乐山
Leshan
Home of the world's largest Buddha statue — a 71-meter stone colossus carved into a river cliff where three rivers converge.
乐山
Home of the world's largest Buddha statue — a 71-meter stone colossus carved into a river cliff where three rivers converge.
Leshan's Giant Buddha is the largest stone Buddha carving in the world — 71 meters tall, with toes wide enough for a person to sit on. Carved into a cliff face at the confluence of the Min, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers starting in 713 AD, the Buddha was engineered to calm the dangerous currents that sank boats at this junction. (The rubble from carving was dumped into the river, accidentally altering the current and achieving the goal.) You can view the Buddha from a river boat or climb the cliff alongside it, descending stairs carved into the rock. Leshan is also a food city — its version of Sichuan cuisine is distinct from Chengdu's.
