Battered Buddha gets facelift: 08-11-2007
The Leshan Bhudda, one of China's most famous cultural tourism sites, is set to be given its 2nd 'facelift' in six years after being left looking "somewhat battered" by erosion and acid rain.
At 71 metres the statue is the tallest ancient Buddha in the world and can be found by tourists who visit Sichuan, but currently the monument has black streaks down its face and body and is covered with moss.
Peng Xueyi, director of the Leshan Cultural Relics Management Institute, told Xinhua news agency that acid rain, weathering and high humidity had caused the damage and that the repairs will begin next year.
In 2001 the body of the Buddha was cleaned at a cost of 250 million yuan and cracks were repaired and drainage pipes added.
Due to the adverse affects of pollution, since 2003 20 coal-fired power plants have been relocated as well as thousands of residents moved. "Only through a comprehensive reformation of the surrounding environment can its ageing process be delayed," Peng said. But he admitted that maintenance projects still needed to be carried out every five years.
Carved into a cliff face overlooking the meeting of the Dadu and Min rivers, the construction of what is now a world cultural heritage site began in 713, during the Tang Dynasty and took 90 years to finish.
This news comes as the International Conference on World Natural Heritage begins in Sichuan, where over 100 delegates from 30 countries will discuss ways to better protect world heritage sites.