The Guanyin statue on display at the China Traditional Culture Museum (CTCM) in Beijing Photo: CTCM

What appeared to be a modern "TCL" advertisement on a 600-year-old gilt-bronze Guanyin Bodhisattva statue, a grade-one national cultural relic currently on display at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum (CTCM) in Beijing, has turned out to be a 27-year-old newspaper as a protective seal, according to a statement released by the Qinghai Provincial Museum on Monday evening. 
 
TCL, one of the major Chinese home appliance brands, said on Sunday that after a comprehensive internal review, the company has confirmed that they had never authorized or participated in placing any brand signage in the exhibition of the cultural relic. The firm also said that it would actively cooperate with the relevant exhibition organizers and regulatory authorities in the investigation and work to help clarify the issue as soon as possible.

The statue was originally housed at Qutan Temple before being transferred to the Qinghai Provincial Museum in the 1990s. At the time of the transfer, the backing at the base of the statue had been damaged. To prevent the ritual deposits, including incense and other consecration materials sealed inside the statue, from falling out, monks at the temple sealed the base with a newspaper published in 1999. The seal has remained unopened since the statue was transferred to the Qinghai Provincial Museum, said the statement. 

The lettering seen by visitors during the exhibition in Beijing comes from the newspaper that was used to seal the base at that time. It is neither attached to the artifact itself nor related to the packaging used for transporting the relic for this exhibition, the statement said. 

Recently, some netizens have noticed that at an art exhibition held at the CTCM, when viewing the Guanyin statue from below inside its display case, the letters "TCL" can be clearly seen on the skirt and around an ankle of the figure.
 
This gilt-bronze statue is a signature collection piece of the Qinghai Provincial Museum.  This impressive example of Ming sculpture with a total height of 1.46 meters, was bestowed by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) imperial court to the Qutan Temple during Emperor Yongle reign. This is the first time that it has been exhibited in Beijing for a touring exhibition, according to media reports. 
 
On Sunday, the museum dispatched staff members to travel to Beijing to conduct on-site inspection and assessment of the statue. After thorough deliberation, the lettering part of the statue has been covered with acid-free paper to guarantee visitors an undisturbed viewing experience and prevent distraction from the cultural relic's artistic value. This measure preserves the overall exhibition presentation while causing no damage to the relic itself or its historical information, said the statement. 

The museum said that it will continue to improve restoration and management practices from the perspective of cultural relic conservation. 

"We will further explore the intrinsic value of the cultural relic, interpret its cultural connotations, and enhance the conservation, exhibition and utilization of cultural relics," said the statement.