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Leshan Giant Buddha Travel Guide
Located in Leshan city, Sichuan province, Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest Buddha statue in the world. It is also named as Lingyun Giant Buddha and was carved as a Maitreya statue. The Buddha statue was originally built for suppressing floods and bringing happiness and brightness to people in Tang Dynasty. Nowadays, Leshan Giant Buddha is a national 5A grade scenic area and was listes in World Natural and Cultural Heritage together with Mount Emei.
Leshan Giant BuddhaFact of Leshan Giant Buddha
Leshan Giant Buddha is located in Leshan city, the intersection of the Mingjiang River, Dadu River and Qingyi River. It is 71 meters tall. His head is 10 meters wide; ears are 10 meters long; nose and eyebrows are all 5.6 meters long; eyes are 3.3 meters long; fingers are 8.3 meters long; foot are 8.5 meters wide and his shoulders are 28 meters wide. The Giant Buddha is so big that even his smallest toenail can accommodate a seated person and his instep can hold more than one hundred people. It is praised by a poet that “the mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain.”
Head of Leshan Giant BuddhaHistory of Leshan Giant Buddha
Leshan Giant Buddha is one of the artistic creations of Tang Dynasty. It is the largest stone-curved Buddha statue in the world. It was carved in 713 and completed in 803. The construction of Leshan Giant Buddha was led by Hai Tong, who was a Chinese monk. When Hai Tong died, his disciples took over this construction. It took about 90 years to complete this project.
Maitreya is a future Buddha who can bring brightness and happiness. Therefore, Hai Tong chose to build Leshan Giant Buddha as Maitreyain in order to calm the turbulent waters and quell the floors.
There is also a sophisticated drainage system built into the body of Leshan Giant Buddha. The drainage system can drain water off after the rains and it can reduce erosion.
Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, covering about 17.88 square kilometers, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National 5A Tourist Attraction. Besides Leshan Giant Buddha, the scenic area also hasother scenic spots, such as Lingbao Pagoda, Wuyou Mountain, Giant Sleeping Buddha, Lingyun Buddhist Temple, Oriental Buddha Park and so on.
Leshan Giant Buddha
Leshan Giant Buddha is the most important highlight in Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area. It is known as the biggest Buddha statue in the world. The statue built in Tang Dynasty is 71 meters high and his shoulder is 28 meters wide. It took about 90 years to carve such a majestic and grand Buddha statue. Leshan Giant Buddha now is a world-famous scenic spot in China.
Leshan Giant BuddhaGiant Sleeping Buddha
Giant Sleeping Buddha is located in Leshan city, the confluence of the Mingjing River, Qingyi River and Dadu River. It is so vivid that its head, body and feet are respectively made of Wuyou Mountain, Lingyun Mountain and East Rock. The linear distance from the north to the south is about 1300 meters. Its head is in the south while its feet are in the north. The most vivid part of the Giant Sleeping Buddha is its head. Wuyou Mountain is the head; Jingyun Pavilion is its eyelashes; the trees are its forehead, nose and mouth.
Giant Sleeping BuddhaOriental Buddha Park
Oriental Buddha Park has been open to the public since May, 1994. It is only a mile away from Leshan Giant Buddha. There are more than three thousand Buddha statues in Oriental Buddha Park which covers the area of 200,000 square meters. These Buddha statues are made of different materials. Some of them are made of stone, some are made of copper, and some are made of black jade. There is also a Buddhist Art Galleries here which is more than 800 square meters.
Oriental Buddha ParkLingbao Pagoda
Lingbao Pagoda, which is also called as Lingyun Pagoda, is located on the Lingbao Peak. This pagoda was built in Tang Dynasty. It is 38 meters high and has 13 floors. There are windows in every floor for natural lighting. And you can also overlook from the windows at Lingbao Pagoda. Lingbao Pagoda was built as the mark of the confluence of the three rivers. When seeing this pagoda, boatmen will enhance their attention so that they can cross the river safely.
Lingbao PagodaLingyun Plank Road
Along the face of the cliff which is on the right side of Leshan Giant Buddha, there is a steep plank road circling with nine turnings. Therefore, this plank road is also called as “Nine Turnings Plank Road”. The widest part of this plank road is 1.45 meters, while the narrowest part of this road is only 0.6 meters. There are a total of 217 stones steps leading to the feet of Leshan Giant Buddha.
Lingyun Plank RoadWuyou Mountain
Located opposite to Lingyun Mountain, Wuyou Mountain is surrounded by waters. The scenery of the mountain is beautiful and graceful. It has dense forests and verdant woods all year round. Wuyou Mountain also looks like the head of the natural scenery “Giant Sleeping Buddha” which was discovered in 1989. Wuyou Temple, which was constructed in the middle period of Tang Dynasty, is a brilliant and magnificent attraction on Wuyou Mountain. Besides Wuyou Temple, there are many other attractions on the mountain, such as Kuangyi Pavilion, Erya Platform, Jingyun Pavilion and Jiemao Pavilion.
Wuyou MountainMore Information about Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
Entrance Ticket: 90 RMB/Per
Opening Time:
Peak Season (1, April ~ 7, October)：07:30~18:30
Slack Season (8, October ~31, March)：08:00~17:30
Best Time to Go: Spring and Autumn
How to Visit Leshan Giant Buddha
There are three main ways available for you to visit Leshan Giant Buddha. You can choose to visit Leshan Giant Buddha either by hiking or by boat. You can also choose to visit Leshan Giant Buddha both by hiking and by boat. By boating, you can view the whole Leshan Giant Buddha and it saves more energy. By hiking, you can see Leshan Giant Buddha closely while enjoy hiking. But it will take more time and more energy. The hiking and boating route includes all the highlights along the hiking route and boating route. If you want to view the whole Leshan Giant Buddha and see it closely, you may choose the hiking and boating route.
Visiting Leshan Giant Buddha by Boat
Recommended Hiking Route in Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
The Gate of the Mountain – Longqiu – Zaijiu Pavilion – Lingyun Plank Road – Lingyun Temple – Lingbao Pagoda – Moruo Hall – Yuexie – Dongpo Building –Forest of Steles – Buddhist Paradise –Bijin Building – Mahao Fishing Village – Mahao Museum – Wuyou Mountain – Wuyou Temple – Oriental Buddha Park
Recommended Boating Route in Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
Wharf – Guanfo Building – Giant Sleeping Buddha – Jiulong Beach – Sanjiangkou – Lingyun Mountain – Leshan Giant Buddha – Bijin Building – Mahao – Wuyou Mountain – Fengzhou Island – Wharf
Recommended Hiking and Boating Route in Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
Wharf – Giant Sleeping Buddha – Jiulong Beach – Sanjiangkou – Lingyun Mountain – Leshan Giant Buddha – Wuyou Mountain – Wuyou Temple – Mahao Museum – Mahao Fishing Village – Buddhist Paradise – Forest of Steles – Lingyun Plank Road – Leshan Giant Buddha – Lingyun Temple – Lingbao Pagoda – Oriental Buddha Park
How to Get to Leshan
Leshan is about 160 km away from Chengdu. You can get to Leshan from Chengdu by inter-city train, by bus and by car.
By High-speed Train
The Inter-city high-speed train from Chengdu to Leshan only takes about 1 hour. You can take this inter-city train at Chengdu East Train Station and Chengdu South Train Station. The ticket price is about RMB 54 for the second class seat from Chengdu East Train Station and RMB 51 for the second class seat from Chengdu South Train Station. When you arrive at Leshan High-speed Train Station, you can take Bus No.3 to get to Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area. It will take about 40 minutes. Or you can choose to take a taxi to get to Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area. It will cost about 30RMB.
Leshan High-speed Train Station
By Bus
You can take a bus from Chengdu to Leshan at Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station, Chadianzi Bus Station, Shiyang Bus Station or other bus stations in Chengdu. The ticket price is about RMB 50. It will take about 1.5–2 hours. When you arrive at Leshan Xiaoba Bus Station, you can take Bus No.13 to get to Leshan Giant Scenic Area. If you are at Leshan Bus Center, you can take Bus No.3 to get off the bus at Dafosi Station which is near the gate of Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area. You can also go Leshan Giant Budda by taxi. It will cost about RMB 20.
By Car
You can also choose to go to Leshan from Chengdu by a chartered car. Taking a chartered car is more convenient than taking a bus. The driver will pick you up at your hotel and sent you to the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area directly. It will take about 1–1.5 hours during the way.
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