That's a Big Buddha

Grand Buddha, Leshan, Sichuan Province

The biggest Buddha in the world was carved out of a cliff face in Leshan over a thousand years ago. It was the brainchild of an 8th century monk, who thought that a statue placed at the confluence of the Min and Dadu rivers would make the shipping passage safer. And apparently that's exactly what happened after the Buddha was built. Though that was probably due to the rubble created by the construction changing the flow of the water, rather than divine intervention.

Grand Buddha's torso

The Grand Buddha, or Dafo as he is known in Chinese, definitely lives up to his name. He is 233 ft tall, his shoulders are 92 ft wide, his ears are 23 ft long and his big toes are even longer - stretching out for 28 ft each. Remarkably, Dafo has been sitting here for 1200 years, thanks in part to an ingenious drainage system built by his creators. But it isn't perfect, and thanks to weathering and pollution, the statue has needed extensive renovation in recent decades.

Grand Buddha crotch shot

A single file path down the cliff face allows you to see the Buddha from gargantuan head to giant toe, but even in late November, it was swarming with tourists. Fortunately, just a few hundred meters away, on an ancient cliff road following the river, it was possible to find some much needed solitude and serenity.

Haoshang Bridge

Following the path away from the Grand Buddha, I crossed the beautiful Haoshang Bridge, huffed my way up a steep forest path for thirty minutes, and arrived at the nearly deserted Wuyou Temple. There, I had a lovely time wandering unbothered through the monastery and its immaculate gardens.

Exiting the Haoshang Bridge

What I cherished most about this trip around Leshan was not the sights, though they were very impressive, but rather something I hadn't even known that I missed. Peace & Quiet. For one of the first times in months, I heard birds that weren't in cages. I heard the rustle of forest trees. I heard the rush of the river. I did not hear car horns, or tourists gabbling, or hawkers shouting hallo. It was an unexpected, and truly appreciated, moment of bliss.

Wuyou Temple