National Parks of China
Overview
| Province | Sichuan |
| Latitude, longitude | 29.55, 103.77 Google Maps |
| 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.