Leshan Giant Buddha

giant statues · China · sculpture · rivers

Carved from a cliff. Workers chiseled the Leshan Giant Buddha directly out of a cliff face made of red sandstone along two rivers in southern China. The statue sits so high that rivers flow beneath its feet.

Taller than the Statue of Liberty. At 233 feet tall, this Buddha is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world. It's also the tallest statue built before modern times, which makes it incredibly impressive.

Nearly a century to build. Artists and workers took from 712 to 804 to complete this masterpiece, which means it took almost 100 years to finish carving the entire statue out of solid rock.

Faces a sacred mountain. The Leshan Buddha is positioned looking toward Mount Emei, a famous and spiritual peak in the region. The rivers create a peaceful setting with the statue watching over the landscape.

Still the record holder. Thousands of years later, no other stone Buddha statue has been carved larger or taller than the Leshan Giant Buddha, making it a truly unique achievement in art history.