What should you know before visiting Leshan Giant Buddha?
The Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest stone Buddha statue ever carved, rising 71 meters from toe to topknot against a red sandstone cliff where the Min, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers merge in Sichuan Province. Construction began in 713 CE under the direction of a Chinese monk named Haitong, who believed a massive Buddha overlooking the turbulent waters would calm the dangerous currents that had claimed countless boatmen's lives. The project took 90 years and three generations of craftsmen to complete. The statue's proportions are staggering: each ear stretches 7 meters long, each eye measures 3.3 meters across, and the shoulders span 28 meters wide. An ingenious hidden drainage system channels rainwater through the head, arms, and robes to prevent erosion, a feat of eighth-century engineering that has kept the Buddha largely intact for thirteen centuries. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the statue can be viewed from the water on a river cruise or explored up close via steep staircases carved into the cliff face. The Leshan Giant Buddha is typically visited as a day trip from Chengdu, pairing well with a morning at the Panda Research Base or an evening wandering Jinli Ancient Street. For official information, see UNESCO World Heritage listing.