Giant Buddha of Leshan

China’s Rich History, Culture, and Environment

Because of its outstanding beauty and significance to people both in the past and in the present, China’s history, cultural, and environmental richness has been reflected in a global mirror. Aside from the Great Wall, China offers several scenic places that commemorate various political regimes and civilizations, architecture, natural changes, and cultural history. Leshan Big Buddha is one of China’s oldest, most celebrated, and most visited attractions, with cultural, spiritual, political, and engineering ramifications. According to Wenwen, the interpretation of leshan Giant Budha in foreign countries helps academics and tourists express the ideals and contributions of Chinese traditions to the globe. The leshan Giant Budha represents Chinese tradition, cultural values and civilization blended into deep skills of artistic and architectural design of human relationship with god.

The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue

The leshan Giant Budha statue project was started in 713AD by a Chinese monk Hai Tong, and completed in 803 AD. It was curved into one side of Mount Lingyun at the confluence of Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River, to represent Maitreya who a Budha and a disciple of Sakyamuni, the founder of the Buddhism religion. For more than 1300 years, this statue of sitting smiley Buddha has remained there representing the sacred source of enlightenment, brightness and happiness to the people of Chengdu in Sichuan Province. It stands about 233 feeds (71 meters) high, with massive body parts that contributes to its gigantic appearance. Its fingers are 27 feet (8.3) long, instep of 30 (9M) feet and a shoulder of 79(24) feet wide. Miller explains that the size of the shoulder is almost that of a basketball pitch while its instep can accommodate a hundred people. Due to environmental changes, the statue has undergone corrosion and deterioration, requiring renovation. In 1996, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) include it in the list of World Heritage sites. Consequently, the renovation began and has been continuing since then.

The Monumental Aspect and Influence of the Statue

The monumental aspect of this statue in regard to Chinese people is evident the way it inspires oral traditions, religion and moral values. The statue has been used in many ancient and modern stories, poems and stories that explain the origin and Chinese empires, leaders and religion. These items not only preserve the religious and spiritual traditions of the Chinese people but also influence the interaction of people, and perception of the Chinese occupations. Important values such as honesty, faithfulness, love, care, bravery and friendship are passed on from generation to another through these forms of oral tradition. The physical appearance of this statue is believed to promote various constructive practices. For example, the giant Buddha sits in a posture of a meditating monk. Meditation in Chinese culture has both spiritual and fitness purposes in which monk are believed to achieve spiritual uplift, wisdom and enlightenment.

The Chinese People’s Contributions and Protection

Successful completion of the statue demonstrated the patience, generous contributions and sacrifice by the Chinese people, values that are deeply inscribed in Chinese culture. According to Miller, monk spent many years collecting funds for the project from the chines people and the disciples in Lingyun temple. The monk wanted to sooth the spirits of water to protect calm the violent forces that drowned people who lived and worked around the three rivers. And as the people curved the stones, the falling materials accumulated in the river thereby altering the speed and strength of the water. Consequently, water became calm and deaths of people stopped. At one time, corrupt government officials attempted to take away the contributions people had offering to facilitate the curving of the statue, and since it was wrong and could sabotage the project, the monk protected it in all ways possible. According to ancient tales, Hai Ting protected the offerings by removing his eye, an act that scared the officials. In this case, the Buddha also advocated for moral uprightness that is highly valued among the Chinese monks.

The Artistic and Architectural Marvel

Finally, the Leshan Giant Buddha statue is a representation of great Chinese masterly skills in arts, architecture, innovativeness and creativity. In a general description, the statue resembles a sitting monk, with a smile on the face, and highly elevated above the ground. The achievement of this posture required advanced geometrical skills and technology. It is unbelievable the kind of technology existing during those ages that could enable achieve such a statue, but with consideration of other sites such as the Great Wall, no doubt China’s technology was great. Evidently, all architectural aspect of the giant Buddha is astonishing. The coiled hair was achieved through creation of 1,021 buns that are skillfully embedded on the head, while its 23 feet (7M) long ears are well placed on the head. Both ears were curved from the best wood and decorated by mud. It’s mysterious how both the wood and the mud have remained intact for so many centuries. Among other architectural facets on this statue is a long and efficient drainage system that collects water flowing on the surface of the Buddha. The gutters and piping are not visible and they run around the head and along the hands. As a result, the inner side of the statue remains dry and safe, probably the reason being the long life of the materials such as wood and mud used to make take the giant statue.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, the Leshan Giant Buddha has a long history and popularity not only due to its massive posture but also the architectural and artistic efforts those who made it put. More importantly, it represents the richness of Chinese culture, traditions, and religion that influence the people’s way of living. Due to its old history, the statue has begun to wear off in response to environmental and human pressures. Luckily, the government of China with association with UNESCO has embarked on renovation activities that have taken many years. Although expensive, renovation will help reinstate the beauty the statue provides to the hosting mountain while at the same time promoting the values of the local community. In addition, it will prolong the benefits that people from different countries can enjoy by visiting China.

Bibliography

Miller, Mark. “600-Year-Old Buddha Statue Temporarily Emerges From The Waters, Reminding Locals Of A Forgotten Past.” Ancient Origins. 2017.

UNESCO Centre. “Mount Emei Scenic Area, Including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area.” Whc.Unesco.Org, 2017.

Wenwen, Xiao. “Cultural Factors in Tourism Interpretation of Leshan Giant Buddha”. English Language Teaching 2016. 10 (1): 56. doi:10.5539/elt.v10n1p56.