Park of China
Overview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (mixed, 1996, part of “Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area”) AAAAA tourist attraction (2011) |
| Province | Sichuan |
| Location | Shizhong District, Leshan, Sichuan |
| Latitude, longitude | 29.55, 103.77 Google Maps |
| Highlights | A giant Tang Buddha carved into the cliff |
| Top sights | Leshan Giant Buddha, Lingyun Temple, Wuyou Temple |
| Nearby cities | Chengdu |
| Nearby sites | Mount Emei 42km, Giant Panda National Park 157km, Mount Qingcheng 160km, Dujiangyan Irrigation System 163km, Dazu Rock Carvings 199km Search nearby |
| Themes | Buddha, Statue, Inscription, Temple, Long River, Culture, Rafting & boat trips |
About
The Leshan Giant Buddha was carved in the Tang dynasty into Lingyun Hill on the outskirts of Leshan, where the Min, Dadu and Qingyi rivers meet. At 58 m it is said that “the mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain”.
Reports in 2007 described serious weathering and erosion of the statue.
In 2003 the press reported that a company was building the Oriental Buddha Capital theme park with a full-size, 37 m copy of the Bamiyan Buddha of Afghanistan among more than 3,000 reproduced statues, all inside the protected zone of the Leshan Giant Buddha and Mahao cliff tombs World Heritage area. Experts said the copy cheapens the historical significance of the Giant Buddha and harms its cultural value and setting.
Photo credits: Leshan Giant Buddha: xiquinhosilva (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Mount Emei 42km, Mount Tiantai (Sichuan) 102km, Xiling Snow Mountain 140km, Mount Qingcheng 160km |
| National parks of China | Giant Panda National Park 157km |
| National parks | Qingcheng Shan— Dujiangyan 162km, Shunan Bamboo Sea 169km, Mount Gongga (Minya Konka) 184km, Shihai Dongxiang (Stone Sea and Caves) 187km |
| AAAAA attractions | Bifengxia Scenic Area 95km, Anren Ancient Town Scenic Area 109km, Hailuogou Glacier Park 176km |
| AAAA attractions | Oriental Buddhist Capital <1km, Luocheng Ancient Town 31km, Dongfeng Weir and Thousand Buddha Cliff Scenic Area 32km, World Jasmine Expo Park 43km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark 104km, Xingwen UNESCO Global Geopark 197km |
| Historic cities | Leshan 4km, Meishan 56km, Zigong 100km |
| Cities | Chengdu 132km |
| Historical sites | Mahao Cliff Tombs <1km, Site of the First Controlled Nuclear Fusion Experimental Device 4km, Ruifeng Cliff Tombs 22km, Yanggong Que Pillar-Gate 22km |
| Nature reserves | Heizhugou National Nature Reserve 88km, Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve 114km, Fengtongzhai National Nature Reserve 138km |
| Historic towns | Qingxi Town 46km |