입력 2020.8.19.

BBC 원문 7시간 전.

[시사뷰타임즈] 높이가 71m인 이 동상은 유네스코 세계문화유적이이며 기훤후 4세기 경 신추안 성 쳉두 인근의 암면을 깎아내어 조각한 것이다.

이 부처상은 평소에는 해안선 위의 높은 곳에 있지만, 이 지역이 70년 만에 가장 최악의 홍수로 타격을 받았다.

10만 명 이상이 안전한 곳으로 옮겨가야 했다.

이 부처상은 대중적으로 엄청난 관심을 받는 곳이어서 종종 인근에 있는 양즈강 및 ‘3개 협곡’ 유람 여정에도 포함된다.

국영 언론들은 수위가 상승하면서 관광객 180명이 구조됐다고 했다.

신화 국영 통신사에 따르면, 전통적인 현지 격언에 따르면, 이 부처의 발가락이 젖으면, 인구 1천8백만인 쳉두에도 홍수가 날 것이라는 말이 있다.

신추안 성은, 여러 주 동안 폭우가 내렸는데 폭우가 그칠 징조는 전혀 없자, 최고수준의 비상사태 대응 조치를 발동했다.

양쯔강, 황하강, 하이 강, 송화 및 리아오 강들 주위에 있는 여러 성들은 홍수 경계태세에 들어았고 산사태가 일어날 수도 있다고 경고했다.

관계자들은 엄청난 부피의 물이 3개 협곡 둑 뒤에 쌓여 올라가고 있다고 경고했는데, 이 둑들은 양쯔강의 대규모 수력전기 계획에 따른 것이다.

수자원부는 이번 호우가, 주요 도시 총킬 시를 비롯, 혹독한 상류 범람으로 이어질 수도 있다고 경고했다. 

China record floods wet feet of Leshan Giant Buddha

 

7 hours ago

 

Image copyrightREUTERS

A giant statue of Buddha in China has had its toes dampened by floodwater for the first time since the 1940s.

 

The 71m-tall statue, a Unesco heritage site, was carved out of a rockface near Chengdu in Sichuan province around the eighth century AD.

 

It is normally high above the waterline, but the area has been hit by the worst flooding in 70 years.

 

More than 100,000 people have had to be moved to safety.

 

The statue is a hugely popular attraction and often included in cruises along the nearby Yangtze river and Three Gorges.

 

State media said 180 tourists had be rescued from the site as waters rose.

 

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

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The statue normally sits high above the waterline, as seen here in February

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

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Tourists and pilgrims arrive by boat to burn offerings at the Buddha's feet

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

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The last time the toes - each bigger than a person - got wet was 1949

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

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But last week waters reached the base of the statue and kept rising

 

According to the Xinhua state news agency, a traditional local saying holds that if the Buddha's feet get wet, Chengdu - which has a population of 16 million people - will flood too.

 

Sichuan province has activated its highest level emergency response after weeks of heavy rain caused record high water levels, with no sign of it ending soon.

 

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

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Rescuers have been despatched to help people evacuate from at-risk areas

 

Flood alerts are in place for provinces around the Yangtze, Yellow, Hai, Songhua and Liao rivers, with warnings of possible landslides.

 

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

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Chongqing has already battled several waves of flooding this summer

 

The statue, just outside Chengdu, is a hugely popular attraction and often included in cruises along the nearby Yangtze.

 

Officials have warned that huge volumes of water are building up behind the Three Gorges dam - a massive hydroelectric project on the Yangtze.

 

The Ministry of Water Resources has warned this could lead to severe flooding upstream, including the major city of Chongqing

 

[기사/사진: BBC]