AD 1032(Northern Song dynasty, 10th year of the Tian Sheng reign period)
Gold cofin: Height 7--13 cm, Length 19 cm，Width 9--11 cm
Silver coffin: Height 24.6--34 cm, Length 40 cm, Width 20 cm
Excavated at the Pagoda Underground Palace of Fusheng Si, Dengzhou County, Henan Province, 1988
On excavation the gold inner coffin was inside the silver outer coffin.
The gold inner coffin is high in front and low at the back Its lid has eight ridges and two carved phoenixes with peonies in their mouths. The coffin body's front face is impressed with a building with four-sided roof, inside this are two lokapalas (guardian deities of the Dharma). The rear coffin face is inscribed: “monk Zhaoguo of the Vimalakirti monastery, monk Huiying of the Guanyin monastery, monks Yiyou and Zhanggu of the Longshan monastery, made by Zhaosu”. The left side of the coffin body has a carving of Buddha Sakyamuni entering Nirvana. The right has a carving of Manjusri riding a lion and a retinue of attendants and is inscribed: “made in the 3rd month of the wei year”(the eighth of the 12 earthly branches of the Chinese calendar system).
The silver outer coffin, positioned atop a banistered coffin stand, is boat shaped. Its lid has 12 ridges and is impressed with decorations in the shape of ancient coins. The front and rear coffin faces feature carved door frames and panels. A slab in front of the front face is impressed with text in positive legend giving the monastery name and the family and given names of the donor. The sides of both coffins have a pair of openwork phoenixes playing amidst peonies
Gold and silver coffins are funerary objects particular to Buddhist circles and were normally used to store Buddhist relics, and the cremated remains of virtuous and farsighted eminent monks of the day. This set of gold and silver coffins is an important find for Buddhist archaeology in China. The gold coffin is exceptional as a work of great aesthetic value, as the gold retains so much of its lustre and beauty, and the craftsmanship and pictorial designs are so accomplished.