Images of the Laughing Buddha also spread west from China to Europe, where 18th-century elites showed their aesthetic ...

Laughing Buddha represents Budai, a Chinese monk from the 10th century, known for his joyful nature and wisdom. He is admired for his cheerful and carefree personality.

Cross-legged with his eyes half-closed in a pose evoking the Buddha ... shape of the statue are two opposite extremes", he said. Each figure comes in packaging emblazoned with a Chinese phrase ...

One of the largest statues ... laughing at the untraditional location of such a shrine. “And then, the mix of people: you have Sri Lankans…you have Koreans, such as myself, or you have Chinese ...