Being several centuries old, the priceless statues at the Dazu Rock Carvings have battered the ravages of time with varying degress of success. But now, cutting-edge techology is being deployed, to reverse the effects of old age on the iconic Thousand Hand Bodhisattva statue. Crowds of visitors witnessed how 3D printing is changing the way relics are being restored.
A new method to repair ancient artifacts.
Here at the Dazu Rocking Carvings Museum in south west China, 3D printing technology has produced a precise replica of the thousand-hand bodhisattva. This is the first time China uses 3D technology in the preservation of large stone artifacts.
It has provided a massive boost in the restoration project which began in 2011.
"We used 3D technology because it gives more precision and integrity to our work. The statue was scanned by lazer, and we produced a near perfect replica of the original." Zhan Changfa, Director of Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage said.
Since its creation 800 years ago, erosion has slowly been eating away at the thousand-hand bodhisattva.
The last great renovation effort took place 100 years ago in the Qing Dynasty, when large amounts of golden foil was attached to the statue's surface.
Because of its delicate condition and inestimable value, repairing the statue requires extreme care and patience. Public opinion has also added pressure to the restoration efforts, with people worried the end result will be different from what its creators had achieved. But those in charge are adamant that with the new technology, the statue will be returned to its original glory.
"The Taipei Palace Museum has a painting of the thousand-hand bodhisattva. Many of its features closely resemble what we have here, so this is a great reference for us as we go about renovating and restoring." Zhan said.
Masks are applied to the face of the statue to reinforce its structural integrity and pave the way for future repairs.
"We inject special chemicals into the statue to make it more solid, but it takes time for them to sink into the deeper layers of the stone. We also have to repeat the process 7 to 8 times." Chen Huili, Deputy Director of Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage said.
Almost half of the 830 arms and 272 sacred objects they carry are significantly damaged. X-ray scans also helped determine just how much repair were needed on hundreds of fractured fingers.
Restoring the golden foil enveloping the statue will be the last step of the restoration process. It will also be the most difficult, as the gestures of the 830 arms and hands are all different. But the museum has already finished repairing over 200 hands, and expects to present the fully restored statue to visitors in 2015.