Protective fence installed to protect Buddha from being polished by tourists' damaging rubbing

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/10/8 22:40:26

People visit the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province in 2018. File Photo: Xinhua


Central China's Henan Province Longmen Grottoes, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to ancient statues of Buddha, has been forced to install a two-meter high protective fence in front of several of the statues to prevent swarms of tourists from touching, rubbing and patting them during the National Day Holidays which ended Thursday.

The tourist site previously had set up a shorter fence in front of the 1,000-year-old Buddha statues that were carved out of stones to no avail. Some Buddha statues at the Longmen Grottoes had become shiny from the relentless damaging touches of tourists who believe at pat on the belly of Buddha will bring them good blessings. 

Along with the two-meter high fences, additional security guards were on duty and warning signs were set up throughout the complex, according to local media reports.

"The Buddha statues have already been affected by natural weathering, and human touch will cause further damage," a security guard was quoted as saying. Over 100,000 people visited the Longmen Grottoes during the National Day Holidays which started on October 1, he said. 

Chinese stone-carving artisans first began to work on the Longmen Grottoes dug during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD) and took 400 years to complete. The site has some 2,345 caves and niches, more than 100,000 Buddha statues, the tallest of which is 17 meters, and 2,800 inscriptions.



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