The site of the world's tallest Buddha statue was reopened to tourists Saturday after one month of repair work.

Comments written by tourists in the visitors' book showed that they were satisfied with the facelift, and were surprised by the advanced technologies used.

The Leshan Buddha, located near Leshan City in southwest China' s Sichuan Province, was carved out of a cliff. It is 71 meters high and 28 meters wide. It was carved more than 1,280 years ago.

More restoration work on the statue is scheduled later this year, and will cost a total of 250 million yuan (about US$30 million), including US$2 million in a World Bank loan.

The first-phase repair work focused on the head, shoulders, chest and midriff.

The renovation was done in accordance with the national law on the protection of cultural relics and the World Heritage Protection Convention, said Huang Xueqian, who is in charge of the administration of the cultural heritage of Leshan City.

The carving of the Buddha started in 713, and was completed in 803, during the Tang Dynasty.

In recent years, erosion has become a serious threat to the statue, which was included on the World Heritage List by UNESCO five years ago.

(People’s Daily 04/29/2001)