Leshan Buddha

Today I went down to Leshan to see the Buddha. He's the tallest sitting, stone-carved Buddha in the world at 71m tall. Built during the Tang Dynasty, he is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province. He faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing at his feet. He is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world & was carved between 713 and 803.

I climbed the 330 steps to the top, then goodness knows how many steep, carved stone steps down to his feet and another set back up. It was well worth the effort. This picture was taken from a river boat later in the afternoon. My guide told me that during the Cultural Revolution the Buddha closed his eyes.

This evening was Sichuan opera and folk arts at the Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse.