The painting of a mountain face in Fumin County of Southwest China's Yunnan Province is causing much controversy was it done for good luck or to add a touch of greenery to the landscape.
The 2,800-square-meter face of Laoshou Mountain has been an eyesore for years following quarrying in the area. Last July, it was spray-painted green.
Some local villagers believe that it was an attempt by officials of the county's Agriculture and forestry bureau to "save face".
But others said a decoration company boss surnamed Du did it for his own good luck or fengshui, an ancient Chinese belief in harmonizing one's physical environment for maximum health and financial benefit.
State Forestry Administration spokesman, Cao Qingyao, said the administration sent an investigation team to Yunnan recently and found that the painting had been done by a local decoration company boss because of fengshui, the People's Daily reported yesterday.
Cao said the quarry is in an industrial and mining area, and not earmarked as forestry land.
Zhang Ke, a reporter with the Kunming-based Metropolitan Times, first revealed the story on February 13. He believed that the "face project" was done at the behest of the Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry.
"This 'face project' costs more than 400,000 yuan ($51,000). If that money had been spent on planting seedlings, it could cover several mountains," Zhang wrote.
He interviewed workers at the bureau, and they admitted that the bureau had ordered the painting of the mountain.
The story has since been given widespread coverage, sparking public condemenation.
On February 15, Tang Weiqiang, a reporter from another Kunming-based newspaper, New Life News, interviewed officials of the Fumin Agriculture and Forestry Bureau.
"Local officials said the paint job was the action of Du, boss of a decoration company and it had nothing to do with the bureau," Tang wrote.
However, Tang was unable to confirm this with Du.
On March 2, the Xinhua New Agency said the "green mountain" incident had been exaggerated and inflated.
Chen Peng from Xinhua wrote in an investigative report: "The mountainside that had been painted green was the handiwork of a local decoration company boss. His house faces the mountain, and he decided to 'decorate' it because of fengshui considerations".
Du said the painting project cost him less than 30,000 yuan ($3,800), Xinhua reported.
The Beijing-based Youth Weekend interviewed a deputy director surnamed Yang with Fumin County's Agriculture and Forestry Burea and he said his bureau connived with Du to paint the mountain green.
Local officials said painting of the mountain would not harm the environment.
