CHINESE FARMERS BUILD REPLICAS OF AFGHANISTAN'S BAMIYAN BUDDHA STATUE IN LESHAN, 2001-09-20 (photo)

Chinese farmers build a replica of Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddha statue at Leshan, in China's southwest Sichuan province September 20, 2001. A private Chinese company is creating replicas of the two figures that once stood in Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley for 1,500 years. The statues were blown up by the Taliban regime in early March. One statue will be a life-size copy of the shorter Buddha, about 37 meters high, and the other a half-size replica of its 53-meter twin. The $200,000 project is scheduled for completion in May of next year. The taller figure has one noticeable flourish: a face. The original statue lost its nose, mouth and eyes centuries ago to Afghanistan's desert winds. The small white buddha on the left is a model of Bamiya Buddha's head. REUTERS/Guang Niu REUTERS ASW