Niujiaozhai Buddha. (Photo/West China Metropolis Daily)

The Niujiaozhai Buddha, China's biggest Buddha statue featuring only the top half of the figure, will soon undergo restoration, a reporter from West China Metropolis Daily learned from the Cultural Relics Bureau of Renshou County, Sichuan province on May 3.

Built in 707 AD, the Buddha has been seriously damaged from years of exposure to the elements. The local cultural relic protection authorities plan to renovate the Buddha within the next five years to restore its original look. 

Currently, the right portion of the Buddha’s face is dark green. Dong Dewu, a local villager, told the reporter: "Last year, the pavilion on top of the Buddha collapsed. Since then, whenever it rains, water and leaves fall onto the face of the Buddha. Then moss began to grow on its face, and we can no longer see the Buddha's right eye."

The Niujiaozhai Buddha is quite popular among locals. Every year, many people come to burn incense and pray. They hope that the cultural relic experts are able to repair the Buddha and "open" its right eye. 

According to the Cultural Relics Bureau of Renshou County, the renovation will last five years. Starting from an investigation of ecological system conditions, the experts will find the cause of the erosion and curb the water. Then they will remove the moss and renovate the weathered parts.