The Maitreya Buddha found in Beijing’s Qianling Mountains is being ruined by tourists. The 6 meters tall gold statue is located on the south side of the highest peak. Despite its size tourists have been able to carve inscriptions more than half way up the body. You can find phrases such as ‘The whole family disease free’, ‘life and health’, or ‘all the best’. Some of the carvings are incredibly deep. These people wanted their mark on the Maitreya Buddha to stay!

The park’s staff speculates that tourists are using the platforms surrounding the Maitreya Buddha to help them in their defacing, which is how you find inscriptions above 4 meters. Staff try and keep an eye out for vandals, but tourists just wait until the staff are eating or are distracted. Even if they do catch someone, the staff only has the power to stop not to punish. The defacing got so severe that a couple of years ago the Buddha was covered in a layer of gold foil. Staff at the park are looking to find a craftsman to help with the problem more permanently.

Source: ndnews.oeeee.com.

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Keywords: defaced statue Beijing Buddha statue QianLing Mountains