BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition featuring ancient Buddha statues which date back thousands of years has opened to the public at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

A total of 171 pieces (sets) of cultural relics are being showcased, including 131 Buddha statues from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), most of which are made of white marble and are painted or gilded.

The exhibition mainly displays Buddha statues unearthed in 2012 from Yecheng, a historic site in Hebei Province's Linzhang County.

Yecheng, which once served as a political center in ancient China, is famous for its Buddhism culture and is representative of Chinese Buddhism art due to its exquisiteness, variety in style and themes of its Buddha statues.

The exhibition, split into three individual parts, will run until Oct. 6.