The Millennium Cliff Statue has been disfigured, and the focus of cultural relics protection should be placed first
2023-11-16
Recently, a cliff statue excavated in the late Northern Wei Dynasty and dating back more than 1400 years was discovered in Nanjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province. It was disfigured by local villagers and believers using paint on the grounds of "fulfilling the wish". The media learned from the local cultural heritage department that the statue was discovered only in 2021 and has not yet been included in the cultural heritage unit. Currently, relevant experts are being invited to discuss and try their best to restore the original appearance. These cliff statues have been coated with colored paint and have completely changed their appearance. Although local authorities have indicated that remedial measures should be taken as much as possible, there are currently doubts as to whether they can be fully restored and whether irreversible damage will be caused. Even if it can be restored, the subsequent repair cost is also an additional expense. What makes people helpless in this incident is that on one hand, the cliff statues were disfigured, and on the other hand, the vandals were all elderly people in their seventies and eighties, making it difficult to use legal means to punish and maintain the seriousness of cultural relics protection. However, personal private repair of cultural relics is suspected to be illegal. If the spoilers are not punished every time, it is difficult to establish a correct group awareness of protecting cultural and historical relics. Due to various reasons such as age, relevant punishments may be reduced as appropriate, but exemption from punishment may not serve as a warning. This passive situation also raises questions about why the cliff statues were not protected in advance? Regarding the important details of the destruction of cultural relics, the report mentions: firstly, the cliff statues are located in a barren mountain, with a very remote location; Secondly, cliff statues have not yet been included in cultural heritage units. As a result, the protection of cliff statues was significantly insufficient - only sheds were built, monitoring was installed, and there were no other protective measures. It was too late when it was discovered that they had been damaged. At the beginning of the Cultural Relics Protection Law, it was clearly stipulated that "ancient cultural sites, ancient tombs, ancient buildings, cave temples, stone carvings, and murals with historical, artistic, and scientific value" shall be protected by the state. At the same time, the departments responsible for cultural relics protection in local people's governments at or above the county level shall supervise and manage the protection of cultural relics within their respective administrative regions. The fact that cultural relics have not yet been included in cultural preservation units does not mean that management can be relaxed, nor does it mean that they have no archaeological value. For example, the investigation report on cliff statues mentioned earlier that the excavation process of cliff statues is a unique example in the Sichuan region. Before completing the identification and inclusion of cultural heritage units, local geography should find ways to protect them and maximize their academic value. It is worth mentioning that it is not the first time that cultural relics similar to stone carvings have been destroyed. In August 2018, the Buddha statue in the Fengmen Temple Grottoes in Anyue County, Ziyang City, Sichuan Province was repainted with paint and repaired with cement, which attracted widespread attention. There are many grottoes in the Sichuan Chongqing region, and the protection of stone carvings is a recognized challenge. These stone carvings are often immovable and cannot be carefully preserved in museums. Under long-term exposure to wind and sun, it is inevitable that various weathering, decay, or color loss may occur. As a result, the probability of stone carvings being destroyed may be higher. But the more so, the more targeted protection mechanisms should be formed and protective measures should be continuously improved. After all, being painted with paint is already considered relatively less damaging, and if it is damaged by human chiseling, the damage is irreversible. The Cultural Relics Protection Law specifically mentions that cultural relics work should implement the principles of "protection first, rescue first, reasonable utilization, and strengthened management"
Edit：Luo yu Responsible editor：Wang er dong
Source：GMW.cn
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