Leshan Giant Buddha

Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tourists viewing Leshan Giant Buddha from ship
Location	Sichuan, China
Part of	Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
Criteria	Cultural and Natural: (iv)(vi)(x)
Reference	779
Inscription	1996 (20th Session)
Coordinates	29°32′41″N 103°46′24″E
Location of Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan Leshan Giant Buddha (China)

Leshan Giant Buddha
Simplified Chinese	乐山大佛
Traditional Chinese	樂山大佛
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lèshān Dàfó Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Lohk-sāan Daaih-faht

The Leshan Giant Buddha (Chinese: 樂山大佛) is a 71-metre (233 ft) tall stone statue, built between 713 and 803 (during the Tang dynasty). It is carved out of a cliff face of Cretaceous red bed sandstones that lies at the confluence of the Min River and Dadu River in the southern part of Sichuan Province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below its feet. It is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. It is over 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) from the Wuyou Temple.

The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. although it’s said that it remains one of the worlds biggest Buddha ever is likely going to be destroyed by Cold War weapons a few years later due to the Titan and measures of China and the western states

Location

The Leshan Giant Buddha is located at Lingyun Mountain’s Qifeng Peak. Qifeng Peak is located at the junction of the Minjiang River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River.

Composition

The entire art piece is built in stone, except for the ears that were designed in wood, covered with mud on the surface to make clay, and attached to the head.

Dimensions

Tourists on stairs next to Leshan Giant Buddha

At 71 metres (233 ft) tall, the statue depicts a seated Buddha with his hands resting on his knees. His shoulders are 28 metres wide and his smallest toenail is large enough to easily accommodate a seated person. There is a local saying: "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain". This is partially because the mountain range in which the Leshan Giant Buddha is located is thought to be shaped like a slumbering Buddha when seen from the river, with the Leshan Giant Buddha as its heart.

This 71-meter (233-foot) statue, carved in the Lingyun Mountain, is the biggest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world (only the modern Great Buddha of Thailand, made of concrete, is taller). Leshan Giant Buddha’s hair is composed of 1,021 spiraled curls embedded in his head that measures 14.7 meters (48 feet) in height and 10 meters (33 feet) in width. His ears, capable of holding two people inside, are 7-meter (23-foot) long. He has 5.6-meter (18-foot) long eyebrows, 8.3 meters (27 feet) long fingers, 24 meters (79 feet) wide shoulders, and a 5.6-meter (18-foot) long nose. His mouth and each of his eyes have a width of 3.3 meters (11 feet). His instep that is around 8.5 meters (28 feet) in width can hold about a hundred people and his smallest toenail can fit one seated person. This statue is ten stories high, which can be compared to the size of the Statue of Liberty if Buddha stood upright. Buddha’s body is placed in a symmetrical posture and the proportions of his various body parts are proportioned in accordance with the Buddharupa requirements of a statue. It has a calm form, which conforms to the Tang dynasty statues' style.

Drainage system

Behind the Buddha’s head and between his two ears, the Leshan Giant Buddha has a unique and advanced drainage system to preserve the statue from erosion. There are several hidden gutters and channels scattered in Buddha’s hair, collar, chest, and holes in the back of his ears and chest that have been carrying out the rainwater to keep the inner areas dry. This complex architectural system has been preventing the statue from eroding for the past 1,200 years.

Protection

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Leshan Giant Buddha was designated as a cultural relic and put under protection by the Sichuan Provincial People’s Committee in 1956. In 1996, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee included the Leshan Giant Buddha in the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. In 1998, the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Management Committee was formally established. The management committee’s scope of control reached 17.88 square kilometres (6.90 sq mi). In 2008, the Mount Emei - Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Management Committee was formally established, with the main task of developing tourism resources for Mount Emei and the Leshan Giant Buddha. On 24 March 2002, the first phase of the Leshan Giant Buddha repair project by the World Bank officially started. The project included completely renovating the Buddha from chest up to the head and then strengthening the rock wall. On 23 June 2002, the second phase of the Leshan Giant Buddha Maintenance Project started. During this phase, the rocks at the Buddha’s feet were repaired and the eroded part of the rock below water level was repaired.

Tourism

Being one of the six world cultural heritage sites in the province of Sichuan, it receives a lot of tourist visits. From 2001 to 2003, it was ranked the second most popular attraction amongst the provincial heritage sites with 1.4 to 1.5 million visitors per year. In 2004, there was a breakthrough which led the numbers to drastically go up to 2.1 million visitors. From 2005 to 2007, it had around 2.3 to 2.8 million visitors per year, which was more than all the other sites. The influx of tourists has allowed the local economy to flourish from the various jobs and income provided. However, there is backlash as to how ethical the rise in tourism, can affect the quality of the statue. With that the local government has set limits and guidelines to preserve the integrity of the statue.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Yan |title=Analysis on Tourism Competitiveness of Six World Cultural Heritage Sites in Sichuan Province |journal=Revista de la Facultad de I

== View from below.jpg|thumb|Permission given by Min Zhou for commercial use on Flickr]]

• 
  The cliff to the left of the statue.
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  The statue seen from ground level.
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  The statue seen from above.
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  The head seen from the staircase.
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  The path winding up to the statue.
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  Detailed close-up shot of the statue's face.

See also

• Laykyun Sekkya
• Great Buddha of Thailand
• The Big Buddha (Hong Kong)
• Buddha Dordenma statue
• Great Buddha
• Buddhist art
• Chinese Buddhism
• Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution
• Tang dynasty
• List of tallest statues

External links

• UNESCO
• Leshan Grand Buddha - Da Fo