Farmer protects Buddha figures on cliff for 3 decades

Lu Qianfang, a farmer in Jingxing County, Hebei province, has spent the last three decades protecting local Buddha figures, taking over and fulfilling this responsibility from his mother.

There are 82 figures in total, lined up in seven rows on a cliff. Other than one or two relatively complete figures, nearly all the figures, some of which are 1000 years old, were intentionally destroyed. To the south of the figures are inscribed stone tablets from several different historical periods. Lu has memorized each item, and attentively checks them on a regular basis.

In order to get to the figures, Lu has to climb to the top of Yufeng Mountain and then walk downhill with a sickle to clear thistles and thorns. The small twisting path and dense foliage make it an extremely dangerous journey. It takes Lu almost an hour to reach the figures. In addition to regular checks, each summer Lu actually moves into a cave structure beside the temple of the god of fire, guarding it and making it available to monks passing by for the night.