Stories from Dazu · China

Chen Huili leads a team in restoring over 50,000 statues at Dazu Grottoes that are undergoing rapid weathering. A Chinese scholar expressed deep emotion reflecting on the changes in Dazu, noting the progress in the protection, research, and utilization of cultural relics. Over the past thirty years, working conditions for cultural relic protection have dramatically improved. The expert, who has been involved in this work for over three decades, shared personal experiences of these changes. The expert recalled that in the winter of 2005, when restoring the Dazu Rock Carvings, roads were not yet built, requiring a long journey to the site and difficult travel conditions, especially in the rain. Returning to the unit around 7 PM was common, and rainy days made access even more difficult.