The Leshan Giant Buddha in Southwest China's Sichuan Province has, since Sunday, been undergoing "beauty treatment."

The renovations, the first for 10 years and the most intensive of its over 1,200-year-long life, will last until April 10.

The site is still open to visitors during the renovations.

Historic records show that renovations have been done several times in its life.

Due to years of wind and water erosion and industrial pollution, the face of the buddha has become dirty and some parts of the body now have weeds growing on them.

According to the local tourism department, the relic experts and the 40 workers involved in the renovation project will be employing advanced techniques to return the buddha to its past glory.

They will, however, only use traditional materials originally used on the statue during the work.

The buddha was added to the World Heritage List in 1996, just like the province's Mountain Emei, as a cultural and natural mixed heritage site.

It is 71 meters high and is carved into a cliff face overlooking the confluence of the Dadu and Minjiang rivers.

It is the largest statue of buddha in the world, followed by one in Bamian, Afghanistan.

The buddha's ears are 7 meters long, his insteps 8.5 meters broad and his toenails are so big that there is space enough to have a family picnic on them.

The spectacular project was begun in the year AD 713, initiated by a Buddhist monk called Haitong who organized fund-raising and hired workers. It was completed 90 years later.

(China Daily 03/30/2001)