Thailand is China’s appointed 11th Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu. His presence is a calculated move by Beijing to present him as a legitimate religious figure, despite the fact that the real 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was abducted by Chinese authorities in 1995 and has been missing ever since. Norbu’s participation in this event serves as a propaganda tool to whitewash Beijing’s human rights abuses in Tibet and bolster its control over Tibetan Buddhism.
China’s Strategy: Exploiting Buddhism for Soft Power
The timing of this enshrinement aligns with the 50th anniversary of Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations, further cementing its political motivations. China aims to counter India’s growing influence in the Buddhist world, particularly after India’s successful display of authentic Buddha relics in Thailand in February 2024. Unlike China, India did not charge any fee for the veneration of these sacred relics, reflecting its genuine commitment to Buddhism and its followers.
China’s attempt to position itself as a Buddhist leader is contradicted by its historical and ongoing repression of Tibetan Buddhism. From the destruction of Tibetan monasteries during the Cultural Revolution to its continued interference in the recognition of reincarnated lamas, the CCP has systematically worked to erase authentic Buddhist traditions. The fabricated relics and the installation of a state-controlled Panchen Lama are merely extensions of this broader strategy.
The Taobao Fake Relic Market
China’s deception extends beyond official state maneuvers to online commercial fraud. Taobao, China’s leading e-commerce platform, is notorious for selling fake Buddhist relics. Many of these relics, often originating from Thailand’s “relic street,” are mass-produced and marketed with fraudulent authenticity certificates. Reports indicate that 99% of these relics are fake, further highlighting the extent of commercial exploitation in the name of Buddhism.
China’s Jiboazhai Museum Closed after Artifacts Discovered to Be Fake
Fakes are nothing new in China. From fake Apple stores & fake Ikea stores to fake rice made from plastic and even fake cities, almost every day there is something new in China that is being faked, including & especially antiques. So it’s no surprise that there are also museums which are filled with fakes as well.
The Jibaozhai Museum, located in Jizhou, a city in the northern province of Hebei, opened in 2010 with its 12 exhibition halls packed with apparently unique cultural gems. But the museum’s collection, while extensive, appears ultimately to have been flawed. On Monday, the museum’s ticket offices were shut amid claims that many of the exhibits were knock-offs that had been bought for between 100 yuan and 2,000 yuan.
However, this is a more complex story than it seems. Private museums are a sort of “rich man’s fad” that has popped up in China over the last ten years or so (with some of them being quite odd like the obscure Chinese businessmen museum). In fact, this trend has been reflected in the market shift in that the main buyers of Chinese antiques are now the Chinese themselves. And the reasons for opening such museums are many, ranging from “gaining face,” to tax breaks, national pride, to even money laundering. So it’s possible Wang Zonquan (王宗泉) knew the items in his Ji Bao Zhai museum (冀宝斋博物馆) were fake and simply lost face when he was found out (and later died from losing face).
China’s long history of counterfeit relics extends beyond private museums and into state-backed religious artifacts. Just as the Jibaozhai Museum was filled with fake antiques meant to impress and deceive, China has long used fabricated Buddhist relics to bolster its political narrative. The exposure of Jibaozhai’s fraud echoes a larger pattern in which authenticity is sacrificed for propaganda, whether in museums or religious institutions. This culture of forgery is not merely about financial gain but about reshaping historical and cultural narratives to fit the Communist Party’s agenda.
The Global Buddhist Community Must Take a Stand
China’s manipulation of Buddhist relics and religious figures is an affront to the core values of Buddhism: honesty, compassion, and authenticity. The Thai Buddhist community and the global Buddhist faithful deserve to know the truth behind the relics they revere. Accepting a counterfeit relic not only distorts the sacred traditions of Buddhism but also legitimizes China’s broader campaign of religious and cultural erasure.
The global Buddhist community must remain vigilant and reject China’s cynical attempts to rewrite Buddhist history for political gain. True reverence for the Buddha lies in upholding the principles of truth and wisdom—not in venerating state-sponsored deceptions.
China’s Fake Relics and the Exploitation of Buddhism
China’s use of fabricated Buddhist relics as tools of soft power and geopolitical influence has once again come into the spotlight. The recent controversy surrounding the so-called Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic sent to Thailand highlights the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) deep-rooted strategy of manipulating religious symbols to serve its political interests. This move, rather than being a gesture of spiritual reverence, is an extension of China’s broader campaign to dominate the Buddhist world while erasing the authentic legacy of Tibetan Buddhism and its spiritual leaders.
The Buddha Tooth Relic Deception
From December 5, 2024, to February 14, 2025, China has arranged for a purported Buddha Tooth Relic from Mount Wutai, Shanxi province, to be enshrined at Sanam Luang in Thailand. However, historical and religious scrutiny casts serious doubt on the authenticity of this relic.
Mahayana Buddhist traditions recognize only four genuine Buddha tooth relics, which were recovered from the funeral pyre of Buddha in Kushinagar, India. One of these relics is enshrined in Beijing’s Lingguang Temple, a site often questioned for its credibility. Yet, China claims to possess 17 such relics, of which 16 are believed to be nothing more than animal teeth. The tooth relic sent to Thailand is allegedly a cow’s lower third molar, a blatant attempt to deceive the Thai Buddhist community. Shockingly, China has also charged Thailand approximately 40 million Thai Baht (1.15 million USD) for this fraudulent relic, exploiting faith for financial and political gain.
The Fake Panchen Lama’s Role in the Charade
Accompanying the relic to Thailand is China’s appointed 11th Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu. His presence is a calculated move by Beijing to present him as a legitimate religious figure, despite the fact that the real 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was abducted by Chinese authorities in 1995 and has been missing ever since. Norbu’s participation in this event serves as a propaganda tool to whitewash Beijing’s human rights abuses in Tibet and bolster its control over Tibetan Buddhism.
China’s Strategy: Exploiting Buddhism for Soft Power
The timing of this enshrinement aligns with the 50th anniversary of Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations, further cementing its political motivations. China aims to counter India’s growing influence in the Buddhist world, particularly after India’s successful display of authentic Buddha relics in Thailand in February 2024. Unlike China, India did not charge any fee for the veneration of these sacred relics, reflecting its genuine commitment to Buddhism and its followers.
China’s attempt to position itself as a Buddhist leader is contradicted by its historical and ongoing repression of Tibetan Buddhism. From the destruction of Tibetan monasteries during the Cultural Revolution to its continued interference in the recognition of reincarnated lamas, the CCP has systematically worked to erase authentic Buddhist traditions. The fabricated relics and the installation of a state-controlled Panchen Lama are merely extensions of this broader strategy.
The Taobao Fake Relic Market
China’s deception extends beyond official state maneuvers to online commercial fraud. Taobao, China’s leading e-commerce platform, is notorious for selling fake Buddhist relics. Many of these relics, often originating from Thailand’s “relic street,” are mass-produced and marketed with fraudulent authenticity certificates. Reports indicate that 99% of these relics are fake, further highlighting the extent of commercial exploitation in the name of Buddhism.
China’s Jiboazhai Museum Closed after Artifacts Discovered to Be Fake
Fakes are nothing new in China. From fake Apple stores & fake Ikea stores to fake rice made from plastic and even fake cities, almost every day there is something new in China that is being faked, including & especially antiques. So it’s no surprise that there are also museums which are filled with fakes as well.
The Jibaozhai Museum, located in Jizhou, a city in the northern province of Hebei, opened in 2010 with its 12 exhibition halls packed with apparently unique cultural gems. But the museum’s collection, while extensive, appears ultimately to have been flawed. On Monday, the museum’s ticket offices were shut amid claims that many of the exhibits were knock-offs that had been bought for between 100 yuan and 2,000 yuan.
However, this is a more complex story than it seems. Private museums are a sort of “rich man’s fad” that has popped up in China over the last ten years or so (with some of them being quite odd like the obscure Chinese businessmen museum). In fact, this trend has been reflected in the market shift in that the main buyers of Chinese antiques are now the Chinese themselves. And the reasons for opening such museums are many, ranging from “gaining face,” to tax breaks, national pride, to even money laundering. So it’s possible Wang Zonquan (王宗泉) knew the items in his Ji Bao Zhai museum (冀宝斋博物馆) were fake and simply lost face when he was found out (and later died from losing face).
China’s long history of counterfeit relics extends beyond private museums and into state-backed religious artifacts. Just as the Jibaozhai Museum was filled with fake antiques meant to impress and deceive, China has long used fabricated Buddhist relics to bolster its political narrative. The exposure of Jibaozhai’s fraud echoes a larger pattern in which authenticity is sacrificed for propaganda, whether in museums or religious institutions. This culture of forgery is not merely about financial gain but about reshaping historical and cultural narratives to fit the Communist Party’s agenda.
The Global Buddhist Community Must Take a Stand
China’s manipulation of Buddhist relics and religious figures is an affront to the core values of Buddhism: honesty, compassion, and authenticity. The Thai Buddhist community and the global Buddhist faithful deserve to know the truth behind the relics they revere. Accepting a counterfeit relic not only distorts the sacred traditions of Buddhism but also legitimizes China’s broader campaign of religious and cultural erasure.
The global Buddhist community must remain vigilant and reject China’s cynical attempts to rewrite Buddhist history for political gain. True reverence for the Buddha lies in upholding the principles of truth and wisdom—not in venerating state-sponsored deceptions.