Thousand Buddha cliffs discovered in Mei Shan city, Sichuan province

    Early August, three cliffs each containing around hundreds of Buddha carvings appeared beside a reservoir in San Su County, in Sichuan province. The Buddha’s which have different expressions are well preserved.

    Most villagers said they never knew these Buddha cliffs existed. However, an old man said he had seen them about 49 years ago. In fact, this place used to be a temple. In 1963, construction of the Chen Gou reservoir was completed and the three Buddha cliffs were submerged. In 1983, it was declared a heritage conservation unit at county level.

   According to an expert, the decision to submerge the Buddha cliffs in water was opposed by cultural sectors. However, compared to exposing the Buddha’s to the elements, submerging is a much better preserving method, although they would also be eroded by water.

    By People's Daily Online