Leshan Giant

Leshan Giant Buddha is a huge statue of Maitreya cut out of a hil in accordance with the terrain，an amazing proiect in the 8th century that las-ted for 90 years.The statue measures 71m in total height，or 59.96m for its siting proper，which entitles itself as the tallest stone carved statue of Mait-reya in the world.The carving is smooth and proportional，and the Buddha looks solemn and maiestic.On the cut-out walls at its south and north sides are over 90 stone figures carved in Tang Dynasty，of which the shrine of “Sutra lustration of Pure Land”and“Trinity Budda”are particularly cher-ished for their high artistic values.

The surrounding of Leshan Giant Buddha combines the charm of both the mountains and the rivers.Moreover，it integrates both the beauty of anatural heritage and the gems of human culture.Within 2.5km2 there are 2 sites under Class I state protection and 4 sites under Class ll state protec-tion.The Giant Buddha enjoys a favor of its own，lacing the historic and cultural Leshan City on the other side of the river.As the center of the scenic area.the Giant Buddha is accompanied with a number of sites of interestnearby，such as the Detached Mound from the irrigation system of Dujiang Weir by Li Bing in Qin Dynasty，the cliff tomb clusters of Han Dynasty，Bud-dhist figure carvings，pagodas，and temples of Tang and Song Dynasties，as well as architectural groups of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

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