SiChuan - Mount Le 四川乐山大佛

6/26/2014 Sichuan, Mount Le, Leshan (乐山)

Carving Buddha sitting on Mt. Le

Aaron:

Min, Qing Yi, Da Du River meets at Mt. Le

We went to Leshan. It was the point(三江口) in which the Min (岷江), the Qing Yi (青衣江), and the Da Du Rivers (大渡河) met and formed the Long River (长江).

famous Chinese poet Su Shi Prints

A Buddha carving on the mountain was built there to help prevent floods. It started being built in 713 during the Tang dynasty and was finished 90 years later, in 803. It is the largest Buddha statue ever in China. When we went there, we saw the Chinese character for Buddha carved on the mountain signed by Su Shi (苏轼). He was a famous poet and governor of Hangzhou during the Song Dynasty.

huge Buddha head carving

As we continued, we saw all sorts of Buddha carved on the mountain, fat ones and little ones . There was also a big dragon carving and a tiger sculpture on the way to the top. When we reached the top of the hill, we took some pictures of the Buddha’s 14.7 meter head. We went down through a plank road built along the face of a cliff. It was one way from the Buddha’s right shoulder to the toe, and back up to the left shoulder. During the walk, we saw all 3 rivers flowing together into one huge rapid. Leshan had some awesome carvings and sculptures.

Gordon:

small Buddha carving

Da Du Buddha carving

We went to Mt. Le at an early morning. Mt. Le was big and tall. It is famous for its Buddha carvings on the mountain.  My favorite Buddha is the tallest one. It sits where the three rivers meet and form the Long River. It looks like a giant king sitting on a throne. It is 71 meters high. It is as high as the clouds! On the way up, we saw the Da Du Buddha. Da Du Buddha has a big belly. Mt. Le is awesome! It was such a beautiful day!

at the bottom of Mt. Le