A stone Buddha head stolen from the Tianlongshan Grottoes returned to its home in Taiyuan City, north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2021. It's the first lost cultural relic brought back from Japan to the grottoes in almost a century. /CFP

The head was illegally shipped out of the country in 1924, and recovered in December 2020. /CFP

The sculpture shows a Buddha with a round face, pursing his lips in a smile. Its carvings have features distinctive of the late Northern Dynasty (386-581) to the early Sui Dynasty (581-618). /CFP

The Buddha head will be preserved and permanently displayed at the Tianlongshan Grottoes Museum. /CFP