Evidence: This is a picture of the stolen Buddha statue containing the remains of meditating monk Zhanggong Liuquan and who villagers believe is currently in Holland . Three-hundreds Chinese villagers have signed a petition demanding the return of a 1,000-year-old relic containing a mummified monk. They believe that the Buddha statue on display in Holland is the same that was stolen from Spring Village, Fujian, in 1995, the People's Daily Online reports. Now they are calling on Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, to hand back their 'ancestral patriarch', Buddhist Zhanggong Liuquan. The letter states: 'In our hearts he is not a cultural display item to be placed in a museum but a living Buddha that is respected and revered by us all. 'This is a tradition that is deeply important to our way of life. He has looked over us for over 1000 years and is a testament to our historical and cultural heritage.' Locals say Zhanggong Liuquan did many good things for villagers such as curing illnesses free of charge. When he died, people made his body a statue before the body rotted, and then they placed the body in the memorial hall of the village ever since. The Buddhist has become a spiritual sustenance for locals. The statue was first displayed in Drents Museum in the Netherlands in 2014, causing the Cultural Relics Bureau to launch an investigation. Scroll down for video . They found photographs and historical records that supported the claim that it in fact belonged to a temple in the village. A Buddha statue (left) containing a mummified monk (right) was actually stolen from a village temple twenty years ago, Chinese experts believe . The private owner, who wants to stay anonymous, bought the relic in 1996 at a European market. The mummified remains were discovered at the end of February after he took the statue to the museum in the Netherlands to be restored. According to various Chinese media, the Dutch collector said he is willing to return the Buddha statue if it is proved to be the one stolen from Fujian. The mummified remains were discovered at the end of February after a private owner took the statue to Drents Museum at the Meander Medical Centre in the Netherlands for restoration. Above, the museum completes a CT scan . Erik Bruijn, an Buddhism expert, determined the mummy dated back to the 11th or 12th century and was Buddhist master Liuquan. Above, a scientist examines the base of the statue . The remains had been due to be put on display at the Hungarian Natural History Museum until May 2015. But they have now been pulled after people at Drents museum, which completed the CT scan and endoscopy, requested they were no longer used. The villagers now hope that the issue can be raised during the visit of the Dutch prime minister to China, paving the way for it to be repatriated to its rightful home.
Villagers say relic is their 'ancestral patriarch' who gives spiritual guidance . They plan to hand petition to Dutch PM in scheduled  visit to China . Dutch collector vowed to give it back if proved it belongs to Fujian .