Leshan Travel Guide

The area's main attraction is the Leshan Giant Buddha, which is listed as a world heritage site. As the largest lapidarian Buddha in the world, it does peculiar justice to the Buddhist saying, "A mountain is a Buddha, while Buddha is a mountain."

Chinese Name: 乐山
English Name: Leshan
Location: Southwest of China
Province: Sichuan
Area: 12,827 sq.km.
Population: 3,535,000
Area Code: 0833
Time Zone: (UTC+8)
Zip Code: 614000

Tucked in beside the mountainous regions of southwest China and lying along the alluvial plains of the Min, Jinsha, Qingyi, and Yangzi rivers, the small region of Leshan is about 180km from Chengdu and 20km from Emeishan. Covering an area of 318 square miles (825 square kilometers), Leshan is a place where give birth to many talented people, like Sushi, a famous litterateur in North Song Dynasty.

History

Construction of the Buddha took 90 years, beginning in 713, during the 1st year of the Kaiyuan Period of the Tang Dynasty Emperor Xuanzong’s reign and was completed in 803, during the 19th year of the Tang Dynasty Zhenyusn Period. During this period, work on the statue was suspended twice. Afterward the statue was finished, a 13-story tower was built to shelter the Buddha from the elements, but it is destroyed by war toward the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Attractions

Many of Leshan's visitors are Buddhist pilgrims, or those with the desire to absorb the religious energy given off by Leshan's breathtaking places of Buddhist worship. But regardless of whom you are, you will not be able to help but be impressed by sites such as Leshan's Giant Buddha, Mount Emei and the Sansu Hall of Northern Song.

Leshan Giant Buddha, the Buddha is located to the east of Leshan City, Sichuan Province, at the confluence of three rivers, namely, Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River. It is carved into the cliffs of Mt. Lingyun. It is a Maitreya Buddha who represents the future generations and a symbol of light and bliss. To have an overview of the Giant Buddha, you will have to climb down through nine flights of steps to its foot, where the grand outline and imposing figure will be most striking to the upturned eye.

Transportation

By air: The airport is approximately 10 miles southwest of Chengdu, there are shuttle buses, about RMB10 and taxis, about RMB40, to the center of the city. Le Shan is about 120km from Chengdu and will take about 80 minutes by taxi.

By bus: There are lots of buses from Chengdu to Leshan, tickets are from RMB20 to 38 depending on the kind of bus. Buses from Le Shan to Emei Shan depart every 15 minutes, tickets are RMB5.

By ferry: From 8 am to 5pm there are ferries every ten minutes from the Giant Buddha in Le Shan to Wuyou Temple. Tickets for the tour boat are RMB 30 while regular ferry is RMB1.

Weather

Winter is short, mild and dry, with a January average of 7.1 °C (44.8 °F), and while frost may occur, snow is rare. Summers are long, hot and humid. Rainfall is light in winter and can be heavy in summer, and more than 70% of the annual total occurs from June to September. Don’t forget to bring your sun block and sunglasses.

Food

Falling into the Sichuan cuisine family, Leshan is noted for its food culture in that it has all the street food from its surrounding areas, which has made it the one-stop street food city. Typical specialties include: Malatang-Hot and spicy soup; Boboji-Bobo chicken; Shaokao- Street barbecue; Qianweibaobing—Qianwei Pancakes; Doufunao. Pearl dumplings are Le Shan’s most famous snack. A good place to eat is He Jie Xiaochi Jie, a food street that features many restaurants and food vendors.

Restaurant

The Park Niuhua Doufunao: offers Doufunao, Niuroujiamo( Beef buns clips) and aome other snacks. It is a nice restaurant for breakfast and Doufunao is the most classic one.
Address: the opposite of the People’s Park
Price: ¥6/person

Grandma Ye’s: offers Bobo chicken, Pancakes, Rice-gel product, Peanut milk and so on.
Address: Dongdajie
Price: ¥20/person
Tel: 0833-2139401

Okya Steak: a western restaurant, offers beefsteak and Italian noodles. If you are not fit for the local snacks, this restaurant is your best choice.
Address: the second floor of Wal-Mart in Drum-tower Street
Price: ¥30/person
Tel: 15681332555

Honglilai Jiulou: offers traditional Sichuan dishes, specializes in Zhou’s chicken.
Address: 268 Jiading Zhong Lu, Zhongqu, Le Shan.
Tel: 0833-2137988
Hours: 10am to 10pm

Q&A

1. Please tell me where is the China Mobile Customer Service in Le Shan? SOS!
There is one at the middle of Moruo Dadao, Here is the telephone (13981348164), if you have any problem, contact them directly.

2. Which area is the WIFI available?
Most of the hotels have WIFI, if you are in a hurry, you can go to the cybercafé here: Haoxinqing Internet Bar at the underground store of Xincun.