In 2014, craftsmen devoted themselves to the restoration of a Buddha statue that has stood through more than 800 years of wind and rain. A soft sound triggers the mechanism of the Buddha statue, revealing the mysterious secrets inside the Buddha statue. This is not an ordinary Buddha statue, but a thousand-armed Guanyin statue located in the Baodingshan Grottoes, which is as high as 77 meters and up to 12 meters wide5 meters. The 1,007 arms are like peacocks, each holding a different ritual weapon and having a different posture. This stone-carved Guanyin statue combines carving, gilding and painting techniques, and is known as the "national treasure among national treasures" and is a representative work of the Sichuan-Chongqing region.
However, the ravages of time and war have caused this statue to face serious problems such as weathering and breakage. Dazu County, which has a humid climate, has been affected by long-term industrial pollution, and acid rain and acid fog are more serious than other areas. The ** in 2008 made this Guanyin statue even worse and precarious. Aware of this situation, the authorities quickly began restoration work, and were faced with more than just a huge project.
First of all, determining the mutilation of each finger of the statue became a headache. The experts scientifically numbered each finger and found that the statue had 830 hands, 440 of which were mutilated, and each mutilation was different. However, the craftsmen did not deter from the difficulty of the project. Once the restoration plan was developed, they put their heart and soul together and did not hesitate to plunge into this seemingly impossible project.
During a restoration of the abdomen of the statue of Guanyin, the expert accidentally triggered a mechanism, and the abdomen of the Buddha statue slowly opened, revealing an irregular confined space, 31 meter, 09 meters, enough for an adult. This caught everyone off guard, and the interior was full of surprises. In the dark compartment, they found porcelain, gold leaf, and a special brick. This brick is engraved with bright red handwriting on both sides of the front and back, and is a precious "stone brick inscription".
Archaeological experts confirmed that the "stone brick inscription" records the deeds of a Buddhist believer named Zhang Longfei who came to restore the statue of Guanyin during the Qianlong period. According to the inscription, this statue of Guanyin was built during the Southern Song Dynasty. A monk named Zhao Zhifeng returned after his travels and spent 70 years building a cave temple on Baoding Mountain, where skilled craftsmen were assembled to build this majestic stone statue. In its more than 800 years of history, the statue has undergone four repairs and has been valued and cared for by each generation of rulers. In addition, the "Stone and Brick Inscriptions" also detail the materials and processes used for each restoration, filling in important gaps in this historical period.
The restoration workers carried out eight years of restoration work on the statue according to the materials and craftsmanship of the ancient times. More than 120 experts worked together to use more than 1 million pieces of gold leaf and 15 tons of reinforcement materials, and strive to restore the glory of the thousand-armed Guanyin 800 years ago. In March 2015, the restoration of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin statue was basically completed, and in June, the stone statue was displayed to the public for the first time, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists. Viewers were amazed by the 800-year-old history of the ancient statue of Guanyin. Cultural relics are the witnesses of history, and they silently tell the wisdom and development of the Chinese nation. Everyone has a responsibility to preserve this history and keep it alive.