1、 Leshan Giant Buddha 1 Leshan Giant Buddha is located to the east of Leshan City,Sichuan Province, at the confluence （汇流处 ）of three rivers ，namely, Minjiang river, Qingyi river and Dadu river.Minjiang riverDadu river2Dadu riverMinjiang riverQingyi river3The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a m
2、ountain .The mountain is thought to be shaped like a slumbering Buddha(睡佛) when seen from the river, with the Leshan Giant Buddha as its heart.4To the right of the statue a road with nine turns was built and it is now famous as the nine-turn plank road（九曲栈道）， it goes from the bottom to the top.5l Th
3、e Giant Buddha takes the shape of a Maitreya Buddha弥勒佛, a disciple 信徒of Sakyamuni 释迦牟尼, the founder of Buddhism .lIt occupies the entire hillside. Its head reaches the top of the cliffs, his hands rest on his knees .lThe Buddha is 71 meters high. lHis shoulders are 28 meters wide.l Head 14.7 meters
4、long and 10 meters broad , with a total of 1,021 buns (发髻）of hair clustered (聚合)on it. Each bun is as big as a round table. lIts drooping ear is 6.2 meters long and each eye is 3.3 meters wide. 6Each of its feet is 11 meters long and 8.5 meters wide, large enough for more than 100 people to sit on.
5、A picnic could be conducted on the nail of his big toe , which is 1.5m long. 7 As a giant statue the Buddha is so awe-inspiring （令人起敬畏心的）that every Buddhist feels compelled to fall to his knees and to pray for blessings and safety in life. 8Construction of the BuddhalConstruction on the Giant Buddha
6、 began in 713. It was the idea of a Chinese monk （僧侣） named Haitong, who hoped that the Buddha would calm the waters that plagued （造成麻烦）the ships traveling down the river. lWhen funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out （挖出）his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity . l
7、The massive construction project was finally completed by his disciples （徒弟）90 years later. lThe construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff and deposited into the river below that the currents were altered by the statue, making the waters safe for passing ships as the monk h
8、ad hoped. 9The architectural artistry lThere are 1,021 buns in the Buddhas hair. These have been skillfully embedded （嵌入）in the head. The skill is so wonderful that the 1,021 buns seem integral to the whole. lAnother architectural artistry is the drainage （排水）system. This system is made up of some h
9、idden gutters and channels, scattered on the head and arms, behind the ears and in the clothes. lThe charm of the Buddha lies not only in its size but also in its architectural artistry. 10lTicket ：90 yuan / person native:10yuan/personlOpening Hours: 7:30a.m. - 6:30p.m. 11Getting there：It is about 404 kilometers from chongqing to Leshan City if one travels by the expressway （高速公路）（高速公路）. lThere is a regular bus every one hour in Chenjiaping bus station（陈家坪汽车站）. lIt takes about 6 hours to Leshan.lThe price of the ticket is 141 yuan.12乐山大佛1314
