Temperature changes damage Summer Palace statues

BEIJING - Fluctuating temperatures have damaged several Buddha statues in Beijing's Summer Palace, park authorities said Tuesday.

Photos of Buddha statues whose heads went missing went viral on the Internet over the weekend, sparking speculation that they may have been decapitated by vandals.

But the park's management said temperature changes caused the heads to expand and contract, eventually loosening them from the statues.

Park spokeswoman Li Kun dismissed vandalism as the cause, adding that the park regularly patrols the area around the statues.

The heads have been found, but are too damaged to re-attach to the statues, Li said, adding that new heads will be attached to the statues within the next three months.

We recommend:
Graduation season never comes back	Ways to spend happy summer vacation	The story behind models at auto show
Best scenery photos of week	Realizing Chinese Dreams through porcelain	Bashang Grassland in summer
Highlights of global stewardesses' uniform	Yu Weiwei crowned Miss World China 2013	Chinese model crowned at 8th Asian Super Contest