Gold, colored glass found on Buddhist statues in Longmen Grottoes

STORY: Gold, colored glass found on Buddhist statues in Longmen Grottoes DATELINE: June 2, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:18 LOCATION: ZHENGZHOU, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Buddhist statues at the Longmen Grottoes STORYLINE: Archaeologists have found gold and silver elements and colored glass on Buddhist statues at the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in central China's Henan Province. The findings, among other scientific and archaeological achievements, have been made since a reinforcement and protection project of the Fengxiansi Cave of Longmen Grottoes was launched in December 2021, said the Longmen Grottoes research institute. Based on advanced technologies, archaeologists found gold and silver elements on the face of Vairocana Buddha, a giant statue that was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). "It suggests that skills such as gilding had probably been used in the construction of the Vairocana Buddha," said Shi Jiazhen, president of the institute. On the body surface of

CHINA-HENAN-LONGMEN GROTTOES-BUDDHIST STATUES-FINDINGS (CN)

CHINA-HENAN-LONGMEN GROTTOES-BUDDHIST STATUES-FINDINGS (CN)

(220531) -- ZHENGZHOU, May 31, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Undated file photo shows an archaeologist examining the face of a Buddha statue at the Fengxiansi Cave of Longmen Grottoes in central China's Henan Province. TO GO WITH "Gold, colored glass found on Buddhist statues in Longmen Grottoes" (Longmen Grottoes Research Institute/Handout via Xinhua)

CHINA-HENAN-LONGMEN GROTTOES-BUDDHIST STATUES-FINDINGS (CN)

CHINA-HENAN-LONGMEN GROTTOES-BUDDHIST STATUES-FINDINGS (CN)

(220531) -- ZHENGZHOU, May 31, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Undated file photo shows the right eye of a Bodhisattva statue at the Fengxiansi Cave of Longmen Grottoes in central China's Henan Province. TO GO WITH "Gold, colored glass found on Buddhist statues in Longmen Grottoes" (Longmen Grottoes Research Institute/Handout via Xinhua)