Mount Emei

Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	China
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv, vi, x
Reference	779
Region**	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1996  (20th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Mount Emei (Chinese: 峨嵋山; pinyin: Éméi Shān; Wade-Giles: O²-mei² Shan¹, literally towering Eyebrow Mountain) is a mountain in Sichuan province of Western China. Mount Emei is often written as 峨眉山 and occasionally 峩嵋山 or 峩眉山 but all three are translated as Mount Emei or Mount Emeishan. Mt. Emei is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. The patron bodhisattva of Emei is Samantabhadra, known in Chinese as Puxian (普贤菩萨). 16th and 17th century sources allude to the practice of martial arts in the monasteries of Mount Emei. made the earliest extant reference to the Shaolin Monastery as Chinese boxing's place of origin. A large surrounding area of countryside is geologically known as the Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province, a large igneous province generated by the Emeishan Traps volcanic eruptions during the Permian Period. Mt. Emei was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The Emei Shan Liocichla, a passerine bird is named after the site.

Architecture

This is the location of the first Buddhist temple built in China in the 1st century CE. The site has approximately seventy Buddhist monasteries of the Ming and Qing period, most of them located near the mountain top. The monasteries demonstrate a flexible architectural style that adapts to the landscape. Some, such as the halls of Baoguosi, are built on terraces of varying levels, while others, including the structures of Leiyinsi, are on raised stilts. Here the fixed plans of Buddhist monasteries of earlier periods are modified or ignored in order to made full use of the natural scenery. The buildings of Qingyinge are laid out in an irregular plot on the narrow piece of land between the Black Dragon River and the White Dragon River. The site is large and the winding foot path is 50 km, taking several days to walk. There are cable cars to top level of the mountain.

Images of Mount Emei

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  Baoguosi- a buddhist temple

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  A wooden bridgewalk over the Crystal Stream, western slopes

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  Macaque indigenous to the region

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  baby macaque

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  The Elephant Bathing Pool

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  Emei Shan summit elephants

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  Golden statue of Puxian at Emei Shan summit, clouded in mist

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  Puxian statue inside of giant golden statue of Puxian on elephants at Emei Shan summit

Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha (Simplified Chinese: 乐山大佛; Traditional Chinese: 樂山大佛; pinyin: Lèshān Dàfó) was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It was undamaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

History

Construction was started in AD 713, led by a Chinese monk named Haitong. He hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels travelling down the river. When funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. Construction was completed by his disciples ninety years later. Apparently the massive construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff face and deposited into the river below that the currents were indeed altered by the statue, making the waters safe for passing ships.

Degradation

The Leshan Buddha has fallen victim to the pollution emanating from the unbridled development in the region. According to Xinhua: "The Leshan Buddha and many Chinese natural and cultural heritage sites have succumbed to weathering, air pollution, inadequate protection and negative influences brought by swarms of tourists." The local government has shut factories and power plants close to the statue. However, the statue is already suffering a "blackened nose" and smears of dirt across the face. The government has promised to give restoration to the site.

Dimensions

At 71 meters (233 feet) tall, the statue depicts a seated Maitreya Buddha with his hands resting on his knees. His shoulders are twenty-eight metres wide and his smallest toenail is large enough to easily accommodate a seated person. There is a local saying: "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain." This is partially because the mountain range in which the Leshan Giant Buddha is located is thought to be shaped like a slumbering Buddha when seen from the river, with the Leshan Giant Buddha as its heart.

Images of Leshan Giant Buddha

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  The Buddha seen from the water

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  The head of the Buddha

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  Leshan Buddha seen from ground level

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  The Giant Buddha seen from above

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  Giant Buddha seen from stairs

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  Foot, toes, and toe nails

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  Leshan Giant Buddha

See also

• Buddhist art
• Chinese Buddhism
• Tang Dynasty
• Sacred Mountains of China
• Zuo Ci

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. 2002. Chinese architecture. The culture and civilization of China. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300095593.
• Zhang, Kongzhao, Huandou Cao, and Xu Qiude. 2000. Quan jing quan fa bei yao. Jing dian wu xue, B602. Taibei Shi: Yi wen chu ban you xian gong si. ISBN 9579772576.

External links

• Religion and the environment in China, 中国的宗教与环境. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
• Mount Emei, including Leshan Giant Buddha, Scenic Area: official UNESCO site. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
• Solar Eclipse 2009 Viewed from Mt. Emei Shan. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
• Leshan. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
• Leshan Grand Buddha: Da Fo. Retrieved September 29, 2008.

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