Word: buddha
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...aspiring tourist mecca, the Oriental Buddha Kingdom Theme Park in the lush mountains of Leshan is doing a pretty woeful job. Its main attraction, a 37-meter replica of one of the famed Bamiyan buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, is mysteriously covered by a huge cloth, with only its giant feet poking out. When tourists try to approach the statue, security guards shoo them away. Instead, would-be guides shove pictures of the park's lesser draws under the few visitors' noses?perhaps a tour of a couple of fake, mildewy buddhas or a trip to a viewing...
...molders under its cloth cover, China's Bamiyan buddha seems almost as cursed as its Afghan predecessor. But the reasons for its condition are peculiarly Chinese. Conceived of by the grandly named Sichuan Oriental Buddha Kingdom Co., the Bamiyan replica was to have been the prime exhibit in a privately owned Buddha theme park advantageously nestled in a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes Leshan's own ancient buddha, the largest such stone statue in the world. But during the Bamiyan replica's construction, Oriental Buddha's workers allegedly destroyed dozens of the famed Mahaoya tombs, architectural marvels that date...
...very big country," laments Song Xinchao, a deputy director at the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in Beijing. "It's hard to keep track of all our ancient treasures, especially when modernization is one of our national goals." Indeed, last year in Leshan, a decidedly modern Oriental Buddha security guard told a visiting art historian not to worry about the tombs' destruction as nobody would miss musty, old burial sites anyway?especially when a fancy, new statue would draw hordes of Chinese package tourists...
GBBCC has appeal beyond evenly steamed dumplings. Spiritualists can take sanctuary in the large meditation room, a carpeted space encircled by cushioned benches. Soft rolled-up mats sit neatly beside each cushion, and three glittering Buddha statues replete with white gemstones illuminate the room. Linguists can browse the shelves of the library, which contain Buddhist texts in both English and Chinese. Collectors of oddities will enjoy eyeing the objects up for sale in the bookstore: tea sets nestled in silk-lined boxes, sticks of mild-scented incense and jade decorations, in addition to the myriad of religious treatises...
After the meal, we ordered yet another round of tea. This was our third pot, quite dull in color compared to our first. We reclined in the chairs and inhaled the sweet incense; the Buddha statues in a variety of positions and with a variety of expression gazed benevolently at us as we chatted away. The post-meal atmosphere of the Tea House is easygoing and laid back. Tony pulled up a chair to join us. He told us about his brother who was formerly a Buddhist and now a follower of the Falon Gong movement, his sister...