Tourism fest raises toast to world's tallest Buddha

The world's tallest Buddha statue celebrated its 1,300th anniversary with a cultural festival in Leshan city in China's Sichuan province.

The Leshan Giant Buddha festival is expected to attract global attention to the statue's conservation issues, said Li Wenfei, director of a management committee of Mount Emei and Leshan Giant Buddha scenic area, Xinhua reported.

A number of cultural and tourism promotion activities will be held during the festival till Sunday.

The 71-metre-high Buddha statue, carved into a cliff in Leshan mountain and overlooking three converging rivers, was built over a 90-year period starting in the year 713 during the Tang Dynasty.

The Leshan Giant Buddha, as part of Mount Emei scenic area, was put on the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list in 1996.

The statue has undergone several repairs and inspections in past decades to clean, strengthen the rock structure, mend cracks and install drainage pipes to guard against damage caused by weathering and acid rain.