Vietnamese entrepreneur Dao Trong Cuong, owner of Than Chau Ngoc Viet (Vietnam’s Gemstone and Jewelry) Company, isn’t afraid to show off his wealth.
When a Vietnamese newspaper asked him why he chose to import a Hummer from the U.S. for US$300,000, Cuong simply said, “I like big, manly things.”
So, naturally, when a 35-ton jade stone was put on the market in Myanmar last year, Cuong purchased it for US$2 million with plans to make the world’s largest jade Buddha statue.
The stone, which currently stands 10 feet tall, 6 feet 6 inches wide, and 6 feet 6 inches deep, will retain its height, but is expected to be trimmed down to about 16 tons over the next two years while as many as 50 artists complete the sculpture.
“We hope to get it into the Guinness Book of World Records,” Cuong announced at the unveiling ceremony held in Hai Duong Province on Monday.
Vietnam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet and Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue, the head of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, were both present at the ceremony.
“This artistic work is of great, everlasting cultural value,” said President Triet.
The ‘Jade Buddha for Universal Peace’ is currently the world’s largest jade Buddha statue, measuring 9 feet tall and weighing 3.9 tons.