Leshan lies about 104 miles ( 167km ) south of Chengdu and is renowned for its Great Buddha, the colossal stoene statue of Maitreya, which stands on the bank of the River Minjiang.
    Started in 713 AD, by the Buddhist monk Haitong who organized fund raising and hired workers; it took ninety years to complete. He hoped that the presence of the Great Buddha image would protect the boatmen who traversed the treacherous river by pacifying the swift currents. A building was built to protect the statue, but was destroyed during a Ming Dynasty war.
    the Buddha is 234 feet high, with shoulders that are 92 feet wide; the head is 48 feet high, while each of the ears is 23 feet long.
    the Great Buddha Temple (Da Fu Si ) itself is located above the right shoulder of the statue. Inside the body is a water drainage system to prevent weathering, although he is now fighting flowers growing from his hands, a bushy chest, ferns in his top-knots, and weeds growing out of his ear holes.
    the Great Buddha did do his part for the boatmen, surplus rocks were used to fill the river hollow to make the river less hazardous.
    West of Leshan lies one of the four holy mountains of Buddhism, Emei Shan Mountain.
By cruising over the Minjiang river right in front of the Buddha Mount (Linyunshan) one will be able to have a panorama view of the whole mountain as a huge sleeping Buddha.
    On Mount Linyunshan stands the Pagoda of the Souls. It is125ft (38m) high and of the Song period (960-1279). Its 13 storeys are bedecked with statues of the Buddha. From here there is a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.