Investment approved to protect Buddha statue

TAIYUAN: A project that helps to shore up the country’s oldest cliffcarved Buddha statue is to kick off before the end of next month in north China’s Shanxi province.

With a 74 million yuan (Rm36.6mil) investment approved by the Ministry of Land Resources, the work will focus on consolidating mines around the Mengshan Buddha, which was once in danger of collapsing, according to Taiyuan City’s land resources bureau.

Qiao Qinghai, a geological environment official with the city’s land resources bureau, said the project would increase greenery and eliminate the hidden geological hazards in the Mengshan scenic area, which will also improve living conditions for local residents and help the development of tourism.

The 1,461-year-old Buddha statue was carved on a cliff face on Mengshan Mountain during China’s Northern and Southern Dynasties. — Xinhua