Aided by a donation from American Express, the World Monuments Fund has launched a program in China for the repair and maintenance work to Puning Temple — the Temple of Universal Peace — in Chengde, Hebei Province.

American Express has donated USD80,000 through the American Express Heritage Protection Partnership initiative for the repair of the two Buddhist statues cited as the world's tallest wooden sculpture of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara – Shancai and Longnv.

In 1999, local government and religious organizations raised funds for the repair of the Big Buddha in the temple; however the Shancai and Longnv statues were left unrepaired due to shortage of money. The donation of American Express will make the emergency structural reinforcement possible and allow time to decide on the best protection and repair techniques to prevent further damage to the statues.

Early this year, the World Monuments Fund signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage; and Puning Temple is the first program to come from that agreement.

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