Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
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How it came to be
Buddhism reached China from India along the Silk Road in the 1st century AD, and the first Buddhist temple in China was built on the summit of Mount Emei in that century. It later became the Guangxiang Temple, renamed Huazang in 1614. More than 30 temples stand on the mountain, among them the Wannian Temple, founded in the 4th century, with a 7.85-metre bronze Buddha of the 10th century.
At nearby Leshan the Min, Qingyi and Dadu rivers meet. The monk Haitong, who believed the Maitreya Buddha would calm the currents that endangered boats, began carving a Buddha into the cliff above the confluence in the 8th century. When the money ran out the work stopped at the knees, but the regional governor Wei Gao funded the rest and Haitong's disciples finished it in 803. It is 71 metres high.
Hidden gutters and drainage holes in the hair, collar, chest and ears keep the inside of the statue dry. Mount Emei and the Leshan Giant Buddha were inscribed in 1996 as a mixed cultural and natural site.
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