"Father of Leshan Giant Buddha" Renshou Giant Buddha's first "retreat maintenance" in 1300

On July 28, 2019, on a 760-meter-high cliff in the depths of the Longquan Mountains in Sichuan Province, the only "breast Buddha" in the country, the Renshou Giant Buddha was undergoing "retreat maintenance". Cultural relic experts will carry out the protection of the cave itself, the prevention and control of biological diseases and the treatment of water seepage, disease monitoring, eaves construction, and environmental management of the Great Buddha. This is the first time in the history of this great Buddha of the Tang Dynasty over 1,300 years. The Renshou Giant Buddha is located on Niujiaozhai Mountain, Yingtou Village, Gaojia Town, Renshou County, Meishan City, Sichuan Province. It was built in the third year of Shenlong in the Tang Dynasty (AD 707). , Is known as "China's No. 1 Buddha".

Interestingly, it is very similar to the Leshan Giant Buddha in terms of engineering layout and character form. In addition, it was built 6 years earlier than the Leshan Giant Buddha. Therefore, some cultural relic experts thought it was the Leshan Giant Buddha. One of the blueprints, so Renshou Giant Buddha is known as the "Father of Leshan Giant Buddha". The bust of Maitreya Buddha carved on the cliff is 15.85 meters high and 11 meters wide. It sits west to east, with hands together and chest folded. The appearance of the Buddha statue is clear, the face is plump, the mouth is slightly closed, the eyes are slightly open, and it looks up to the east with a peaceful expression. In 2006, the Renshou Buddha was designated by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit. There are 101 niches around 1519 statues around the Renshou Giant Buddha, forming Niujiaozhai Grottoes. In order to protect the millennium cultural heritage, the Niujiaozhai Grottoes were included in the Sichuan-Chongqing Grottoes protection pilot project carried out by the China Cultural Heritage Research Institute and the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau. At the same time, it was listed as a key project of the National Cultural Heritage Bureau in the 13th Five-Year Plan.

At present, the Niujiaozhai Grottoes Rescue and Reinforcement of Dangerous Rocks Rescue and Reinforcement Phase I Protection Project and Niujiaozhai Grottoes Protection and Utilization Facilities Construction Project are under construction. According to the arrangements of the Renshou County Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and the Renshou County Cultural Relics Department, from March to the end of July, a fully enclosed construction will be carried out around the Renshou Giant Buddha.The Buddha enters the "retreat maintenance" mode.