Visiting Leshan Giant Buddha

After getting off the train, we went back to the hotel and rested for a few hours before heading out to see Leshan Giant Buddha 乐山大佛. We originally intended to talk a boat ride to the bottom of the Giant Buddha and snap a few pictures before heading back. As luck would have it, we ended up in the South gate and was greeted by a tour guide Mao Lianhua 毛莲花. We bought 2 set of tickets - 1 to go see the Giant Buddha and the other to see some Tang dynasty tombs on the hill behind the Giant Buddha.

Little did I know, this is the start of a torturous journey up the hills. First we saw the face of Buddha carved into the slopes some 500 years earlier than the Giant Buddha.


Next we cross a little stream that is quite picturesque with the stream and bamboo garden.


Next up are wall carvings from the Tang dynasty




The carvings were damaged by the Chinese communist party during the cultural revolution.


Next is the entrances to the Tang dynasty tombs


Inside, there's lots of Luohan 罗汉 and later statues of Buddha in the burial tombs. However, we did not see any coffin in the tombs.





Next comes the familiar scene for the TV serial Fengyun 风云 where most of the kungfu fighting scenes were shot.


Our backpacking friends, Mr. Wang王先生 and Mr. Zhao赵先生 from Liaoning 辽宁

From here onwards, it is a series of hilly trials on mouldy and muddy grounds. Very slippery and rather tiring to walk all the way up and down the hilly slopes.

Of course no trip to Leshan Giant Buddha is complete without some pictures of the Giant Buddha...