Original sentence: 954-959) of the Later Zhou Dynasty (951-960), due to the need for copper, ordered that Buddha statues be destroyed so that copper could be used to mint coins.His edict was issued at the threat of death (if one illegally continued to possess more than five jin (斤) (roughly 2.5 kilograms) of copper; lesser weights brought lesser penalties), but it is unclear how many Buddhist monks, nuns, or lay persons were executed under the requirements of the edicts, and there was no evidence in history suggesting a large scale massacre or suppression of Buddhist doctrines.In 955 Emperor Shizong (r
Edited sentence: 954-959) of the Later Zhou Dynasty (951-960) had 3,336 of China's 6,030 Buddhist temples burnt to the ground.He had untold numbers of priests and nuns killed and forced many to return to lay life.In 955 Emperor Shih-tsung (r