Mount E'mei
Mount Emei rises sharply on the left bank of the Dadu River 135
miles south from Chengdu by road. Reaching a height of 10,337 ft.,
it is the highest of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. There
were once over 70 temples and monasteries that sheltered thousands of
Buddhist monks. Pilgrims spent days climbing to the top of Mt.
Emei to offer prayers to the Buddha. Most of the temples still remain,
and you can see them on your climb to the summit. The climb is tiring
and the path difficult to follow in places. At the summit you may see
the sun rise over the famous Ocean of Clouds. Late in the afternoon, if
you are lucky enough, you may also see the Precious Light of
Buddha formed by the diffraction of light passing through moisture
particles in the atmosphere.
Mt. Emei
Great Buddha Statue at
Leshan
Leshan, about 100 miles southwest of Chengdu, once known as
Jiading or Jiazhou, is a 1,300-year-old city in southwestern Sichuan
Province, where the Minjiang River and the Dadu River converge. It is a
junction for land and water traffic in southern Sichuan.
On Lingyun Hill, an
enormous Buddha, 331 ft. tall, sits erect with an armed guard standing
at either side, a path with nine bends winds down the cliff from the top
of the Buddha's head, at the crest of the hill, to the statue's feet.
Legend has it the Monk Hai Tong of Lingyun Monastery, disturbed at
seeing many boats capsized in the turbulent waters nearby, initiated the
carving of this Buddha to subdue the waters and ensure the safety of the
river folks.
It was completed in 803, in
the Tang Dynasty, after 90 years of work. The figure, not only a great
work of art, incorporates the sophisticated technical features of hidden
drains,
which were
skillfully cut through the body to prevent the surface from weathering.
Great
Buddha Statue at Leshan
Thousand Buddha Cliffs at Guangyuan
If you travel from Chengdu to Xi'an by train and are
interested in Buddhist cave sculptures, it is worth stopping at
Guangyuan,
about 175 miles north of Chengdu and
only 30 miles from the Shaanxi border. Not far from the town is the
Thousand Buddha Cliffs, or Qian Fo Yan, where there are Buddhist
sculptures comparable with those at Yungang (see Datong) and Long Men
(see Luoyang). The carvings were begun in the early part of the eighth
century. Of the original 17,000 statues, only a few hundred remain.
The Guanxian Dam
This dam is located about 30 miles northwest of Chengdu.
The Minjiang River splits into four tributaries near the town, two of
which flow on either side of Chengdu.
Over the centuries, a
series of water systems have been developed at Guanxian, the first as
far back as 350 BC The water has been diverted from Minjiang
River to the nearby plains, creating one of the most productive
agricultural areas in China.
There are models at the
dam site
that illustrate the water systems, as well as inscriptions commemorating
the scholar, Li Bing and his son, who began the task of diverting the
waters more than 33 centuries ago.
Nearby
is a Taoist temple, the Fulongguan, commanding a superb view of the
river valley. A short drive away stands the Two Kings' Temple, built in
honor of Li Bing and his son, who were both awarded the title of “King”
after their deaths.
Memorial Temple of
Zhuge Liang
Situated in the southern suburbs of
Chengdu, this temple of 9.3 areas was built during the Western
Jin Dynasty (A.D.
3rd century) in memory of Zhuge Liang (181-234), the Prime
Minister of Kingdom of Shu and great scholar and strategist. During the
Ming Dynasty it was merged with the temple of Liu Bei, the king
of Shu Kingdom. The present temple buildings were built in 1,672(Qing
Dynasty). The impressive and
peaceful gardens
represent the artistic style of the ancient
Chinese architecture. In the temple there are more than 40
statues of the Kingdom of Shu, some 40 steles and
stone tables, 30
plaques and a dozen or so of ancient tripods, incense burners, bells and
drums.
