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Leshan Great Buddha |
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Why the The Leshan Great Buddha is the tallest carved statue in the world. It was sculpted out of a hillside more than 1200 years ago.
Leshan Great Buddha
The seated statue's measurements are staggering. The Leshan Great Buddha is 71 meters (234 feet) high. The head is as high as a five story building. The middle fingers (see photo) are nearly five times taller than the average person.
The statue's head is at hilltop level, its feet are at riverside level. The Leshan Great Buddha overlooks the confluence of three rivers and faces the 3,000 meter (10,000 foot) high Mount Emei, one of China's holiest mountains.
The Leshan Great Buddha was enclosed in a wooden structure, but that shell was destroyed during 14th century warfare. The statue has been exposed to the elements ever since.
The government has been mending the statue's structural defects to save it for posterity.
You can view the Leshan Great Buddha from the deck of a tourist boat or by climbing up and down the steep stairs that flank the statue. The boat provides a perspective view, the stairway gives you an up close look at the statue's features. If you have time, do both.
Avoid the typical long waiting lines for the stairs by being one of the first or last people of the day to visit the Leshan Great Buddha.
The
statue was carved
over a 90 year period overlapping the 8th and 9th centuries. The original sculptors built a drainage system inside the statue to help protect it from water damage. It still functions today.
The Leshan Great Buddha is near the town of Leshan, which is about 150 kilometers south of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.
Leshan: luh-shah'n
View my other gold,
My Chinese phrase guide for travelers What every visitor should know.
View my Chinese
cuisine guide
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I hope your China travel dreams come true - and that my Leshan Great Buddha travel guide helps you enjoy your vacation, tour or trip ©2008 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications
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