Leshan's Giant Buddha, Chengdu

We - the four of us - had hired a car for the trip from Chengdu. The car was - alas - a bit too slow for the traffic on the express way. So it took over two hours (one way).

When we visited this large statue it was impossible to do it by boat. The river was too high and too strong. Getting in line was also no option, as it was very, very crowded. We estimated six hours of waiting time (our tour guide said four, but he is an optimist). So we just walked to the other sites, which are well worth a visit. The small village offers some restuarants, there are some nice paths through the woods and the monastery was very nice. From one point we could just see the upper part of the Buddha, and we're sure that he saw us!

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Giant Buddha : So big and feel peace when i see the giant buddha!
It was take for 90 years create and infront if the giant buddha was a river.
Recently has been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site

" Er Mei Shan " : I just to go the Bottom of the " Er Mei Shan "
It should go to the top of " Er Mei Shan" only have beautiful view lah.

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Leshan Giant Buddha is an enormous statue carved into the side of Lingyun Mountain. The Buddha is over 71 meters (230 feet) tall and is wide enough for more than 100 people to sit between its feet.

The massive carving began in 713 AD during the Tang Dynasty and was completed in 803 AD. The Buddha overlooks the confluence of the Min, Qingyi and Dadu rivers and is reputed to be the largest carved stone Buddha in the world. A local saying says, "The Mountain is a Buddha, the Buddha is a mountain".

I recommend to take one of the many boats on the Yangzi-River to the Big Buddha. Then you can climb up to the head. Behind the head is a nice and quite temple with a vegetarian restaurant.

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Standing at 71m tall, the Giant Buddha at Leshan is the largest stone scupture of Buddha in the world. Located at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers, the Giant Buddha is carved out from the side of a hill. Taking the shape of a Maitreya, he is depicted barefooted with drooping ears and has his hair arranged in a spiral topknot. His chest is exposed and his hands rest on his knees. To give you an idea of its size, four people can play a game of mahjong on the fingernail of the Buddha!
To see the Giant Buddha, you will have to take a boat from the Leshan city pier. During the peak tourist season, the boat can be packed with tourists and you will have to jostle for space on the sun deck to get your photos. The boat operator has capitalised on this by cordoning off an area of the sun deck and charging a fee of 20 RMB for the privilege of an unobscured view of the Buddha. You only have about 5 minutes to take your photos of the Buddha as the boat makes a U-turn so be quick with your cameras or pay the 20 RMB to get inside the VIP enclosure. If you visit the Buddha in the morning, the sun will be against the camera.

This immense work of art and worship took over 80 years requiring 3 lifetimes of work. The effect is astounding to say the least.

From the facial features of the Buddha we can see traces of how Buddhism was gradually being accepted and localised by the Chinese.

On this world's largest seated Buddha, there is little trace of the Indian - Grecian influence found in the early images of the Buddha.

An outstanding architectural work of art.

A short day trip away from Chengdu is the small town of Leshan and the 71 meter tall Buddha. This marvel of Chinese religious iconography took 90 years to be built and is well worth the trip. Don't skimp on the surrounding gardens and avoid paying extra for the boat tour. Definitely try the spicy Dan Dan noodles served in the park's outdoor restaurant at the top of the carving.

This is a fair way out of the way to reach and most tourist don't both but if you have the time it really is worth a visit.

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Leshan Buddha is the great giant buddha in Sichuan, it's the biggest buddha of the world. his ear is 7 meter's high, a man can stand in it.