Facial mask for centuries-old Goddess: restoring project

Specialists applied "facial masks" on the statue of a Thousand-hand Buddhist Goddess of Mercy on Baoding Mountain in Southwest China’s Chongqing municipality on May 7, 2014. The demineralization "facial mask" is made of multi-layered tissue paper soaked in pure water. Specialists pat tissue onto the statue gently, remove it till it dry out and repeat applying masks for two to three times.

The statue, one integral part of the Dazu Rock Carvings, which are designated as a World Heritage Site, was originally carved in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The conservation project was initially launched on April 18, 2011 and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2015.